KENNEWICK -- They had the record and the ranking. They had the winning streak and the star power.

At the end of the NWAACC men's championship game in the Toyota Center, though, Spokane was left holding the bag, along with the second-place trophy, and probably a little bit of that empty feeling the New England Patriots had felt four weeks earlier.

"We came in here, sort of like the New York Giants," Yakima Valley's Anthony Johnson said amid the postgame din surrounding the Yaks' 66-65 upset victory

Sunday night. "It's like they were New England. We were the underdog.

"But you know what? Sometimes underdogs win."

Yes, Anthony, they do.

In a game strongly reminiscent of YVCC's conquest of heavily-favored Green River in the 2003 title game, the Yaks (25-7) scratched, clawed, defended and made just enough plays offensively to beat a team some had called the NWAACC's best in perhaps
15 years.

"Wow," said third-year coach Ray Funk through an ear-to-ear smile.

Among the Sasquatch's
24 consecutive wins, and included in their 30-1 record, were two victories over Yakima Valley. On Jan. 12 they had buried the Yaks 86-59 in Spokane and on Feb. 20 they had won 76-63 in Sherar Gym.

Coached by former Eastern Washington head man and Central Washington assistant Mike Burns, the Sasquatch had size, speed, shooters and savvy.

But Funk had Johnson, who capped a tournament MVP performance with a 29-point, three steal, two assist gem, and bunch of guys with big hearts and quick feet.

Collectively they limited Spokane to 40 percent shooting (19 for 47), forced 17 turnovers and did not allow the Sasquatch to make a 3-pointer during the second half.

Only twice all season had Spokane scored fewer points.

"Wow," Funk repeated. "I love my guys, but the truth is we're not talented enough to be a great offensive team. It's sort of, 'Get the ball to Anthony and get out of his way.' We do defend, though."

And fittingly, the game ended not with a winning bucket, but on not one, but two YVCC stops.

Having gone ahead on two Johnson free throws with 39.6 seconds to play -- Johnson was held driving hard to the hoop -- Spokane had two chances at a game-winner.

The first ended when LeMar Anglin took a charge in the lane from Matthew Dorr, who fouled out on the play with 25.7 seconds left.

Yakima Valley, however, turned the ball over on the inbounds pass against full-court pressure, and Burns called time at 16.5.

Jon Clift, a 5-10 sophomore from Ferris who led the Sasquatch with 18 points, drove the middle and attempted a heavily-pressured floater that caught the underside of the rim.

The ball then came off multiple sets of hands, eventually to Clift, who lofted a short shot through a forest of arms from the baseline. It, too, wasn't close, and the final buzzer then incited a dogpile of celebratory Yaks at midcourt.

"I can finally say I'm a champion," Johnson shouted above the din. "I can finally say I'm a winner."

At Tacoma's Stadium High School, the varsity teams he played on went 2-18 and 4-16, and last season's YVCC squad finished 14-15.

Nico Sandoval, meanwhile, had won at Davis. But not like this.

"I've never experienced anything like this before," he said, his voice reverberating with emotion. "This is just so great for our guys and our coaches, because we all worked so hard. Spokane has a great coach and great players, but tonight was our night."

From the outset, Yakima Valley seemed determined to at least make a game of it. With Johnson scoring both inside and out (4 for 7 from 3-point range) and totaling 16 first-half points, the Yaks led 37-27 at 2:16 before Spokane closed to within 37-31 at intermission.

The Sasquatch began the second 20 minutes with a 14-2 run and led 45-41 with 15:05 to play, but YVCC steadied itself.

It trailed 58-55 with 5:40 left, but the irrepressible Johnson scored all but two of the Yaks' final 11 points.

Already the Eastern Region MVP, he dominated the tournament with scoring outputs of 25, 33 and 38 points before Sunday night's capper.

Jody Johnson, meanwhile, was tough inside with 11 points and a game-high 10 rebounds.

Spokane's Robert Lippman, a 6-7 freshman, posted 10 second-half points and finished with 14 to become the game's other double-figure scorer.

"I think I can say we deserved to win the game," Anthony Johnson said. "This is what our team has been about this year -- heart, playing defense and rebounding. That's what we did tonight. That's why we won."

Funk conceded that, yes, on paper, the Sasquatch were probably superior and had been worthy of their season-long No. 1 ranking.

"The best team probably didn't win tonight," he said, a recently-cut net around his neck and the championship trophy in his hands. "But I think I can safely say that the grittiest team won. Our guys got what they deserved."

Said assistant coach London Wilson, "Amazing. Absolutely amazing."

Added assistant coach John Triplett, "Cool, huh?"