Watson, Gonzaga Prep cruise past Kentridge, setting up semifinal showdown with Federal Way

In the end, defending Class 4A state champion Gonzaga Prep was just too much for the Kentridge Chargers to handle in the state tournament quarterfinals on Thursday afternoon at the Tacoma Dome.

The Bullpups were better, more athletic, more experienced and flat-out stronger, controlling the action from the start and continuing their title defense with a 63-40 win.

“They’re state champions, they’re solid across the board,” Kentridge coach Dave Jamison said. “(Anton Watson) is just really good. Owen (Paznokas) has been our best player all season and Watson just shut him down.

“It was hard to get on a roll offensively. That kind of deflated our guys because we’re usually looking to do that. We were a little tired, a little flat and playing against a stud.”

Watson, a 6-foot-8 Gonzaga signee, was the star of the show, pouring in 22 points in the win, along with 14 rebounds, five assists, four blocks and three steals.

Few teams are able to match up with Watson’s blend of size, athleticism, quick footwork and soft shooting touch, and Kentridge was no exception.

“They weren’t even really double-teaming me, so if I got the ball down low, I just had to go up with it,” Watson said. “I don’t think they can guard me.”

Jamison said Kentridge doesn’t often see players like Watson.

“He was solid today, hitting 3’s,” Jamison said. “He’s not selfish. He passes the ball. Defensively, he was as big a factor for them on that end as he was on the other end.”

As a team, Gonzaga Prep is physically strong across the board, which wasn’t an ideal matchup for Kentridge.

“They do a lot of damage to a lot of teams,” Jamison said. “We’re not a very big team, we’re not super physical. We didn’t shoot the ball well today. You’re going to get beat when that happens.”

Watson said that brand of physicality is something the Bullpups hang their hat on.

“We rely on defense and rebounding, just to show the other team we’re here to play and to be physical,” he said.

Guard Cruz Medina led the Chargers with 11 points. Jett Briceno chipped in nine.

The win sets up a rematch of last year’s state championship game for Gonzaga Prep against Federal Way Friday’s semifinals.

“It’s going to be a long game, a full 32 minutes,” Watson said. “We’re going to have to play hard the whole game.”

TEAM STATISTICS

K – Shooting: 13 o f45 (28.9 percent). Free throws: 9 of 15 (60). Turnovers: 13.

GP – Shooting 29 of 50 (58 percent). Free throws: 2 of 7 (28.6). Turnovers: 10.

INDIVIDUAL SCORING

K – Cruz Medina 11, Jeff Briceno 9, Owen Paznokas 6, Jeremy Banks 5, Adrian Pop 5, Moses Moore 2, Isaiah Haynes 2.

GP – Anton Watson 22, Sheadon Byrd 8, Carter Sonneborn 7, Jacob Parola 6, Sam Stockton 5, Liam Lloyd 4, Jayden Stevens 4, Noah Drynan 4, Matty Carney 3.

This story was originally published February 28, 2019 at 4:51 PM.