Hustle, Muscle and Heart – The 1994 Mount Baker Boys Basketball Story

The story of a team that went from good to great, with the help of intense practices, a motivating head coach, a pair of handcuffs and tremendous senior leadership

By Tyler Anderson

It was 30 years ago.

In the world of sports, the nation had its collective eyes on figure skaters Nancy Kerrigan and Tonya Harding during the Winter Olympics, as well as Michael Jordan who had recently retired from the Chicago Bulls (the first time) and was getting ready for Spring Training with the Chicago White Sox.

It was also a time when the internet wasn’t available commercially, “Mrs. Doubtfire” topped the box office and Ron Lepper was still a few months away from setting foot onto the Mount Baker campus.

I was a freshman at Mount Baker, and after enjoying an exciting football season that saw the Mountaineers finish second in the Whatcom County League, and battle Steilacoom for a state berth, it was time to sink in to high school basketball for the first time. I had no idea what to expect.

A year earlier, the Mountaineers finished with a 6-14 record, and had failed to reach the Northwest District Tournament for the sixth year in a row. In the past few dozen years, the format was the same. There were six teams in the Whatcom County League (Mount Baker was joined by Blaine, Lynden, Lynden Christian, Meridian and Nooksack Valley), and the top four teams would advance to districts. The Mountaineers had some good athletes in the late 80’s and early 90’s, but the rest of the league was incredibly dominant.

However, there was some change happening in the WCL going into the 1993-94 school year. The powerhouse Lynden Lions had moved up a classification and joined the Northwest League, and the significantly smaller Concrete Lions had joined the WCL. Friday Harbor was also recently added to the WCL two years prior.

With Lynden out of the picture, it opened the door for other teams to grab that top spot.

The favorites to do just that were Blaine and Nooksack Valley. The Borderites and the Pioneers both reached the state tournament the year before, and had star players returning.

Blaine featured senior point guard Adrian Newell, senior sharp-shooting forward Matt Dohner and 6-foot-9 senior center Rich Taylor who was headed off to play basketball at San Jose State once his high school career was over. Nooksack Valley had the league’s top scorer in senior guard Vince Anderson as well as 500 lbs of muscle in the paint between future college football stars T.J. Ackerman and Britt Lentz.

Meridian also reached the state tournament the year before, but had graduated the bulk of their players. The Trojans did feature 6-foot-6 senior Andy Weeda in the post, senior Travis Armstrong at guard as well as current head coach Shane Stacy, who was a deep shooting sophomore at the time.

Lynden Christian and Friday Harbor were also going to be very tough, especially with the size that both teams possessed. The Lyncs featured five players that were at least 6-foot-4, including double-double machine Mike Bos, and the Wolverines had senior Levi Clark in the middle who easily stood 6-foot-7.

What did the Mountaineers have?

A superstar scorer that averaged double-figures in scoring the previous year? No.

A player over 6-foot-4? No.

Playoff experience? No.

Hustle, muscle and heart? Yes.

Mount Baker returned a group of five seniors that had played together since they were little, and this was their time.

THE SENIORS

Rieker Sternhagen – 5’10” guard: One of the best overall athletes on campus at the time. He averaged 9.2 points per game as a junior, including a 23-point effort in a road win against Lynden. Before it had a name, Sternhagen was the epitome of a “3-and-D” basketball player. He had the green light to shoot the deep ball, and he could lock up opposing guards with his quickness and strength.

Colin Veach – 6’0″ guard: The silent assassin. Always cool, always calm, the guy you want at the foul line at the end of the game. A gamer that would always make something positive happen. He had averaged 6.1 points per game as a junior, and was the floor general.

Rod Fleming – 6’1″ forward: A great three-sport athlete that was usually matched up against bigger players in the paint. He brought his linebacker mentality over from the football field, and used it on the hardwood (or the hard rubber floor that the Mount Baker Field House had at the time). He also had a soft touch from the outside, and was another great foul shooter, and he averaged 6.1 points per game as a junior.

Matt Hurd – 6’0″ forward: As tough as it gets. You didn’t want to run into a screen that was being set by Hurd. A three-year starter on the offensive line, and two-year starter at linebacker, he brought an intensity that was definitely needed at times. He averaged 2.6 points per game as a junior.

Jason Cecka – 6’4″ center: The big man could do a little bit of everything. He was strong down low, he could grab rebounds, but he could also shoot outside and handle the ball reasonably well. He averaged 3.5 points per game as a junior

All of them played multiple sports together throughout high school, and it was a very tight-knit group.

The Mountaineers had just two juniors that had varsity experience coming into the season. Josh Intveld, who was generously listed at 6-foot-5, and 5-foot-10 guard Mike Perez who had just come off a football season in which he broke every school receiving record. Only one problem, Perez had transferred to Nooksack Valley immediately after football ended. Mount Baker’s loss in the back court just became the Pioneers’ gain.

THE JUNIORS

Josh Intveld – 6’4″ center: The one returning underclassman with major varsity experience. His long arms, coupled with a desire to get better every day, allowed him to compete with the taller centers in the Whatcom County League. He averaged 7.9 points per game as a sophomore, and it was apparent that his level of play could heavily impact how far this team goes.

Chad Pruiett – 5’10” guard: Perhaps the quickest player on the team, and was also fearless. He had a little bit of run with the varsity as a sophomore, but nothing major. He won’t destroy you with his outside shot, but he could penetrate into the defense and finish, or dish it to the open teammate. The quintessential point guard.

Tom Horsmon – 6’2″ guard: Great height for a guard, but was pretty thin at around 145 pounds. As competitive as it got, and would turn into a three-sport star. But, this was his first foray into varsity basketball action.

Lance Zamzow – 5’8″ guard: Another tremendous athlete, but was more known for his exploits on the football field and the baseball diamond. A swing-player that would play mostly on JV and suit up for varsity games. Don’t leave him open behind the three-point line, though.

Dan Butenschoen – 6’4″ center: Great size, and the starting left tackle on the football team. Another swing player that would suit up for varsity and was ready to bang with other bodies in the key if the guys ahead of him were in foul trouble.

Bill Davis – 6’3″ forward: Little was known about Davis who had just transferred from Las Vegas. He did play a little bit of defensive end on the football team, and was able to get to know some of those guys.

It was a pretty loaded class, with a few more of them firmly supplanted on the JV squad for the season, but only Intveld had shown what he could do at the varsity level.

THE SOPHOMORES

David Galbraith – 6’2″ forward: Known to everyone as “D”, Galbraith was known to be one of the top athletes around the county in his class. What was unknown was how quickly he could adapt to varsity competition. He excelled on the varsity football team just a few weeks prior to the beginning of basketball season, as he started the entire year at defensive end.

Randy Olsen – 6’2″ forward: Everyone could tell that the future would be bright for Olsen. Filled with potential, the varsity level would be something new for him as well.

THE COACHES

Mark Murray – Head Coach: A 15-25 overall record coming into this season, but his passion for the game of basketball was evident to anyone that was coached by him, or even had him as a teacher. Known for his story-telling, and his infectious smile, Murray was a true motivator that believed getting his athletes to buy in made it a lot easier to win.

Scott Smartt – Assistant Coach: Every student’s favorite math teacher. Smartt was youthful, witty and hilarious. It was his third year with the program, all of which he served as the JV coach. He also delighted students with his stand-up routine during the school’s talent show.

Jay Smoot – Assistant Coach: Only two years removed from playing for Coach Murray, Smoot had coaching in his blood. His father, Jerry, is perhaps the most beloved youth sports coaches in Whatcom County history. He was a smooth-shooting senior lefty when this current group of seniors were sophomores. He had also worked with Intveld in years past, as the two grew up as neighbors.

THE EXPECTATION

It was the first season without Lynden in the Whatcom County League, but that didn’t necessarily mean that the league was up for grabs. It was widely regarded that Blaine, Nooksack Valley and Lynden Christian were the favorites. But, the top four teams would advance to the district tournament, and it was all about getting in.

THE SEASON

GAME 1: Mount Baker began the season on the road against a very good Stanwood team. The Spartans were a much bigger school, and the Mountaineers dropped the opener 71-53. Stanwood held an 18-point lead at the half before Mount Baker played even with them throughout the second half. Jason Cecka led the team in scoring with nine points, and David Galbraith scored eight points in his varsity debut.

Record: 0-0 league, 0-1 overall

GAME 2: The second game of the season was nearly a carbon copy of the first game. Another game on the road, against a much bigger school, this time it was Bellingham. The Red Raiders won 69-49, after leading 32-14 at the half. Rieker Sternhagen hit three 3-pointers and led with 14 points, and David Galbraith added 11 points, including a pair of deep balls.

Record: 0-0 league, 0-2 overall

GAME 3: Mount Baker went on the road once again, this time to Concrete and it was a rude awakening for the host Lions as the Mountaineers won 101-49, marking the first time in school history Mount Baker topped triple digits. This was also the first league game of the year, which saw five players score in double digits. Josh Intveld led with 16 points, and David Galbraith had a double-double with 14 points and 11 rebounds. Bill Davis began fitting in nicely with the team as he scored 14 points while Jason Cecka and Colin Veach scored 12 and 10, respectively.

Record: 1-0 league, 1-2 overall

GAME 4: Mount Baker played its first home game of the season, and this time it was against a young Ferndale team. The Golden Eagles were loaded with sophomore talent, and they would place 4th in the “AA” state tournament a few years later, but they were beaten this night 55-46 by the Mountaineers. Colin Veach scored 15 points, and Josh Intveld added 11 while Bill Davis had seven points and nine rebounds.

Record: 1-0 league, 2-2 overall

GAME 5: The Mountaineers were without five players for the following game (due to a suspension from some excitement that followed the previous contest’s victory), but were able to squeak out a 59-56 win in overtime on the road against La Conner. Colin Veach hit a runner to tie the game at the end of regulation, and he finished with 17 points and 10 rebounds. Bill Davis had a career-high 19 points, but it would be his last game for a while as he took the winter break off to visit family in Las Vegas.

Record: 1-0 league, 3-2 overall

GAME 6: It was back to the league schedule, as Mount Baker hosted Lynden Christian. The Lyncs outscored the Mountaineers in every quarter, and came away with a 73-49 victory. Colin Veach scored 13 points, and Rieker Sternhagen added 10, but the much taller LC squad prevailed, and it was back to .500 for Baker.

Record: 1-1 league, 3-3 overall

GAME 7: Colin Veach scored a career-high 24 points, and was 3-for-3 from the three-point line, as Mount Baker picked up the 60-47 home win over Sultan. Josh Intveld added eight points, and David Galbraith grabbed nine rebounds.

Record: 1-1 league, 4-3 overall

GAME 8: Another home game, and another game that went into overtime, but this time the Mounties couldn’t pick up the victory. King’s outlasted Mount Baker 52-49, despite Rieker Sternhagen connecting on 4-of-5 three pointers. He led with 14 points, and David Galbraith posted a double-double with 12 points and 11 boards.

Record: 1-1 league, 4-4 overall

GAME 9: The Mountaineers got right at a Christmas Tournament, with the first game being against Granite Falls. Mount Baker beat the Tigers 55-22 as Rieker Sternhagen and Rod Fleming each scored 11 points. The Mounties also outrebounded Granite Falls 44-20, with David Galbraith and Josh Intveld combining for 17 of them.

Record: 1-1 league, 5-4 overall

GAME 10: The following day, Baker beat Coupeville 66-47 to win the Christmas Tournament. Colin Veach scored a game-high 18 points, Rieker Sternhagen scored 10 while Rod Fleming, Jason Cecka and David Galbraith each added nine points. It was a good boost heading into the new year, and back into league play for the rest of the season.

Record: 1-1 league, 6-4 overall

THE SLIDE

GAME 11: It was back to league play for Mount Baker, but the ferry ride over to Friday Harbor must have taken the Mountaineers out of their sync as the Wolverines used their size advantage to wear down the Mounties, and Friday Harbor won the defensive struggle, 40-37. Colin Veach scored 11 points to lead his team, but this was a demoralizing loss.

Record: 1-2 league, 6-5 overall

GAME 12: On the road again, Mount Baker led Meridian 10-7 after the first quarter, but the Trojans went on a 27-9 run in the second, and ultimately won the game 54-51 over Baker. David Galbraith led with 15 points, and Chad Pruiett put up 12 points, but Josh Intveld, Rieker Sternhagen and Randy Olsen all fouled out of the physical game. The end of the game was also imprinted into the mind of Colin Veach, who turned the ball over with the game tied.

“I was called for a travel when we had a chance to take the lead in the final seconds,” Veach remembered. “I know that games aren’t won or lost on one play, necessarily, but that stuck with me for a while.”

Record: 1-3 league, 6-6 overall

GAME 13: A heart-breaking loss in the game prior at Meridian, and now the Mountaineers had to visit Blaine which was undefeated in league and 10-1 overall at this point. Mount Baker was purely no match for the Borderites who handled the Mountaineers 80-48.

Colin Veach hit a pair of 3-pointers and led with 11 points, but Mount Baker shot 18-of-51 from the floor and 9-of-24 from the foul line. Bill Davis was back from Last Vegas at this point, but the full-court press defense of Blaine was just too much as the Mounties dropped their 4th league game in a row.

Record: 1-4 league, 6-7 overall

GAME 14: Mount Baker was back home, but the competition wasn’t getting any easier. Nooksack Valley came to town, and beat the Mountaineers 64-49. T.J. Ackerman pulled down 20 rebounds (11 on the offensive side) and Vince Anderson scored 23 points for the Pioneers, while Colin Veach and Rieker Sternhagen both fouled out for Baker. Josh Intveld led the Mounties with 12 points, although he recalled how tough it was to play against Ackerman.

“He was 270 pounds, and I was 180 pounds soak-n-wet with a brick in my back pocket,” Intveld said. “It didn’t matter how long my arms were, he was just moving me at will. He was great, he was tough, and I had a first-hand view of it.”

Record: 1-5 league, 6-8 overall

GAME 15: The best medicine for an ailing season, and nearly no shot of the post season for the seventh year in a row, was hosting Concrete. Four Mountaineers scored in double-digits as Mount Baker dropped the Lions 91-42. Colin Veach scored 17 points while Rieker Sternhagen and Bill Davis each had 12 and Josh Intveld finished with 10. David Galbraith also had eight points and eight rebounds, and Dan Butenschoen scored eight points in his varsity debut.

Record: 2-5 league, 7-8 overall

GAME 16: In a rematch against the Lyncs, Baker went on the road and nearly pulled out the win. After losing by 24 points in their first matchup, the Mountaineers took Lynden Christian into double-overtime before losing 55-49. David Galbraith led with 16 points, and Colin Veach added 10. Josh Intveld finished with seven points and a game-high 10 rebounds.

“I took that loss very personal,” Intveld remembered. “I went to a private school growing up, and I knew some of those guys. I had my ‘Baker’ bag while I went there, and I always felt like an outsider, because I was the only Baker kid. I really, really wanted to beat those guys.”

Record: 2-6 league, 7-9 overall

THE RESILIENCE

GAME 17: At this point, the revenge tour was on. The Mountaineers needed to likely run the table to get a spot at the district tournament. Mount Baker outscored Friday Harbor 24-4 in the first quarter and defeated the Wolverines 69-39. Colin Veach scored 20 points to pace the Mountaineers while Josh Intveld added 10. Mount Baker also held a distinct rebounding edge.

“Josh and I started working really well together on defense as the season wore on,” Bill Davis remembered. “When I played on my team back in Vegas, I was more of a guard. I would shoot outside, but when I moved to Mount Baker, and being 6’3″, I was asked to rebound, play defense and set screens. I just wanted to do whatever it took for the team to win.”

Record: 3-6 league, 8-9 overall

GAME 18: The next team to come to town was Meridian, and the Trojans led 30-28 at the half, but the Mountaineers held Meridian to just six points in the third quarter before walking away with a 61-51 win. The victory was especially sweet for Colin Veach, who led with 18 points.

“After being called for a travel at the end of the first game against Meridian, that was a trigger for me,” Veach said. “Beating Meridian was a big deal, it needed to happen.”

Record: 4-6 league, 9-9 overall

GAME 19: At this point, there were two games left in the league schedule, and Baker had to win at least one of them just to tie for fourth place in the league, and have a play-in game. The only problem was that the last two games were against the two top teams in the league, Blaine and Nooksack Valley.

“Once we beat Meridian, we had to win one of the last two games,” Sternhagen remembered. “So, in our minds, we gotta beat Nooksack, because there’s no way we’re gonna beat Blaine.”

The Borderites were coming to Deming, and the Pioneers were going to host, so Baker put all its eggs in the home game basket.

“I remember Coach Murray getting really excited about the home game against Blaine,” Coach Scott Smartt said. “He had us get the extra bleachers out so the entire court would be surrounded.”

Blaine was ranked second in the state, with a 17-1 record, and the only loss came against top-ranked Ilwaco in a tournament earlier in the season. The Borderites also had scored 130 points in a game earlier in the season, a league record at the time, and 6-foot-9 center Rich Taylor was just a few games removed from dropping 40 points against Lynden Christian.

Taylor went on to score 16 points in the game, but the Mountaineers pulled off a shocking upset by winning 52-42 and the post-game festivities included students rushing the hard rubber floor, and Coach Murray getting water dumped on him.

“As a coach, you know you believe in your team, but there’s nothing like seeing them do it against a team like Blaine,” Murray was quoted saying after the game.

Colin Veach scored 14 points, including five key foul shots in the final minute of the game.

“I remember really frustrating Blaine in that game,” said Bill Davis. “Our defense was so locked in. They scored 42 points in that game, after putting 80 on us the game before.”

Record: 5-6 league, 10-9 overall

GAME 20: It wasn’t a letdown, but Mount Baker just didn’t match up very well against the Pioneers as Nooksack Valley defeated the Mountaineers 55-42 in the final regular season game. Mount Baker shot just 11-of-40 from the field, and Colin Veach was the high-point man with eight.

Record: 5-7 league, 10-10 overall

PLAY-IN GAME: After 20 total games, and 12 league games, Mount Baker found itself tied with Meridian for fourth place in the Whatcom County League, which meant the two teams had to square off one last time for the final berth into the district tournament.

It was determined that they would face each other in a neutral site, and the Lynden Christian gym was selected.

The Trojans were in the state tournament the year prior, and the Mountaineers hadn’t even played in the district tournament since 1987. But, all that history went out the window early when the Mount Baker defense suffocated Meridian, and forced 31 turnovers, with Rieker Sternhagen collecting six steals.

“Guys hated playing against Rieker,” Coach Smartt recalled. “He was so physical, and so strong. Opposing guards had a lot of trouble against him.”

The Mountaineers won 59-39 behind the even scoring output, which was led by Colin Veach’s 11 points, and Jason Cecka’s 10.

“The big difference late in the season was when we started using the 1-3-1 zone defense.” Cecka said. “Every time we switched to that, it was really effective. Once we got the hang of it, we were really hard to score on.”

Bill Davis, who had began excelling as the sixth-man on the team, came off the bench to grab 16 rebounds, and he was the sparkplug that got the team going.

“Bill brought a lot of energy and toughness to the team,” Coach Smartt said. “He had a knack for getting rebounds in key moments.”

Another thing working for Davis was that he wasn’t aware of the historical let downs of previous Mountaineer basketball teams.

“By that point, I had unlimited confidence in our team,” Davis said. “I didn’t worry about our record or what our seed was in the tournament. We just beat Blaine, I thought we could beat anyone.”

Record: 11-10, and heading to the district tournament

THE PLAYOFFS

Because they were the #4 seed from the WCL, the Mountaineers would begin the tournament by facing the #1 seed from the Cascade League, the 18-2 Cedarcrest Red Wolves.

DISTRICT GAME 1: The Red Wolves jumped ahead 12-7 after the first quarter, but the Mountaineer defense came alive to allow just two Cedarcrest points in the following quarter. Rod Fleming hit five clutch free throws in the final 80 seconds of the game to secure the win for Mount Baker, as he and Rieker Sternhagen each finished with 11 points to lead the team.

“I took a lot of pride in shooting free throws,” Fleming said. “It was something that my dad always instilled in us, was how important it is to make your foul shots.”

Rod and his three brothers (Ryan, Ryder and Randy) all starred for Mount Baker basketball teams throughout the 90’s, and their father Ron was one of the best players in Meridian history.

Josh Intveld went off for 10 points and 15 rebounds in the game, which also had 41 fouls called.

“There were a lot of quick whistles going against us in the third quarter,” Assistant Coach Smoot said. “I remember the official from down south was calling a foul on every entry pass, and then Les Galley (the other official, who was a local Whatcom County official) started doing the same to cancel him out.”

Record: 12-10

THE HANDCUFFS

DISTRICT GAME 2: The first game was played at Mount Vernon High School, but the second round game was played at the neighboring Skagit Valley Community College. Bellevue Christian had upset Nooksack Valley in the first round, so the Mountaineers were set up for the semifinal match with the Vikings. The winner of this game would get an automatic berth into the state tournament at the Tacoma Dome the following week, as well as a chance for the District Championship.

It would be the most memorable game in these players’ lives to this point, and it would be an equally memorable bus ride to Skagit County.

At one point on the ride down, Josh Intveld pulled out a pair of handcuffs and jokingly placed them over the wrists of sophomore teammate David Galbraith.

“I don’t know why, but for some reason, ‘D’ clamped the handcuffs down, and they were locked,” Intveld remembered. “I didn’t have a key! After that, we all huddled as a team in the back of the bus, not really knowing what to do.”

“I remember seeing everyone in the back really close, and it was really quiet,” Assistant Coach Smartt recalled. “So, I went back there to see what was going on, and when they showed me, I had to tell the bus driver to stop at a hardware store, I think it was Eagle Hardware.”

“A bunch of us got off the bus, and we wrapped a letterman’s jacket around D’s wrists,” Sternhagen laughed as he told the story. “We had to use bolt cutters from the store.”

What started out as a harmless prank turned into a little bit of panic, but it ultimately calmed the team’s nerves as they went out and defeated Bellevue Christian 55-46, and it was Galbraith who had his best game of the season with 18 points on 8-of-10 shooting, seven rebounds, five steals and two handcuff marks. Bill Davis added a double-double with 17 points and 10 rebounds.

Mount Baker had just earned its first state berth in 19 years, and was going for its first District Championship in 21 years.

“I remember looking in the glass case at the school when I was in junior high with Rieker,” Colin Veach recalled. “We studied the names that were on the basketball from the last time Mount Baker had won a District Championship. We couldn’t believe how long ago it was.”

Record: 13-10

THE DISTRICT CHAMPIONSHIP

Could lightning strike twice? Mount Baker was now faced with the challenge of facing Blaine again. The 13-10 Mountaineers against the 20-2 Borderites. It was already going to be an immense challenge. However, just six hours before tip-off, the challenge became even greater.

The team had learned that Josh Intveld had broke the athletic code earlier in the week, and was unable to play the rest of the season. The undersized Mountaineers had just lost their starting center, and tallest player. Coach Murray turned to Jason Cecka, and the game plan was for the senior center to be physical with Blaine’s 6-foot-9 Taylor.

He did just that.

“Even though he was much taller than me, I was a lot thicker than him,” Cecka said. “I knew that if I could lean on him a little bit, it could work.”

The 220-pound Cecka, along with the 225-pound Dan Butenschoen, who was playing in just the third varsity game of his career, took turns putting a body into Taylor in every moment that they could while Davis and Galbraith cleared the boards and Sternhagen and Veach scored the ball.

Taylor got into early foul trouble, but the immensely talented Borderites held a 30-27 lead going into the fourth quarter. Sternhagen began the final period with back-to-back three-pointers to give Mount Baker the lead, and change the momentum of the game.

Taylor picked up his fourth foul in the fourth quarter, much to the delight of the Mountaineer fans. And with Baker leading 37-33 with a little more than two minutes left in the game, Blaine was on a fast break but Taylor’s dunk attempt was missed and the ball flew out to half court. Taylor was called for a technical foul for hanging on the rim. It was his fifth foul, and his elimination from the game gave all the momentum to the Mounties.

Taylor finished with a season-low five points.

As a freshman in the crowd, tears came to my eyes. Could this really be happening? I wasn’t a huge basketball fan a few months ago, but everything about this team made me love the game.

Veach hit 3-of-4 foul shots late in the game before fouling out.

“Late in the season, Coach Murray knew that if we needed clutch free throws that we should get the ball to Veach,” Assistant Coach Smoot remembered. “He was always going to get the job done for us.”

After Veach fouled out, the Mountaineers finished the game making eight straight free throw attempts. Rod Fleming hit four, and Sternhagen and Galbraith each had two.

“The camaraderie with our team was unreal,” Fleming said. “Other teams were taller and more talented, but we played so hard for each other. We just wanted it more.”

Mount Baker outscored Blaine 21-10 in the final period, and won the game 48-40. It was the first District Championship in 21 years, and remains the only one won by a Mount Baker boys basketball team in the last 50 years.

Record: 14-10

STATE TOURNAMENT GAME 1: Moments before getting on the bus to go to the Tacoma Dome, Chad Pruiett had cracked a bone in his left wrist during a shootaround. He would still go on to play, despite a heavily bandaged left wrist.

Connell was the first-round opponent, and the Mountaineers were down 24-16 at the half. The Eagle lead jumped to 15 points during the third quarter, and it was the gutsy play of Pruiett, along with a pair of deep balls from Sternhagen, that got Mount Baker back in the game.

Jason Cecka hit a free throw with 1:13 left in the game to cut Connell’s lead to just one point, but the Mountie magic ran out as the Eagles pulled out the 48-44 win.

Record: 14-11

STATE TOURNAMENT GAME 2: Mount Baker came back strong on day two of the state tournament, and led 34-30 after three quarters, but the explosive Elma Eagles could not be contained. A layup by David Galbraith late in the game tied the game at 40, but Elma would score the final 12 points of the game and win 52-40.

Dan Butenschoen led the team with 10 points in the final game of the season, fitting that a player who spent the entire regular season on the JV squad would be the leading scorer. It was a complete team, without a superstar. Colin Veach cracked 20 points twice during the season, but those were the only times it was done by anyone on the entire team. That is extremely rare for a team that competes in the state tournament.

Final Record: 14-12

THE AFTERMATH

After the state tournament, Rieker Sternhagen was the lone representative from Mount Baker in the local high school All-Star game that featured Whatcom County League players against the Northwest League players. Sternhagen led the WCL All-Stars with 12 points, and also hit a two-run homerun hours earlier in a varsity baseball game at Lynden Christian.

The next season, Mount Baker returned back to the state tournament with an 18-6 record, but dropped the first two games.

1996 would be Coach Murray’s final season, and was one game away from getting to the state tournament for the third year in a row.

Unfortunately, Mark Murray passed away 10 years ago after a battle with ALS. Since 1978, he’s the only Mount Baker boys basketball coach with a career record over .500.

David Galbraith and Randy Olsen both went on to play college basketball at Whatcom Community College.

As for me, I know there have been better teams, state-championship teams, that could be written about. But, when I walked into the Mount Vernon gym a few weeks ago to cover this year’s district tournament, all of these memories came back to me about this particular team. Sunday marked the 30th anniversary of District Championship game. The most memorable high school basketball game of my life.