Game recaps, top highlights from the first round of the state basketball championships

TOP BOYS PERFORMERS

— 41 points, 8 steals, 6 rebounds in win over Seattle Prep

A career day in a career that’s been filled with career days. Made 15 of 24 shots, including seven 3-pointers. He was seven points shy of the 3A single-game points record held by O’Dea’s Ryan Williams (48 points in 1994). And he and Wilson’s Londrell Hamilton were one steal shy of tying the single-game steals record held by Franklin’s Jason Terry (1994).

— 29 points, 15 rebounds, 4 blocks in win over University

He terrorized the Grizzlies in the paint, making 10 of 19 field goals.

—18 points, 10 rebounds, go-ahead bucket in win over Glacier Peak

Easily the most thrilling game of the day and Hector won it with a putback basket with 4.3 seconds remaining

TOP GIRLS PERFORMERS

— 28 points, 14 rebounds, 6 steals, 4 assists in win over Bellarmine Prep

She and and Ellie Bonnie (23 points) combined to send the Lions home.

—24 points, 9 rebounds in overtime win over Lewis and Clark

Freshman came up big in the end and the Falcons survived a nailbiter

—20 points, 12 rebounds 9 steals in loss to Woodinville

Tigers might be heading home, but Bukcley tied the single-game 4A tournament record for steals also held by Gonzaga Prep’s Laura Stockton (2015) and Prairie’s Angie Rosales (1996).

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No. 9 Eastside Catholic 63, Stanwood 37

The Crusaders got out to an early lead and didn’t relinquish it against the Spartans as Brock Mackenzie and Jaylahn Tuimoloau led the scoring.

Starting off with energy, the Spartans managed to keep pace with the Crusaders as Nate Kummer, split the defense with a pass to Matt Vail to make it a 7-6 game with two minutes left in the first quarter.

But that’s as close as it would be for the Spartans.

“We knew what we were facing, they executed their butts off,” said Eastside Catholic coach Brent Merritt. “We were focused on being poised and staying down in the stance. The boys did a great job of what we did at practice this week.”

Tuimoloau would get the scoring started by muscling through the Spartan defense to get a layup for two of his total 12 points. Mackenzie was also productive on the court, scoring 12 in the first half and six in the second for the game-high 18. Kummer would be the Spartans’ leader at nine points.

However, neither team was immune to turnovers as the Crusaders committed 19 and the Spartans 23.

“Some of it was nerves, but we got to get better,” Merritt said. “We have to get better if we want to beat Kelso.”

The Crusaders will take on Kelso at 9 a.m., Wednesday at the Tacoma Dome.

No. 3 O’Dea 68, Mount Spokane 48

The Fighting Irish’s defense in the second quarter and their experience on the floor was more than a match for the Wildcats.

Four players for the Irish were in double digit scoring, including game-high scorer Russell Whealdon at 19 points. Behind him was Noah Williams with 15, Cal Hansen with 12 and Joshua Mosley with 10.

Of that group, Williams is the youngest as the only junior.

“Defense for us was definitely our backbone,” said O’Dea coach Jason Kerr. “When we defend well, we give ourselves an opportunity to win a basketball game.”

That defense was on display during the second quarter as the Irish outscored the Wildcats 13-4 that quarter. The Irish also got the edge in defensive rebounding as well, grabbing 24 boards. Hansen led the team with eight.

The Wildcats were not without scorers though, as freshman Tyson Degenhart was their leader with 16 points. Jerry Twenge and JT Smith were right behind him with 11 points each.

The Irish also had a handful of freshman get their first taste of the state tournament as well with players like Paolo Banchero and Jermaine Davis playing crucial minutes.

“At this point in the season, they’re not really freshman. They play more like juniors,” said Kerr. “Playing and execution wise, I don’t really see a ninth grader.”

The Irish will advance to take on Garfield at 10:30 a.m., Thursday at the Tacoma Dome.

No. 9 Skyview 68, No. 7 Glacier Peak 67

Many teams can experience shooting difficulties playing on the big stage of the state tournament in the Tacoma Dome, but it didn’t impact either the Grizzlies or the Storm.

Both teams shot just under 51 percent from the field in a back-and-forth battle that was finally decided by a putback from Skyview senior Samaad Hector with 4.3 seconds to play in the game.

“Typical Samaad,” Skyview head coach Matt Gruhler said. “That’s what he does best, and he did a really good job of not quitting and doing his role. We talk a lot about doing our role and being the best we can in those positions. Samaad knew, ‘Hey, the ball is up there and I’m going to try and go get it.’ And he got it. He’s been doing a lot of that all year for us.”

Hector finished with a team-high 18 points and 10 rebounds.

The Storm never led by more than six and the Grizzlies held their biggest lead of five with 1 minute, 20 seconds to play in the game, but Skyview answered with a 6-0 run to end the game.

Glacier Peak senior Bobby Martin finished with 24 points in his final high school game. Junior Evan Mannes also added 18 points and 12 rebounds for the Grizzlies.

Glacier Peak head coach Brian Hunter said given the stage, effort and performance of the players on both sides, it was one of the best basketball games he’s ever been a part of.

“That was 32 minutes of playing well,” he said. “Even if we had another quarter, it would be a one-point game or a two-point game. They made some plays and got up on us and I loved the way that our kids just kept on battling and staying in the moment.

“I don’t know if they will have a better game today. I don’t know, maybe they will. If they do then this is a really great state tournament. That’s about as good of a Wednesday game as you’re going to see. That’s what I think they hope for.”

Kamiak 57, No. 4 Union 48

The Kamiak boys basketball team hadn’t played a state tournament game in the Tacoma Dome since 2005, but it didn’t show in Wednesday’s victory over No. 4 Union.

The Knights used a 16-2 run in the third quarter to pull away from the Titans, whose season came to an end. Kamiak will play No. 2 Richland at 3:45 p.m. in Thursday’s quarterfinals.

“Defense. That’s all I preach,” Kamiak head coach Cory West said. “If you’re getting stops, you can get out and go. We’re blessed that we have a point guard that can do so many things, so if we can get stops and get him the ball and get out and go, we can figure stuff out from there.”

That point guard is senior Carson Tuttle, who finished 19 points, including eight during the Knights’ run in the third quarter.

“He made the right decisions at the right times,” West said of Tuttle. “He knows he has the green light to make decisions. I always joke with him and say, ‘You have the keys to this car, you have to lead us.’ I’m irrelevant out there. They don’t hear me. I’m just yelling just to yell, so we need a leader. We need a coach on the floor and he did that.”

Kamiak senior Danny Sharpe finished with a game-high 21 points

Kamiak had made the regional round of the state playoffs each of the last three seasons, but failed to advance to the Tacoma Dome, making this year -- and Wednesday’s victory -- that much sweeter for the team’s seven seniors.

“My seniors, they’re my heart, they’re my everything,” West said. “I’ve got seven seniors and they play a majority of our minutes. They’ve been together, and some of them have been friends and playing sports together, since they were in kindergarten. For them, to accomplish this, it’s huge. For our program, it’s huge.

No. 10 Lewis and Clark 66, Sunnyside 64

The Sunnyside High School boys basketball team led for most of this one.

But too much of Naje Smith helped Lewis and Clark rally back and Art Palacios had one final heave from the right wing as the clock wound down, but Sunnyside’s season ended with a 66-64 loss in the first round of the 4A state tournament on Wednesday in the Tacoma Dome.

The 6-foot-7 Smith finished with 29 points and 15 rebounds one game after eliminating Bellarmine Prep with 30 points in the regional round.

“My team has done a great job of finding me and feeding me in the post,” Smith said. “I’m really just feeding off everybody’s energy and I’m just doing my best to finish.”

Smith had his two biggest rebounds in the final 10 seconds of the game.

Sunnyside’s electric point guard, Trey Sanchez, cut the lead to two when he burst to the basket with 34.1 seconds remaining.

So Sanchez then fouled Jonny Love, which gave Sunnyside’s star guard, who scored game-high 32 points on 11 of 23 shooting, his fifth foul.

So he had to go to the bench when Love missed the front end of the ensuing one-and-one. But Smith grabbed the offensive rebound and Sunnyside had to immediately foul with about eight seconds to play.

Smith also missed his free throw, keeping it at 62-60.

So Palacios, who scored 20 points, got the ball, raced up the court and shot a leading 3-pointer that landed short and right into Smith arms just before time expired.

“It really just took us focusing,” Smith said. “It’s my senior year and I’m not ready to go home yet.”

Lewis and Clark advanced to the state quarterfinals with the win and will face Enumclaw at 9 p.m. Thursday in the Tacoma Dome.

Sunnyside’s season ended at 19-5 after back-to-back losses to Gonzaga Prep and Lewis and Clark – both from the Greater Spokane League.

No. 5 Woodinville 58, Lewis and Clark 56, OT

Is there anything more clutch than scoring the winning basket in overtime?

Woodinville’s freshman Mia Hughes was the definition of clutch in an incredibly close matchup against Lewis and Clark that saw her drive to the hoop in overtime to score as well as get a foul shot which she would then make to put her team up by one.

She was engulfed by a throng of people praising her for stepping up when her team needed her.

“I just kept playing hard,” Hughes said. “I wanted this game so bad. I wanted this game so bad so I just never gave up.”

Hughes scored 24 points and had nine rebounds and Regan Schenck scored 13 points for the aggressive, fifth-ranked Woodinville as they battled to a win over Lewis and Clark to send them into the consolation division in the first round of the 4A state basketball tournament on Wednesday in the Tacoma Dome.

This sets up Woodinville to play defending state champions Kentridge in the state quarterfinals at 12:15 p.m. Thursday.

The Falcons had to battle back against the Tigers after finding themselves down 28-17 at the half which meant coming out strong in the third quarter where they got 16 points.

That combined with the fourth quarter sent the game into overtime where Hughes not only scored an important basket but also hit some crucial free throws.

“My free throws … not the best but I hit the important ones,” Hughes said.

Camas 53, Union 39

The Papermakers and the Titans met for the third time this season. And, for the third time in as many games, it was Camas getting the win over its intercity rival.

For the Papermakers, this game was about far more than a season sweep against the Titans. They came into the regional round of the state playoffs not as the favorite, but as another one-and-done.

But after beating Central Valley, the dream of playing in the Tacoma Dome for just the second time became very real for Camas. And, after surpassing the odds of making it out of regionals, the Papermakers beat the Titans 53-39 on Wednesday in the Tacoma Dome.

Camas advances to play Eastlake at 2 p.m. Thursday in the quarterfinals.

“We were just happy to even be here on Wednesday,” Camas head basketball coach Scott Preuninger said. “We’ve played these guys before, we knew what we had to do better, we did that, and I couldn’t be more proud of them.”

The Papermakers were led by senior forward Courtney Clemmer. She finished with 11 points and 12 rebounds. Union was led by Mackenzie Lewis, who finished with 10 points.

The Titans trailed the Papermakers just 26-20 at halftime, but Camas finished the outscoring Union 27-19.

“This team’s goal before the year started was to be playing on Saturday,” Preuninger said. “Getting Eastlake is interesting. It’s the third time we’ve played in the last three years. They’re excited and ready to go.”

No. 9 Garfield 58, Mount Spokane 36

Mount Spokane coach David Pratt sees many of the state’s better players in the Greater Spokane League.

But somebody like Garfield 6-foot-4 sophomore Dalayah Daniels?

“We don’t have that kind of length,” Pratt said. “We have the Hull sisters at (Central Valley), and a couple of thers who are long. She is versatile. That girl does a lot.”

After a close first half Wednesday in a loser-out game, Daniels woke up like an erupting volcano.

She tallied 10 of her team-high 14 points in the third quarter, and had big blocked shots against Wildcats’ guard Aspyn Adams and Emma Main.

“We’re just kind of seeing all the things she is capable of,” Garfield coach Lee Adams said. “As you see, she can bring the ball up the floor, get her in the post and she can pull up. She has been doing all of these things for us.”

The whole Garfield team picked up its defensive pressure to start the second half, and it bothered Mount Spokane, which made just one of 12 field goal attempts, and went the final 5:46 of the quarter without scoring.

During that span, the Bulldogs closed on a 13-0 run, capped by Daniels’ putback basket with four seconds remianing, to take a 46-25 lead.

Aspyn Adams led all scorers with 19 points, including five 3-pointers. But after she picked up her third foul with four minutes remaining in the first half, she did not score for nearly 13 minutes.

No. 7 Seattle Prep 46, Shorecrest 41

Where is the best place to score from to clinch a spot for your team in the 3A state quarterfinals?

For Molly Moffitt, the best place is everywhere as she was a force of nature from all areas of the court in a back-and-forth battle against Shorecrest that saw her scoring as well as rebounding which helped give her team the narrow win over the Highlanders.

The biggest challenge for the team was breaking the full-court press that the Shorecrest defense put on them but Seattle Prep knew the key to remaining cool under pressure.

“Settling down and taking a deep breath,” Moffitt said. “When we transition really well we find a rhythm and it’s good; it’s hard to stop us.”

Moffitt scored 11 points with 12 rebounds and Bea Franklin also scored 11 points with 4 rebounds for the confident, seventh ranked Panthers as they fought through pressure to beat Shorecrest, who will now go into the consolation, in the first round of the 3A state basketball tournament on Wednesday in the Tacoma Dome.

Moffitt and Franklin will be looking to coast past West Seattle in the state quarterfinals at 7:15 p.m. as both teams are looking to have a deeper run into the playoffs. Seattle Prep lost in the quarterfinals, then lost in a consolation game last year and West Seattle didn’t make it past the first round so they are looking to redeem themselves this year.

“West Seattle, they’re a tough team,” Moffitt said. “We need to be extremely physical and make sure to box out and get the boards and come out with a lot of intensity and had work.”

Stanwood 49, No. 3 Prairie 45

High scoring offenses are fun, exciting, and spectators come in to this time of year expecting it.

But, if you ask Spartans head girls basketball coach Dennis Kloke about their most exciting feature, he’ll say it’s the rebounding.

Stanwood piled on the rebounding during its 49-45 win over the Falcons on Wednesday at the Tacoma Dome in the first round of the Hardwood Classic.

The Spartans move on to face No. 1-seeded Lincoln at 5:30 p.m. Thursday in the quarterfinal round.

“Rebounding has been such a major point of emphasis for us,” Kloke said. “We have worked constantly, all season long on rebounding at both ends. This result is because of all that hard work, and they should be very proud of themselves.”

Both the Spartans and Falcons traded baskets for a majority of the game up until the fourth quarter.

Once the final quarter got underway, it was senior Jullian Heichel who showed how much all the work on the boards paid off.

With 4 minutes, 58 seconds left in the game, Ashley Alter missed a lay-in, just feet from underneath the hoop. Heichel was right there to get one touch on the ball and converted it for the put-back score, which gave the Spartans the 38-34 lead, the largest lead of the game by any team.

Moments later, Heichel made the exact same play after missing her own jumper just inside the paint. She simply secured the rebound and converted the score.

Despite the loss, the Falcons were led by Brooke Walling with 27 points. Of the 26 points Prairie had at halftime, 16 belonged to Walling.

As for all of the rebounding work since the season started, Stanwood out-rebounded Prairie 39-24.

“I’m proud of them,” Kloke said. “They had to work extremely hard to earn this win, and they did everything they had to do to make that happen.

This story was originally published March 1, 2018 at 2:29 AM with the headline "Game recaps, top highlights from the first round of the state basketball championships."