Yelm Tornados head basketball coach Dave Wasankari expected growing pains throughout the 2024-25 season as his team is loaded with young, talented, raw athletes from the 2027 and 2028 classes.
The team’s matchup on Monday, Dec. 2, against Black Hills was one of those growing pain experiences as the Wolves defeated the Tornados, 71-59. Despite valiant second-half efforts by freshman Raziah Patterson and sophomore Comboni Loku, Yelm could not overcome the lead Black Hills built in the first half, which neared 20 points.
Patterson led the Tornados in scoring with 26 points, followed by his teammate Loku, who put up 22 points and a flurry of offensive and defensive rebounds. Senior Josiah Hardie was credited with playing physical defense and giving high effort on the boards. He finished the contest with eight points.
“I thought Black Hills came out really physical and shot the ball well, especially in the first half. Defensively, they were more physical than us, and that gave us some trouble,” Wasankari said after the contest. “We floated around the rim and didn’t attack, but we changed that in the second half. We started being more physical.
“It was a tale of two halves. We dug ourselves into too deep of a hole,” Wasankari added.
Though the Tornados lost by 12 points, the team cut Black Hills’ lead to as little as seven in the fourth quarter, but the Wolves offense maintained their effort and scored on several clutch shots in the final quarter to finish off Yelm. Despite the double-digit loss, the Tornados fought until the very end, which told Wasankari that this team is willing to compete no matter the circumstances.
“That’s who we are as a basketball team, as basketball players and a coaching staff. It’s who we are as a school. I think Yelm is that way,” Wasankari said. “We’re going to grind all the way through it, whether it’s in the classroom, on the basketball court, in the wrestling room or on the football field. It’s a non-negotiable for us.”
After the game, Wasankari said he and the Tornados discussed the matchup in the locker room and identified several areas needing improvement going forward, adding he and his athletes agreed.
“That’s about maturity. In basketball, you have to mature as players and mature as a team,” Wasankari said. “We have a young team. We have a couple of senior leaders in Alex Segarra and Josiah Hardie, and we have a lot of sophomores and freshmen. It takes a game like this, where the kids see they were floating and weren’t being aggressive. They have to see it in order to correct it and grow from it.”
Wasankari knows his athletes will experience periods of growth this season, but despite a young core of players, he is already familiar with many, several of whom he coached in middle school and in AAU.
“They’re young but they’re competitive,” Wasankari said. “I think we live in a day and age now where age doesn’t matter anymore in sports. If you can play, you can play. Some kids that are freshmen now have to grow and get bigger and smarter, and some kids are ready. You have to play a lot of basketball in season, and you have to fail in order to grow. I’m excited about these kids because they’re fun and easy to coach. They get along well and they share the ball.”
The Tornados picked up a game one victory on Saturday, Nov. 30, against Hockinson High School, 85-72. Patterson led in scoring with 27 points, followed by senior Alex Segarra with 22 points. Their sophomore teammates, Urijah Aalona and Loku, scored 10 and 14 points, respectively.
The Tornados played Bonney Lake Wednesday, Dec. 4, but results of the 4A South Puget Sound League matchup were not available before press time. Action will resume at 7 p.m. Friday, Dec. 6, as Yelm travels to Bethel High School to play the Bison.
