Mullins, Mount Si top Central Valley to win 4A state championship
The Mount Si High School boys basketball team knew it was going to win the 2020 Class 4A state title. They knew immediately after the 2019 state championship game, after losing to Gonzaga Prep.
“The moment we lost last year against Gonzaga Prep, we went into that locker room and knew we’d be back,” said Mount Si’s Jabe Mullins, a Saint Mary’s commit. “We’re going to give it everything we’ve got for 12 months to get back to this exact same spot.”
And that’s exactly what the Wildcats did, reaching Saturday evening’s state championship game and beating Central Valley, 58-47. It’s the program second state title and first since 1977.
And the Wildcats won convincingly in each of the three games they played, beating Federal Way, 61-49 in the quarterfinals, Glacier Peak, 62-49 in the semifinals and against Central Valley, controlling the game from the tip.
“Honestly, we played some great teams, but we knew all along that we’re the best team in the state, by far,” said Mullins, who finished with a game-high 26 points on 9-of-16 shooting from the field and 6-of-6 from the free-throw line. “We have the best players, the best coach, we’re long, athletic, we knew what we had to do and we knew we’re the best in the state. We came out here and played like it.”
Mullins was unstoppable the entire game, hitting outside shots and carving at will into the lane and attacking the rim. Central Valley simply had no answers for the 6-foot-6 senior.
“He’s a great player, great leader,” said teammate Quin Patterson. “I’ve learned a lot from him, take a lot away from his game and his IQ of the game. He was unstoppable tonight and we can always count on him.”
And defensively, Mount Si’s length proved disruptive for Central Valley, as it had for all the Wildcats’ opponents in the tournament.
“It starts on the defensive end,” Patterson said. “Coming out with a mindset of locking our guys down, taking it personal on the defensive end. That translates to offense. We shot it well over the course over the tournament.”
Hayden Curtiss added 12 points for Mount Si, Bennett O’Connor added nine and Tyler Patterson had eight.
For Central Valley, Teagen Hoard scored a team-high 13 points on 4-of-7 shooting.
Now, after knocking on the door a year ago, Mount Si can call themselves state champions.
“It means everything,” Mullins said.
BOX SCORE
CENTRAL VALLEY 6 16 12 13 — 47
MOUNT SI 14 15 10 19 — 58
Central Valley — Hoard 13, Darling 9, Gilstrap 8, SImmons 6, Johnson 4 Clay 3, Sanders 2, Raab 2
Mount Si — Mullins 26, Curtiss 12, O’Connor 9, T. Patterson 8, Q. Patterson 3
