High school boys basketball power rankings: Top 10 teams in South Sound
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The high school basketball regular season is drawing to a close in the South Sound.
As postseason games and district tournaments approach, The News Tribune is ranking the top 10 programs in the area, regardless of classification.
We considered a variety of factors when ranking teams, including strength of schedule, quality wins, league championships and more.
1. Curtis (21-3) — Defending 4A state champions completed their 4A SPSL title run with a double-digit win over Olympia in last week’s league tournament. Five-star point guard Zoom Diallo (20 points per game), the two-time 4A SPSL North MVP, and Point Loma-bound guard Tyce Paulsen (15.6 ppg) lead the way. Only loss to an in-state opponent was against Olympia in early January.
2. Federal Way (20-1) — Talented trio of Vaughn Weems, Isaiah Afework and Dace Pleasant paced Federal Way to an undefeated 4A NPSL championship. Eagles haven’t lost to an in-state opponent this winter, and enter the weekend on a 14-game winning streak.
3. Olympia (20-4) — Bears returned much of the group from last season’s third-place run at the 4A state tournament. WSU-bound guard Parker Gerrits, the two-time 4A SPSL South MVP, forward Andreas Engholm and more key contributors have Olympia in good position for another run. Bears were on a 14-game winning streak before last week’s league championship loss to Curtis.
4. Tahoma (18-4) — Bears earned a sixth-place finish in the 4A state tournament last season, and have only one loss — to undefeated 4A NPSL champion Federal Way — since December. Dalton Brown (15.8 ppg) and Adam Davis (13.4 ppg) both average double figures scoring.
5. Kentridge (17-4) — Chargers picked up a signature win over last season’s 4A state runner-up Mount Si in January. Only losses this season are to expected state contenders — Auburn, last season’s 3A state champion, Mount Spokane, Tahoma and Federal Way.
6. Timberline (16-4) — The Blazers rolled undefeated through the 3A SSC, sweeping the season series against Gig Harbor in the process. UNLV signee Brooklyn Hicks (32.6 ppg, 8.2 rebounds per game) is a scoring machine, and has already broken Thurston County’s career scoring record. Darrell Gipson (12.7 ppg, 7.1 rpg) has emerged as a legit interior threat.
7. Gig Harbor (19-2) — Sharpshooting guard Luke Browne (17.6 ppg) and springy guard Will Landram (18.3 ppg) form one of the best 1-2 punches in the area. Guard Christian Parrish is an active defender for the Tides. Gig Harbor’s only two losses this season are to league rival Timberline.
8. Auburn (16-5) — Despite losing a ton of production to graduation from last year’s 3A state championship team, the Trojans are in the picture once again, rolling through the 3A NPSL and winning the program’s fourth consecutive league title. Guard Jaylen Petty (22 ppg) is one of the South Sound’s top knockdown shooters and forward Luvens Valcin (13 ppg) has special athleticism.
9. Annie Wright (19-1) — Are the Gators, playing in the 1A Nisqually League, the best team in Tacoma this winter? They just might be. Annie Wright, one of the top-ranked 1A teams in the state, is paced by 6-foot-4 guard Martin Kaupanger, a high-level scorer with plenty of bounce.
10. Lincoln (15-5) — It all starts with forward Omarion Boston, who was the 3A PCL MVP this season, leading the Abes to a league title. He averages a double-double (20.3 ppg, 12 rebounds). Missouri football commit Gabarri Johnson — TNT’s All-Area football player of the year in the fall — is a crafty scorer, too, averaging 10.2 points and five assists.
THE NEXT FIVE
Tumwater (16-4), Stadium (13-7), Enumclaw (17-2), Foss (17-4), Bellarmine Prep (12-12)
This story was originally published February 8, 2023 at 5:00 AM.
