Ferron Flavors, Federal Way run past Lewis and Clark, 69-55

It’s unknown when Ferron Flavors is going to miss.

He made five 3-pointers in the first half of the Federal Way High School boys basketball team’s 69-55 victory over Lewis and Clark on Thursday at the Tacoma Dome. That after sinking seven in the 4A state regional round.

He credits that to the 500-700 shots he’s shooting daily.

“Man, it’s just focusing,” Flavors said. “That’s the biggest thing. Focusing, getting up shots in practice, doing the extra work.”

He scored 19 of his game-high 21 points in a first half in which the top-ranked and defending state champion Eagles jumped to a 21-6 lead after the first quarter. They led by as many as 21 points in the second quarter.

With such a run-and-gun, athletic team — whose 41-game winning streak is the second-longest ever at the 4A level behind Ferris’ 59-game streak from 2006-09 — Flavors provides the perfect complement with his ability to spread the floor.

But then there’s that athleticism. Jalen McDaniels, a 6-foot-10 San Diego State signee, had a rare missed a dunk but ran the floor and spiked a shot off the glass on defense, then ran past two defenders and flushed a dunk on the other end.

It was just one insight into a blazing first half for Federal Way.

“I don’t know how you simulate their speed and their swarming defense,” Lewis and Clark coach Jim Redmon said. “We talked about it, we knew it was coming, but we haven’t seen that kind of speed and quickness in Spokane.

“We traveled last summer and played AAU teams, and we haven’t seen that. Hats off to them. They do a great job.”

You could certainly say Federal Way came ready.

Even coach Jerome Collins, who was adorned in one of his trademark snazzy three-piece suits. He called this one “snake skin,” and it was picked out by his wife and 25-year-old daughter.

“I try to be the boss, but in this scenario … my wife and daughter are,” Collins said.

And Flavors and Co. came ready, too.

This is the third consecutive trip to the Tacoma Dome for Flavors and McDaniels, who helped Todd Beamer win its first state trophy in school history as sophomores in 2014. They were key pieces on last year’s state title team for Federal Way — its second championship in school history.

“It helped me coming my sophomore year because I know I’m more used to it,” Flavors said. “People say it’s hard to shoot here, and I don’t really feel like that. It’s just another hoop and another ball for me.”

Collins said Flavors was doing his job Thursday.

“His shooting is great, but you have to have people who can get it to him at the right time,” Collins said. “And having D’Jimon (Jones) on the other side, if you shade Ferron, we got D’Jimon open.”

This story was originally published March 3, 2016 at 10:21 PM with the headline "Ferron Flavors, Federal Way run past Lewis and Clark, 69-55."