Paced by Gahm’s 21 points, Olympia upends Curtis for first time since joining 4A SPSL

For the first time since joining the Class 4A SPSL in 2016, Olympia High School found a way to upend four-time defending league champion Curtis on Friday night.

And, the Bears picked up their milestone victory in University Place, holding off the Vikings at the buzzer for a 57-54 win. Olympia (4-1) remains undefeated in league play, and tied with undefeated Puyallup (5-0) atop the league standings.

“They’re our rivals — the closest team (to us by distance) in the league,” Olympia guard Ethan Gahm said of Curtis. “This is the first time we’ve beat them in three years (playing in the 4A SPSL).”

Moments after Solomon McGinnis’ final shot from beyond midcourt rimmed out at the buzzer, Olympia’s bench cleared, and players swarmed each other in celebration.

“It means a lot. It’s a great feeling,” Gahm said. “The locker room was spectacular. One of the best locker room environments we’ve had after a win.”

Gahm, a junior, led all scorers with 21 points for the Bears, including four in the final two minutes, 23 seconds, and forced a steal with less than a minute to play that prevented Curtis (4-2) from tying the game late.

The Bears carried the lead most of the way — their longest stretch lasted more than 15 minutes, and started with a Gahm 3-pointer with 4:10 remaining in the second quarter — but Curtis climbed back in late.

Seattle Pacific signee Zack Paulsen dropped a 3-pointer in the bottom of the net with 5:10 to play to tie the score at 47-47. But, Andrew Lindsay, who pitched in 16 points for the Bears on consistent looks under the hoop and layups, immediately answered on the other end.

Curtis never regained the lead, and two more baskets from Lindsay and Gahm, and some late free throws helped the Bears hold the Vikings off.

“When we finally decided to play hard ... we got back in the game, and then we didn’t execute,” Curtis coach Tim Kelly said. “We were lackadaisical passing the ball, turned it over twice, and put ourselves back in a hole. They made free throws, we didn’t.

“They played with more urgency than we did. It’s disappointing.”

Curtis was without Paulsen, the team’s leading scorer, for the final two possessions. The senior picked up his fifth foul with 20.7 seconds to play. Zack Swanson made the ensuing free throws to push Olympia’s lead to 57-54.

McGinnis had a contested look at a 3-pointer at the other end, but it bounced off the rim. And his final attempt at the buzzer on the Vikings’ next possession just missed sending the game to overtime.

Olympia also played much of the fourth quarter without its leading scorer, 6-foot-9 sophomore Jackson Grant, who fouled out with 6:34 to go, and contributed six points on a pair of early 3-pointers.

“Andrew Lindsay stepped up and Drew Thompson stepped up as well as the second bigger guy,” Gahm said. “Drew played great defense down low, took a charge that meant a lot in the second half, filled in well.”

McGinnis, Jared Franklin and Isaac Morrow each added 10 points for Curtis, which lost just its fifth league game in the past five seasons.

The Vikings have won the past four 4A SPSL titles with a combined record of 53-3. Their only losses in those seasons came to Rogers and Emerald Ridge on the road, and Bellarmine Prep at home in 2016.

Friday’s loss to Olympia is just Curtis’ second league loss at home since 2013, when Todd Beamer won the 4A SPSL South, topping the Vikings twice.

Curtis has now lost two straight games in 4A SPSL play — the Vikings lost Tuesday at Puyallup — for the first time since 2011, when the Vikings dropped their first two games of the season to Spanaway Lake and Rogers in the same week.

“Puyallup is better than us. Olympia is better than us. They’ve proven that the last two nights,” Kelly said. “As I just told these guys, they better start figuring some things out of how they want their season to go, because they’re not playing with any sense of urgency right now.”

Olympia, meanwhile, has four consecutive league wins over Rogers, South Kitsap, Sumner and now Curtis, with the only blemish on its record coming in a 59-54 loss at Battle Ground last weekend.

“We have the potential to make a good run in the state tournament, I feel,” Gahm said. “We have weapons.”

TEAM STATISTICS

O – Shooting: 23 of 45 (51.1 percent). Free throws: 5 of 8 (62.5). Turnovers: 14.

C – Shooting: 15 of 31 (48.4). Free throws: 21 of 31 (67.7). Turnovers: 15.

INDIVIDUAL SCORING

O – Ethan Gahm 21, Andrew Lindsay 16, Jackson Grant 6, Dylan Sawyer 5, Kai Johnson 4, Drew Thompson 3, Zack Swanson 2.

C – Zack Paulsen 20, Jared Franklin 10, Solomon McGinnis 10, Isaac Morrow 10, Maceo Lewis 2, Chakari Tindal 2.