The laborious process of seeding eight South Puget Sound League teams in the Class 4A West Central Bi-District boys basketball tournament produced the one result that Tim Kelly and his Curtis High School team didn’t want to see: a third matchup with Rogers.
Despite being the eighth seed from the league, Rogers had beaten No. 2 seed Curtis twice during the regular season.
The third meeting would go the other way.
Curtis came roaring out of the gate and blasted Rogers, 56-37, on Tuesday night at Curtis High School.
“You know the old adage, they beat us twice, but it’s hard to beat someone three times,” said Kelly. “We went with that.”
Darius Johnson-Wilson triggered the victory for Curtis, scoring 18 points and grabbing 18 rebounds. He also played staunch interior defense.
“They beat us twice during the regular season – this was payback,” said Johnson-Wilson. “We needed this game and we wanted this game.”
It took two minutes for Curtis to get on the scoreboard, but then the points came quickly. The Vikings scored 19 consecutive points, holding Rogers scoreless for 6 minutes, 9 seconds in the first quarter.
Johnson-Wilson scored eight points during the scoring spree, and he also blocked a shot that led to a layup for teammate Nate Cottrill.
“He’s our guy – MVP of the league,” Kelly said. “He’s the guy we run our offense through. We’re concerned about being able to get him touches, and we were able to do that.”
It wasn’t too surprising when Rogers (12-10) beat Curtis in Puyallup in December, but the Rams stunned the Vikings by doing it again at Curtis in January.
Kelly thought Tuesday’s defensive effort was the key.
“Today we held them to 21 percent,” said Kelly. “They shot 67 percent and hit a lot of 3’s when they beat us here before.”
Rogers senior Derrick Jones led the Rams with eight points – a far cry from the season-high 28 he scored against Curtis in December.
Curtis (17-6) is one win away from clinching a spot in the regional round of the state tournament. The Vikings will play Union, a 68-47 winner over Gig Harbor on Tuesday, at 6 p.m. Friday at Mount Tahoma High School.
Rogers is still alive, but the Rams have their backs against the wall. Rogers needs two straight wins to advance to the regional, starting Friday against Gig Harbor at 6 p.m. at Curtis High.
Bellarmine Prep 45, Kentridge 43: Isaiah Flynn made the game-winning basket on a driving lay-in with 10 seconds left.
The Lions led 31-15 at halftime but were stagnant in the second half, getting outscored 29-14. Center Lucas Meikle totaled 14 points and 11 rebounds, and David Smith added 11 points.
Roddy Hanson led the Chargers with 11 points.
Federal Way 71, Beamer 59: Brayon Blake broke out for 27 points and 12 rebounds as the Eagles dumped the rival Titans. DeeShawn Tucker chipped in 17 points.
Roosevelt Jones led Beamer with 24 points, and Juwan Flowers had 14.
Mount Rainier 59, Central Kitsap 38: The Rams sprinted past the Cougars in the second half, turning their slim, two-point lead into a 21-point rout. Mount Rainier forced 32 turnovers.
Kentwood 63, Battle Ground 53: Jeremy Smith and Austin Benson scored 14 points each, and Taylor Jones added 12 as the SPSL champions advanced to the quarterfinals.
Serg Ovchinnikov scored 27 points for Battle Ground.
Evergreen (Van.) 74, Kent- Meridian 72 (2OT): Caleb Dressler turned in a triple-double, totaling 31 points, 22 rebounds and 10 blocked shots, leading the Plainsmen to the win.
Union 68, Gig Harbor 47: A balanced scoring effort paced the Titans – four players scored in double figures – as Union advanced by beating the Tides.
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