SPOKANE, Wash. — In the Spokane Arena, the state's best high-school basketball teams from Washington's smallest communities are battling it out on one of the state's biggest stages, hoping to hoist that state championship trophy.
Players, fans and parents have traveled from all over to watch these students play on an unforgettable stage.
It's the tournament dreams are made of. High schoolers as close as Colfax and as far away as Toutle Lake are fighting tooth and nail in front of thousands of fans.
"We've had over 10,000 people the first two days," Dave Tikker, director of the tournament, said. "The way the draw works now, tonight's games are going to be packed."
Since Wednesday, the atmosphere has been electric. Bands have been rocking, and fans are watching the intensity unfold, loving every minute, even if it's not their first time.
It is an unforgettable event that has brought more than 10,000 fans to the Spokane Arena since Wednesday.
For the sports meds teams, it feels like the furthest thing from work.
"I love it, it makes my day," Thomas Halvorson said. "I don't have to be here. I come because I want to."
Sixteen boys and girls basketball teams are fighting to bring glory to their hometown, a must-see event regardless of who gets crowned on Saturday.
"It's just cool to watch these kids from small schools, from small towns, to kind of get to be on the big stage," Halvorson said. "For them, this is about as big as it gets. And most of them, this will be a lifetime memory."
The tournament championships are Saturday at 3, 5, 7 and 9 p.m.
