KENNEWICK — When it comes to basketball, Kamiakin coach Brian Meneely is a big believer in the team concept, and the recent play of his 8-0 Braves speaks loud and clear to that fact.

One man certainly does not make a team. Here's one thing Meneely won't deny, however: Returning two elite post players to a team coming off a third-place finish at state certainly doesn't stink.

With the Braves' big-man senior duo of Justin Pedley and Zach En'Wezoh, the Braves have what might be the best post tandem in the state, which will make them tough to beat if they do return to the 3A state tournament.

"When you go against the elite teams at state, the majority of the time those teams are big and strong. You need guys who can rebound and defend. It's a big deal," Meneely said. "We've been pretty fortunate the last couple years to have a good run of bigs, and we're seeing a lot of the fruits of their labor.

"They spent so much time in the offseason weightlifting and doing plyometrics. That's when players are made. The difference between good and great is what you do when nobody's looking."

Nine months after the Braves' most successful state finish since 1992, the pair were more than ready to hit the floor in the winter and begin another journey to the state playoffs.

"Last year was great, but me and Zach decided we need to get back where we started," said Pedley, a 6-foot-6 senior averaging 18.8 points and 9.4 rebounds a game. "We took that vision this summer and applied it to our team. We see it as our mission to get back to Tacoma."