SUQUAMISH — The Chief Kitsap Academy Bears advanced to the postseason with a win over the Puget Sound Adventist Academy Sharks Feb. 8.

The Bears (7-4) won 61-53 to qualify for the WIAA 1B Tri-District Tournament. CKA will play Mount Vernon Christian in the first round of the tournament in Mount Vernon at 7 p.m. Feb. 11 in a loser-out contest.

The 2016 1B/2B State Basketball Tournament is March 3-5 at Spokane Arena.

The Bears, in their first year competing in Division 1B, are coached by George Hill III. We-Laka Chiquiti is assistant coach.

Here’s the Bears’ season at a glance.

Dec. 5: 60-50 win at Taholah.

Dec. 8: 86-37 win at Quilcene.

Dec. 12: 59-51 win over Muckleshoot at home.

Dec. 29: 60-54 loss to North Beach at Ocean Shores.

Dec. 30: 71-53 loss at Forks.

Jan. 9: 85-63 loss at Neah Bay.

Jan. 14: 72-58 win over Crosspoint in Bremerton.

Jan. 23: 72-52 loss to Neah Bay at home.

Feb. 4: 81-20 win over North River at home.

Feb. 6: 62-38 win over Quilcene at home.

Feb. 8: 61-53 win over Puget Sound Adventist Academy in Kirkland.

The Bears played fewer regular-season games than other 1B teams because of scheduling conflicts, but the Washington Interscholastic Athletic Association, or WIAA, is allowing the team to compete in postseason.

“We had to go through a formal appeal,” Suquamish Tribe Education Department Superintendent Joe Davalos said. “Because we were so new, we ended up on the short end [in number of games played]. But WIAA is allowing us to play [in postseason].”

Chief Kitsap Academy is a grade 6-12 school operated and funded in part by the Suquamish Tribe. The student body is a mix of Suquamish Tribe members and other students. It is a high-tech academy relying on computers and iPads for content and project creation. Students — Native and non-Native — also study Suquamish culture and language.

Chief Kitsap Academy graduates receive diplomas from the Suquamish Tribe Education Department. Since the Tribe compacted with Washington State two years ago, the Suquamish Education Department operates much like its own school district.

Davalos said of the Bears, “They’re all pretty sharp kids, pretty nice kids. They’ve been playing a long time and now they’re getting a chance to show what they can do. [At other district schools], they wouldn’t have turned out because they didn’t feel comfortable. That’s not the problem here. Next year, we’re hoping we have a girls’ basketball program too.”

Coach Hill, who played 2008-11 for Kingston and 2012-13 for Washington State University, said his players work well together because they have played together since they were young and “they understand the expectations more.”

Hill said, “We started last year and it was rough. Now they know what we are here to do every day. We’ve set goals on what we want to accomplish. We’re not quite there, but we keep chipping away at it and we’ll be fine.

Hill said Bailey Moss is the team points leader and is also averaging five steals a game. Alijah Sipai leads the team in assists.

But Hill is confident in all of his players. “I’ve known them their whole lives. I know what they can do.”