Auburn basketball keeps rolling with 80-47 non-league win over Mount Tahoma
Tre Blassingame was visibly frustrated, getting into teammate Kaden Hansen on the bench midway through the third quarter, after Hansen picked up a technical foul after a minor brushup with a Mount Tahoma player in Auburn’s non-league home basketball game on Thursday night. He wanted Hansen — one of the team’s best players — to be smart, to keep his cool.
The technical foul, on the surface, was inconsequential. By that point, Auburn led by nearly 20 points, stifling Mount Tahoma senior scorer Asjon Anderson and the T-Birds offense and using a balanced offensive attack to create a comfortable gap between themselves and their opponents. The eventual Auburn win was all but inevitable at that point in the game.
Blassingame’s frustration ultimately had little to do with Thursday night’s game, an 80-47 win for Auburn over the 3A Pierce County League’s top team, Mount Tahoma. It had everything to do with the prize that Auburn’s players have had their eyes on since they were underclassmen, quickly rising as one of the state’s most talented young teams. A state championship.
“(Blassingame) came over and ripped (me),” Kaden Hansen said.
He didn’t appreciate it at the moment, but did after the game ended. After the game, Hansen went up to Blassingame and thanked him.
“I appreciate him doing that,” Hansen said. “That’s what’s so good about this team, we have so many leaders that can hold each other accountable.”
With the goal of a state title in mind, Auburn will need to be the best version of itself, something close to perfect. Especially if a rematch with Garfield — the state’s top-ranked team and the only team to beat Auburn this winter — is in order at the Tacoma Dome in early March.
While the technical foul didn’t matter in Thursday’s game, it could be the difference between hosting a trophy and settling for a consolation prize when the state tournament rolls around. So yes, Auburn’s players are holding each other accountable. It starts with Blassingame.
“Tre’s our leader,” said Auburn coach Ryan Hansen. “There’s no question about it. Everyone knows it. He’s our most vocal guy in practice every day, in games, on the bench, in timeouts. Everyone respects Tre in that role and it’s great as a coach that you have a senior leader that can kind of squash those things.”
WATSON EMBRACING BIGGER ROLE WITH ARINGTON SIDELINED
Auburn used a balanced offensive attack to move past Mount Tahoma on Thursday, led by senior guard Dae’Kwon Watson’s 21 points and Kaden Hansen’s 20 points. Blassingame added 11, Semaj Brown chipped in nine and sophomore Luven Valcin had eight for the Trojans.
Auburn senior guard Maleek Arington, one of the team’s top players, has been mostly sidelined the past couple weeks with a lingering knee injury. He’ll be re-evaluated about a week-and-a-half from now with a good chance to return to action for Auburn’s postseason run toward the end of the month. In his absence, Watson has shouldered more of the load, moving to point guard and running the show.
“(My role) changed drastically,” Watson said. “ I never liked to play point guard, but I’m getting used to it and I’m starting to like it a little bit more. I’m getting more comfortable with it, so it really improves my game so much more. The biggest adjustment is being a floor general, pretty much. Getting my teammates where they need to be, making sure they get where they need to be. Making sure you get the plays under control.”
Ryan Hansen said Watson’s play has been important for the Trojans with Arington out.
“He’s been huge,” he said. “It’s not in the least surprising. He’s a gamer, he can step up in big games and he’s not going to shy away from that moment. To see him be a little more aggressive offensively, really taken our role to be our defensive lockdown guy. Maleek has played that role in the pasty, so to see Dae’Kwon switch over to that and really take pride in it has been really big for us.”
TROJANS’ DEFENSE KEEPS ANDERSON IN CHECK
Mount Tahoma senior guard Asjon Anderson scored a game-high 32 points, but the scoring output doesn’t paint the whole picture. Twenty of his points came on free-throws, and Auburn’s defense forced Anderson to miss a lot of shots throughout the game. The Trojans also turned Anderson over often. The game plan against Mount Tahoma’s star? Make life uncomfortable, rotating defenders throughout the game and bringing double teams in the right moments.
“Running and jumping him, throwing him double teams, just getting the ball out of his hands, making him get tough shots and get fouled,” Kaden Hansen said. “I think we did pretty good. He got a lot of points off free throws. I think Dae’Kwon played excellent defense on him.”
Auburn, the state’s No. 2 ranked team in this week’s AP Poll, moved to 13-1 with the win, with a 7-0 mark in the 3A NPSL. Mount Tahoma dropped to 11-2 with the loss. The T-Birds are undefeated in the 3A PCL.
This story was originally published January 20, 2022 at 11:56 PM.
