District basketball championships: Annie Wright claims 1A district title, wins 17th straight
With a strand of the net wrapped around his forehead like a celebratory headband, Martin Kaupanger could finally join Annie Wright in jubilation.
The Golden Gators were, officially, Class 1A West Central District champions. One by one, each of Annie Wright’s players climbed the ladder to cut down the home net. And Kaupanger, the team’s leading scorer with 16, had denied Seattle Christian an upset.
It took every minute, but Annie Wright outlasted the Warriors, 65-60, in a contest that crowned the district champion and sent the Gators on to the 1A state playoffs.
“This is a team full of dawgs, and we’ve just got to keep being dawgs, man,” Kaupanger exclaimed underneath the rim at Mount Tahoma High School in Tacoma. “This is a dog pack!”
The Gators are winners of 17 straight, undefeated 1A Nisqually League champions, district champions, and will represent the region in the 1A state regionals next week.
Annie Wright hasn’t lost a game in 67 days. That streak nearly ended Wednesday.
Seattle Christian stunned the Gators and jumped to an eight-point lead in the first quarter when Annie Wright’s uncontested looks in the paint refused to fall. It took a resurgence from Kaupanger and scoring contributions from seven Gators, in total, to complete the comeback.
“I’m proud of them for (going) through the ups and downs and executing at the end,” Annie Wright coach Dominique Williams said, moments after accepting the district trophy at center court. “It’s the playoffs. Anything can happen in the playoffs. You’ve got to be prepared and ready to play.”
Seattle Christian senior Jordan Clark, a Central Washington commit, paced all scorers with 35 and drained 17-of-18 free throw attempts. He was a one-man show in the fourth quarter, netting 13 of the Warriors’ 17 points in a comeback effort that fell two possessions short.
Seattle Christian junior Eric Lyubarsky added 17 points, and he and Clark combined for 28 of Seattle Christian’s 29 points in the first half.
But Annie Wright’s defense kept Seattle Christian to a single field goal in the second quarter — a 3-pointer from Clark — allowing the Gators to grab their first lead with two minutes left in the opening half.
“At halftime, we had a good talk,” Kaupanger said. “We talked about playing our defense. I came out, got a couple steals, couple lay ups, and our confidence just went up from there.”
Annie Wright’s win was their third over Seattle Christian in the last three months following league wins in December and January by a combined 60-point margin. Wednesday was far from another rout.
Still, a pair of free throws by Kaupanger in the final seconds and a costly charge by Seattle Christian’s Clark sealed a Gators win.
Each of Annie Wright’s starters posted eight or more points. Sophomore guard Reggie Lester conquered early foul trouble and posted 15, while sophomore Jeremiah Harshman added 11.
Junior forward TJ Marshall and freshman guard Amare Breedlove tallied nine and eight points, respectively.
Seattle Christian can still secure a state regionals allocation with a win at Mount Tahoma on Saturday.
Annie Wright’s entire starting five is comprised of non-seniors, meaning this group could see two defining runs in the state bracket together.
“This is the best team I’ve played with for ball movement,” Kaupanger said. “We find each other. We can all score.”
BOX SCORE
SC: 17-12-14-17—60
AW: 9-20-20-16—65
Scoring: (AW) Martin Kaupanger 16, Reggie Lester 14, Jeremiah Harshman 11, TJ Marshall 9, Amare Breedlove 8, Cale Carter 5, Calvary Seui 2; (SC) Jordan Clark 35, Eric Lyubarsky 17, Trey Baskett 3, Brett Richard 3, Sam Althoff 2
FEB. 16
GIRLS BASKETBALL
1A
NO. 1 BELLEVUE CHRISTIAN 42, NO. 3 LIFE CHRISTIAN ACADEMY 20
The Vikings clinched their spot in the state 1A girls basketball tournament with a win over the Eagles. More than doubling what Life Christian Academy could do offensively, Bellevue Christian cruised to victory.
Fortunately for Life Christian Academy, they have the opportunity to play one more game for their chance to make the state tournament.
FEB. 17
GIRLS BASKETBALL
2A
TUMWATER 47, W.F. WEST 32
Tumwater closed the final eight minutes on a 14-4 run, securing both a district championship and signature win over rival W.F. West.
Regan Brewer snagged the game’s final rebound and dribbled out the clock. Kylie Waltermeyer embraced the junior guard, and a mob of T-Birds flocked to half court as the buzzer echoed inside Hudson’s Bay High School’s gymnasium.
The T-Birds are District 4 champions following a sparkling 3-0 run through the bracket. Tumwater nearly doubled up Woodland, 51-26, in the opening round on Feb. 10 and eliminated Woodland three days later in the semifinals, 49-39.
Brewer finished Friday’s win with a team-high 14 points. Waltermeyer added 13.
W.F. West’s Julia Dalan tallied a game-high 15.
W.F. West and Tumwater finished the regular season tied atop the standings at 11-1, losing only to each other in otherwise perfect campaigns. The Bearcats beat Tumwater first on Jan. 10 and the latter won a Jan. 26 rematch.
Tumwater’s win on Friday broke the series split.
Both Tumwater and W.F. West are off to state, which tips off on Feb. 24 in the regional round. Matchups are to be determined.
BOX SCORE
T: 7-14-12-14–47
WFW: 8-11-9-4–32
Scoring: (T) Regan Brewer 14, Kylie Waltermeyer 13, Cierra Larson 7, Rhylee Beebe 5, Kendall Gjurasic 5, Sydney Sumrok 3; (WFW) Julia Dalan 15, Grace Simpson 8, Morgan Rogerson 7, Lena Fragner 2
FEB. 18
BOYS BASKETBALL
4A
CURTIS 52, OLYMPIA 50
With seconds left in the district championship, Tyce Paulsen stormed through a pair of Olympia defenders and converted the game-winning layup to deliver Curtis the trophy.
The buzzer sounded on Curtis’ home floor and the Vikings mobbed Paulsen, their senior guard who finished with 17 points. His final shot erased a 12-point deficit entering the final quarter and slammed the door on Olympia’s district title hopes.
Curtis senior Zoom Diallo dropped a game-high 19 points. Cinque Maxwell added 14.
The Vikings ended the contest on an 18-4 run.
Curtis raced through the district bracket, securing a state berth on Feb. 11 in a double-digit win over Kentridge. The Vikings then beat Camas on Thursday to reach the tournament’s title game.
The district holds seven state allocations, meaning both Curtis and Olympia take to the WIAA Hardwood Classic beginning Feb. 24. First-round matchups are announced Sunday.
BOX SCORE
O: 8-18-20-4--50
C: 14-12-8-18--52
Scoring: (C) Zoom Diallo 19, Tyce Paulsen 17, Cinque Maxwell 14, Josiah Johnson 2
2A
RENTON 57, ENUMCLAW 54
The Redhawks are District 2/3 champions.
The top seed in the tournament capped an undefeated run through the bracket with Saturday’s win over Enumclaw and the District 2/3 trophy in possession.
Renton jogged into the North Mason High School lockers with a seven-point halftime lead and held off a Hornet rally in the final minutes.
The high-flying duo of Ajayi Simmons and Dennis Johnson dropped a game-high 21 points each, more than two-thirds of Renton’s point total.
Enumclaw’s Noah Sebrands, a junior guard, paced the Hornets with 18 points, per Scorebook Live. Junior guard Wyatt Neu tallied 10.
The Redhawks were perfect in the regular season, too. Renton blew through the 2A KingCo league at 12-0 — a full three games above all division challengers.
Renton’s district title earned a trip to the state tournament, which tips off Feb. 24. So did Enumclaw’s runner-up finish.
FOSS 72, WHITE RIVER 71
A single point decided which program left the Mount Tahoma gymnasium state-bound, the other’s season ending in heartbreak.
Foss emerged victorious over White River by the slimmest margin on Saturday in a winner-to-state, loser-out contest, which secured the district’s final available state allocation.
The District 2/3 bracket’s four-seed, Foss fell to Sammamish in the opening round — a game that immediately punched the winner’s state ticket. But the Falcons rebounded for a blowout win over Bremerton on Friday night in another loser-out contest, plus Saturday’s one-point nail-biter.
GIRLS BASKETBALL
4A
CAMAS 60, TAHOMA 31
A devastating scoring run in the third quarter provided the definitive lead, propelling the Papermakers over Tahoma and atop the district bracket.
Camas ended each half on an extended scoring run, aiding a 60-31 win over the Bears in Saturday’s title game.
Their road to the trophy was anything but smooth. No. 4 Camas met the bracket’s top two seeds in the semifinal and championship — No. 1 Sumner and No. 2 Tahoma, respectively — and upset them both.
Both Camas and Tahoma secured state berths on Feb. 10. The regional round tips off Feb. 24 and opening matchups are announced Sunday.
BOX SCORE
C: 10-16-16-18–60
T: 9-5-11-6—31
2A
RENTON 43, SEQUIM 39
Just hours after Renton’s boys locked down a district title, the program’s girls added matching hardware.
Despite registering only four points in the fourth quarter, Renton held on to beat Sequim in Saturday’s District 2/3 championship at North Mason High School.
The win came in upset fashion over the bracket’s top seed. Each of Renton’s three district wins came by single digits — or, a combined 10 points.
Both programs snagged one of six state allocations. The regional round tips off Feb. 24 and first-round matchups are announced Sunday.
BOX SCORE
R: 10-16-13-4–43
S: 11-8-10-10—39
This story was originally published February 15, 2023 at 10:14 PM.
