Posted: Mar 05, 2026
Centralia College Pulls Off Upset In Sweet 16!
Despite an 18-11 record entering Thursday's NWAC Sweet Sixteen contest, Centralia College head men's basketball coach Joe Chirhart always felt his group was a "top tier" team from the moment the season tipped off.
In their third straight must-win game, the Trailblazers haven't wilted under the bright lights yet. And Thursday proved to be their biggest triumph yet.
Ignited by a staggering 32 points from Tumwater grad Luke Brewer and clutch defensive stops in the final 10 minutes of regulation, fourth-seeded Centralia out of the West Division stunned top-seeded Umpqua from the South Division 74-72 at Columbia Basin College in Pasco.
It marks CC's first NWAC Tournament victory in six years. It now faces the South's No. 2 team Skagit Valley on Friday. Tip is scheduled for 2 p.m.
"We matched up well with them," Chirhart said. "Understanding we got to put the pressure on them too. Executed well, scouting report, I think we nailed it."
It was a back-and-forth contest the entire 40 minutes. There were 12 ties and 12 lead changes; CC led by as much as six and Umpqua's largest lead was four. The Blazers tied the game at 55 apiece on an Ahren Bee-Richards 3-pointer with 11 minutes, 19 seconds left in the game.
Brewer put them in the lead for good with a layup 17 seconds later. The Riverhawks cut the margin to two points and one point a handful of times, but took over. Their last shot as the buzzer sounded was off the mark.
CC won the rebounding battle by five and only turned the ball over seven times.
"You win the rebound category and the turnover category, you're gonna win a bunch of basketball games," Chirhart stated.
Brewer shot 50 percent from the field and only made three 3s. The Trailblazers also had Bee-Richards finish with 12 points and Maximus Holliman added 10. Shay Brannon scored just five points, but grabbed a team-best 10 points.
Chirhart praised Brannon afterwards. He went up against Umpqua's forwards of 6-foot-10 Brayden Whitehead and 6-7 Caden Hunter.
"(The) kid plays so many different roles for us," Chirhart said of Brannon. "He has really held us down."
On Brewer: If anybody knows Luke, there is a difference from a shot-taker to a shot-maker," Chirhart said. "If he sees one or two fall, good luck trying to stop the kid."
CC will get a rematch with Skagit Valley in the quarterfinals. The Cardinals triumphed 76-70 back in December at the NWAC Crossover tournament. CC led by three at half, then Skagit Valley caught fire in the final 20 minutes and shot over 60 percent from the field.
"I think it is gonna be a battle," Chirhart said. "We've gotten a ton of support. We travel well and I want to say thanks to everyone who supports Centralia College men's basketball."
Scoring:
• Centralia (74) — Brewer 32, Bee-Richards 12, Holliman 10, Ibarra 8, Brannon 5, Walls 3, Collins 2, Robinson 2
• Umpqua (72) — Anderton 18, Lloyd 15, Hunter 13, McKee 10, Whitehead 8, Taylor 6, Madsen 2