Olympia gives No. 1 Mount Si first-half scare before Wildcats pull away in 4A semifinal, 53-39
For a half, it looked like an upset could be in order. OIympia, the eleventh seed in the 4A state high school boys basketball tournament at the Tacoma Dome, came out against No. 1 Mount Si in Friday night’s semifinal with fire in their bellies, playing with a sense of determination and a true belief they could go toe-to-toe with the best in the state.
At half, the Bears trailed 23-22 and it looked like anyone’s game. But Olympia went cold on the offensive end in the second half and Mount Si (25-0), like it has done to all of its competition this year, distanced itself, holding Olympia to just 17 points (five in the third quarter) and going on to win, 53-39.
“I just think we didn’t play as connected as we usually are,” said Olympia junior guard Parker Gerrits, who scored a game-high 19 points in the loss. “We just need to come out better in the second half and play the whole game. Play a full four quarters. Our third quarters haven’t been it lately.”
Mount Si coach Jason Griffith said that while his players garner headlines for their offensive talents, the program’s identity will always be defense.
“Over the last four years, our program prides itself on the defensive end,” he said. “That’s what led us to a state title two years ago and it’s what led us to get this win tonight. We’re tough and we focus up and execute a defensive game plan. We probably showed it a little bit on the other end, maybe our legs weren’t as fresh because of how hard we were working on the defensive end. I’d rather hold a team to below 40 than allow them to score 65 and hope to win.”
Olympia shot just 28.9 percent from the field in the loss and 21.4 percent from the 3-point line. Mount Si’s team length surely had something to do with that.
“They’re big and they can shoot it, but I think our guys match up against those guys perfectly well,” Gerrits said. “I just think we didn’t come out in the second half like we did in the first half. They’re talented, they’re quick, they can run, they can shoot it.”
Mount Si finds itself in the Class 4A championship game for the third consecutive season, falling to Gonzaga Prep in 2019 and beating Central Valley in 2020 to win the title. The 2021 tournament was canceled because of the pandemic.
“It means a lot to our community,” Griffith said. “These are kids that have been playing together since second, third grade. We love doing this for our community and everyone that supports us.”
Olympia, meanwhile, still has plenty to play for. The Bears will face the loser of the Union vs. Curtis game in a third-fifth place game Saturday at 1 p.m.
This story was originally published March 4, 2022 at 9:57 PM.
