High school boys basketball: 3A state tournament bracket breakdown
The Class 3A state boys basketball tournament in Washington begins on Wednesday at the Tacoma Dome. It’s the first Washington Interscholastic Activities Association state basketball tournament since the 2020 tournament, as last year’s was canceled because of the pandemic. The indoor mask mandate will still be in effect until March 12, but otherwise, the tournament figures to look fairly ordinary, with no limit on fan attendance in place. Here’s what to watch for this week at the Dome.
SCHEDULE
Wednesday’s first round and Thursday’s quarterfinals
No. 14 Eastside Catholic vs. No. 3 O’Dea, 9 a.m.
Winner vs. No. 5 Seattle Prep, 9 a.m. Thursday
No. 15 Kennewick vs. No. 2 Auburn, 10:30 a.m.
Winner vs. No. 1 Garfield, 10:30 a.m. Thursday
No. 12 Ferris vs. No. 4 Rainier Beach, 12:15 p.m.
Winner vs. No. 6 Gig Harbor, 12:15 p.m. Thursday
No. 9 Mountlake Terrace vs. No. 8 Timberline, 2 p.m.
Winner vs. No. 7 Mount Spokane, 2 p.m. Thursday
TEAM TO BEAT
We know, this is shocking: it’s a team from the Metro League. Garfield (22-0), the defending (2020) state champion, is the tournament’s No. 1 seed and has been the state’s most complete team in 3A this winter. Four-star guard Koren Johnson, a UW commit, returned to Garfield for the 2021-22 season after flirting with Wasatch Academy in Utah. Johnson is an elite ball handler, a good shooter and distributor. He’ll feed the ball often to Garfield’s dangerous frontcourt duo, 6-foot-6 Jaylin Stewart and 6-foot-7 Sherrell McCullum Jr. Stewart was a starter on Garfield’s 2020 state championship team. Watch for an effective high-low game from Stewart and McCullum, who has a back-to-the-basket game. The Tacoma Dome has seen all-Metro finals for 11 of the last 12 years. The last time there wasn’t a Metro League team in the final was in 2011, when Lakes beat Bellevue (the Lancers were also the last South Sound team to win a 3A boys title). Rainier Beach won titles in 2012, 2013, 2014 and 2015. Garfield won titles in 2015, 2018 and 2020, while Nathan Hale won a title in 2017 and O’Dea won in 2019.
Auburn’s loss in the regional round to Mount Spokane (more on that below) creates a wide-open bottom half of the bracket. Gig Harbor and Mount Spokane are penciled into Thursday’s quarterfinal round, while Ferris faces Rainier Beach and Mountlake Terrace faces Timberline in the opening round on Wednesday. Gig Harbor’s upset over O’Dea in the regional round and Auburn’s loss puts the top three seeds in the tournament in the top half of the bracket (No. 1 Garfield, No. 2 Auburn, No. 3 O’Dea). If Rainier Beach fails to advance to the semifinals, we’ll see a six-or-lower seed in the state championship game. Mount Spokane may have been underseeded to begin with; the Wildcats have wins over Central Valley, Tahoma, North Kitsap, Curtis and Auburn.]
CONTENDERS FROM THE SOUTH SOUND
No. 2 Auburn (23-2) — With last weekend’s 69-58 loss to Mount Spokane in the 3A state regional round last Saturday, Auburn’s path to a 3A state title became much more difficult. Auburn doesn’t receive a bye into the quarterfinals now, and will play No. 15 Kennewick in the opening round of the tournament on Wednesday. But the bigger difficulty lies in the next round, where Auburn will have to face No. 1 Garfield in the quarterfinals if the Trojans take care of business against Kennewick. Before the regional loss, Auburn’s only loss of the season came at the hands of Garfield, 62-53 on Dec. 21 in the championship game of Auburn’s holiday tournament. Still, while the hill just became harder to climb, it’s not insurmountable for this Auburn team, which smoked nearly everyone in the 3A NPSL this year. Guard Maleek Arington (12.9 points, 4.9 assists) is finally healthy again, Kaden Hansen (18.1 points, 4.1 assists) is a knockdown shooter from behind the arc, Tre Blassingame (19.9 points, 7.1 rebounds) is one of the area’s top scorers and Dae’Kwon Watson (13.1 points, 2.9 assists) is a lockdown defender. Auburn is one of the state’s most athletic teams and the Trojans can be a nightmare to stop when they get going in transition. Expect the Trojans to be hungry, too, after last Saturday’s loss.
No. 6 Gig Harbor (23-2) — We think this is an underrated Gig Harbor team. Even without arguably their best player in guard Will Landram in the regional round, the Tides knocked off No. 3 O’Dea, 61-51, earning a bye into Thursday’s quarterfinals at the Tacoma Dome. Gig Harbor coach Billy Landram, Will’s dad, is hopeful Will (ankle) will be able to suit up on Thursday for the Tides. Landram, a high-flying playmaker, is averaging 15.1 points, six rebounds and 2.7 assists for Gig Harbor. The Tides are led in scoring by Luke Browne, a knockdown shooter who can also post up undersized defenders. Senior Asher Raquiza has unlimited range a quick release and guard Christian Parrish (8.1 points, five assists) brings toughness to the lineup, especially on the defensive end. Gig Harbor has gone to the state regionals in 2015 and 2011. This will be the first time the Tides have been in the state quarterfinals since 2006.
No. 8 Timberline (17-4) — It all starts with junior Brooklyn Hicks, one of the area’s top guards. He’s an athletic, three-level scorer, a high-level ball handler who gets to the rim with ease, averaging 24 points per game this season. He’s complemented by junior guard Miles Gurske (19.5 points), who has put together some monster statistical efforts this season when he gets hot from behind the arc. Sophomore forward Darrell Gipson (13 points, eight rebounds) is a difference maker in the paint on both ends of the floor. Guard Tyler No is the lone senior on the roster. With everyone returning next season on a team that’s already in the Tacoma Dome this winter, Timberline is well positioned to make runs this year and next.
10 PLAYERS TO WATCH
Maleek Arington, Auburn, sr.
Tre Blassingame, Auburn, sr.
Brooklyn Hicks, Timberline, jr.
Koren Johnson, Garfield, sr.
Will Landram, Gig Harbor, jr.
Sherrell McCullum Jr., Garfield, jr.
Maverick Sanders, Mount Spokane, jr.
Braeden Smith, Seattle Prep, sr.
Jayden Stevens, Gonzaga Prep, sr.
Jaylin Stewart, Garfield, jr.
CHAMPIONSHIP GAME PREDICTION
Garfield 68, Mount Spokane 66
