What has Curtis learned in losses to 4A state favorites Gonzaga Prep and Federal Way? ‘We’ve got to be tougher.’

The Curtis High School boys basketball team rang in its ninth consecutive trip to the Class 4A state tournament by going through the ringer.

Saturday, the No. 7 Vikings fell 65-47 to defending state champion champion and second-ranked Gonzaga Prep in the state regionals at University High School.

That comes one week after falling to No. 3 Federal Way in the 4A West Central/Southwest bidistrict title game.

Curtis (19-6) next plays Wednesday at the Tacoma Dome in an elimination game against No. 10 Glacier Peak.

Gonzaga Prep (22-2) hasn’t lost to a Washington team this season. The Bullpups advance with a bye into Thursday’s quarterfinals.

After facing two of the state’s best teams back-to-back, the Vikings know what to expect. Curtis will try to build on Saturday’s first quarter, when the Vikings controlled the tempo and built a 19-12 lead.

“It’s a great experience and I know we can play with anybody,” said senior guard Zack Paulsen, a Seattle Pacific signee. “That’s what we’re going to take to the Dome.”

Paulsen led Curtis with 17 points. But, the athleticism of Gonzaga Prep’s defense, especially 6-foot-7 Anton Watson, had the Vikings out of rhythm from the second quarter on.

Watson, a senior who is headed to Gonzaga, had 17 points and nine rebounds. Perhaps most impressive were his five blocks — four of which emphatically denied Curtis drives at the rim.

“We’ve got to be tougher,” Curtis coach Tim Kelly said. “We’ve got to be tougher physically and a little tougher minded. We started off doing what we wanted to do. Then we had some adversity and kind of lost our composure and poise.”

Gonzaga Prep scored the first nine points of the second quarter, eventually outscoring Curtis 14-4 to build a 28-23 halftime lead.

Gonzaga Prep gradually pulled away in the third. Once the Bullpups took a 41-32 lead five minutes into the second half, Curtis never got within single digits.

“We didn’t rotate the ball as well,” Kelly said. “We weren’t as quick and efficient. The ball kind of stopped in the hands of the dribblers. We turned it over and gave them a lot of easy baskets.”

There’s little margin for error against a team such as Gonzaga Prep. Paulsen said lessons were learned in the Vikings’ quest to solve the state’s top teams.

“It’s the little things,” he said. “Every possession counts more than in any other game. Every rebound. Every loose ball. Today they out-hustled us. They got offensive rebound after offensive rebound. Just little things are the biggest difference.”

Curtis senior Solomon McGinnis scored 16 points, including 10 in the third quarter. Jordan Parker added nine, all on 3-pointers in the first quarter.

Now, Curtis hopes to carry forward with the lessons, but not the disappointment, of two tough games.

“We’ve got to start over,” Kelly said. “We’re starting fresh and we just played two of the top teams in the state.”

CLASS 2A BOYS

Lynden 71, Franklin Pierce 34: The turnover-plagued Cardinals fell behind 18-2 in the first quarter, and were blown out by the reigning state champions in a state regional round game at Mount Vernon High School.

Franklin Pierce will open with 2A SPSL rival Fife on Wednesday in Yakima.

INDIVIDUAL SCORING

C – Zack Paulsen 17, Jared Franklin 1, Jordan Parker 9, Solomon McGinnis 16, Josiah Miller 2, Isaac Morrow 2.

GP – Jacob Parola 10, Carter Sonneborn 14, Liam Lloyd 10, Sheadon Byrd 7, Anton Watson 17, Noah Drynan 7.

This story was originally published February 23, 2019 at 9:39 PM.