Patiently, Auburn’s Arington worked back from injury. His clutch play has Trojans in title game
Each time Auburn High School added to its lead in the fourth quarter Friday at the Tacoma Dome, a slight smile flashed across senior guard Maleek Arington’s face as he hustled back on defense.
The moment — the one this seasoned Trojans team has been anticipating for several years now — was getting closer.
When the buzzer sounded, finalizing Auburn’s gritty 45-34 victory over Seattle Prep in the Class 3A state semifinals, Arington, a starter since his sophomore season, joined his team in celebration.
That moment this group has been waiting so long for? It’s finally here. Saturday night, the No. Trojans (26-2) will play perennial state power No. 4 Rainier Beach (21-4) for the 3A state championship. A win would give Auburn its first title in school history.
“I can’t even process this right now,” Arington said minutes after the win that secured the program’s first title game appearance. “We’ve worked so hard to get here and we’re just focused on our next game now.
“We won this game, but we didn’t come here to do that. So, we’ve got one more.”
One more.
This group of Auburn seniors — which includes Arington, Tre Blassingame, Kaden Hansen and Dae’Kwon Watson in its starting five — has been preparing for this since middle school.
They made their first their first appearance in the Tacoma Dome as sophomores, but were knocked out on the opening day of the 4A tournament with a loss to Olympia.
They were expected to a be a contender for a 3A title last season, but the state tournament was never played due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
They dominated their 3A North Puget Sound League schedule this winter, won a 3A West Central/Southwest bidistrict title, and dropped only two losses along the way to defending champion Garfield in a holiday tournament, and then against No. 7 Mount Spokane in the state regionals last week.
Those losses were remedied inside the Tacoma Dome when the Trojans cruised by No. 15 Kennewick in the opening round Wednesday, then upset the previously undefeated No. 1 Bulldogs in an overtime thriller Thursday in the quarterfinals before the semifinals win over Seattle Prep.
“It means a lot,” Arington said. “Sophomore year we came in, we lost in a loser-out game first round, so we’ve been building up. Last season, we didn’t even have a chance for this.
“So, just to be able to be here and be able to win games and get closer to our goal, it’s big.”
Perhaps this exciting postseason run is even a bit sweeter for Arington, whose senior season has had its obstacles.
The Trojans opened the season on an eight-game winning streak, Arington, as usual one of the key contributors. But, when Garfield visited in late December, he went up for a layup in the anticipated game between top teams, and landed on his knee.
Arington missed most of the rest of the regular season — which spanned another 12 games — but returned to the Trojans’ lineup in time for the bidistrict tournament.
“I’ve just been rehabbing on the side so I can come back for this time, which is the biggest part of the season,” he said.
“He worked really hard to get himself back,” Auburn coach Ryan Hansen said. “There’s a reason he’s back playing and playing at a high level.”
Even during the games he wasn’t on the court, Arington was still involved, supporting his teammates and stepping into a leadership role on Auburn’s bench — knowing the Trojans had the talent and depth to keep winning as he regained strength.
“I trust them a lot,” he said. “I knew they would get to this moment.”
Arington, a two-time TNT All-Area pick, returned for Auburn’s bidistrict opener against Gig Harbor, and paced the Trojans to a win with a game-high 19 points.
“We’re so happy to have him back,” Blassingame said. “I couldn’t be more grateful to have him as my teammate and as my point guard.”
Arington has continued to produce in the Tacoma Dome this weekend.
He pitched in three points, seven rebounds, four assists and three steals Wednesday in the win over Kennewick.
Thursday in the overtime upset of Garfield, he poured in 20 points on 6-of-11 shooting and hit 7-of-10 attempts from the free throw line, while adding five rebounds and five steals.
Then Friday, he took over in the fourth quarter, scoring seven of his team-high 12 points in the quarter, to help the Trojans grind out the win that sent them to the title game.
“Maleek is always going to be Maleek,” Blassingame said. “He’s clutch when we need a bucket, and we know we can count on him.”
