Olympia bests defending 4A state champion Curtis in meeting of 4A SPSL powers
The Curtis High School gym was packed Saturday night for a Class 4A South Puget Sound League showdown between two teams that impressed in the Tacoma Dome last season.
Curtis lifted the championship trophy on the final night of the 4A state tournament in March following a thrilling overtime victory, winning the program’s first title since 2012.
Olympia secured a third-place trophy earlier that day in the school’s best finish since 1998.
Both programs return many of the the key contributors that led them there this winter.
What happened when two of the state’s top programs met for an early January contest?
Curtis led early, but Olympia answered convincingly across the final three quarters, building a lead that reached as many as 20 points, and handed the defending 4A state champions their first in-state loss this season with a 72-60 win in University Place.
“I’m proud,” Olympia coach John Kiley said. “I thought it was such a high-level game.”
The win gives the Bears (10-3) a key victory over their 4A SPSL rivals in the only scheduled regular season meeting between the two programs, and keeps them atop the 4A SPSL South standings.
Curtis (12-3) had topped each of its first eight in-state opponents entering the contest, and remain in first place in the 4A SPSL North.
Olympia’s victory also snaps a 23-game league winning streak for the Vikings.
“It’s definitely a big confidence boost,” Washington State-bound guard Parker Gerrits said of the win. “It’s a tough place to play at, and you’ve got to bring your A-game when you come in here.
“So, it was big for us and I think it will boost our confidence. I thought we played really well this week, and I think just finishing the week off like this is a good way to end it.”
Gerrits had a game-high 23 points, and added five rebounds, four assists and three steals to pace the Bears. Andreas Engholm poured in 18 more points and had four boards, and Matt Lindblom had 11 points and three rebounds and Drew Carlson added eight points and seven rebounds.
Eight players contributed to Olympia’s efficient effort on offense — the Bears shot 30-of-48 (62.5 percent) from the floor and 9-of-11 (81.8) from the free throw line — and six had multiple baskets.
But, it wasn’t until midway through the first half that the points started to quickly pile up.
Curtis led by as many as eight near the end of the first quarter following a Xavier Ahrens 3-pointer, but Olympia responded with a pair of buckets in the final minute — including a 3-pointer from Gerrits at the buzzer — to cut the lead back to one possession.
Then the Bears unleashed a 26-point second quarter, eventually securing a lead they never lost.
“Parker early on, particularly, when we had a hard time scoring, I thought kept the scoreboard moving,” Kiley said. “He got the big 3 at the end of the quarter.
“We only had 11 points at that point, and ended up with 70. So, a lot happened in those next 24 minutes.”
Olympia took the game’s final lead on a Lindblom basket with 2:57 remaining before the half, and closed the second quarter on a 14-4 run.
Mason Juergens’ bucket just before the buzzer gave the Bears a 37-28 lead at the break.
Olympia’s lead reached as many as 20 points late in the third quarter on a Gerrits basket that made it 54-34, but Curtis made a run in the fourth.
The Vikings cut the lead to single digits four times inside the final seven minutes, but Olympia was always quick to answer, and Curtis never quite closed the gap.
“I think that continual response was something that we’ve worked hard to try to instill,” Kiley said.
Brandon Logan hit a 3-pointer for Curtis with 3:43 to go to make it 64-56 and cut Olympia’s lead as low as eight for the first time in the second half, but the Vikings never got closer.
The Bears responded with a quick 6-0 run and held Curtis scoreless on its next four possessions to extend the lead back to double digits for good.
“It just takes staying poised,” Gerrits said of keeping the lead out of reach late.
Curtis finished 23-of-50 (46 percent) from the floor and 8-of-9 (88.9) from the free throw line.
Zoom Diallo led the Vikings with 21 points, and added five rebounds and three assists. Point Loma-bound guard Tyce Paulsen had 11 points, four rebounds and four steals, and Devin Whitten added 10 points.
Curtis continues league play with a trip to South Kitsap on Wednesday night, while Olympia will host Bethel.
This story was originally published January 7, 2023 at 11:21 PM.
