Puyallup gets late chances, but comes up short in 4A quartefinals loss to Mount Si

The No. 11 Puyallup High School boys basketball team had several chances to tie or take the lead in Thursday’s Class 4A boys quarterfinal against No. 4 Mount Si, but each time the Vikings came up short.

Trailing by a point in the final minute, the Vikings (21-8) missed four free throws and turned the ball over once.

They had one more chance to tie trailing by three in the final five seconds, but sophomore Cobi Campbell’s 3-pointer hit the front iron, and the Wildcats (25-2) held on for the 45-40 victory.

“You talk about it, every team does, you’ve got to execute down the stretch,” Puyallup coach Scott Campbell said. “I think that game really came down to the last three possessions. Some of it wasn’t a result of great execution by Mount Si, but it wasn’t great execution by us.

“That’s what I think is fun about playing these types of games. It’s going to come down to the end of the game. It’s going to come down to one possession.”

Scott Campbell added that playing in crucial situations such as the one the Vikings faced Thursday has value that extends further than the basketball court.

“They’re going to have situations in life after this where they don’t always get a redo, you don’t always get to retake a test,” he said. “Sometimes, it’s right now and you’ve got to live with those consequences. I’m not more proud of them if we had made one more play. I loved how they fought and competed and they stayed together.”

The Vikings may not have won, but the way they played on Thursday embodied the message Scott Campbell had been sending to his players all season — “Sometimes you, sometimes me, always we.”

In the first half, it was junior Kendall Munson who stepped up after a rough game offensively in Wednesday’s opener. Munson, who finished with 13 points, had 10 points and seven rebounds at the break.

In the second half, it was senior Jaeden Ingram, who was held scoreless in the first two quarters, that exploded for 15 points to help keep his team alive.

“I think that is why this team is a special group of kids,” Scott Campbell said. “They definitely care about each other and about the team. That’s the top priority for each of them. It sounds like a simple concept, but a lot of times it’s really challenging to get 12 to 15 people all pulling in the same direction.

“That’s what these kids have been able to do, and that’s what made it so successful and so enjoyable.”

Junior Jabe Mullins and freshman Bennett O’Connor each scored 13 points to lead the Wildcats.

Mount Si will play No. 7 Curtis, which upset top-seeded Union, at 3:45 p.m. in Friday’s semifinals. The Vikings play the Titans at 9 a.m. in a loser-out game.

TEAM STATISTICS

P – Shooting: 15 of 35 (42.9 percent). Free throws: 8 of 14 (57.1). Turnovers: 14.

M – Shooting: 17 of 45 (37.8 percent). Free throws: 4 of 4 (100). Turnovers: 2.

INDIVIDUAL SCORING

P – Kendall Munson 13, Jaeden Ingram 15, Cobi Campbell 5, Jacob Holcomb 2, Luke Holcomb 3, Dylan Rhoades 2.

M – Jonny Barrett 3, Bennett O’Connor 13, Jabe Mullins 13, Tyler Patterson 3, Brett Williams 7, Quin Patterson 6.