Curtis cruises past Camas in 4A district semis. Rubber match with Olympia up next
The first half was sloppy, marred by turnovers, stagnant play, poor shot selection and uninspired transition defense.
But Curtis is the reigning 4A state champion and the Vikings knew the listless first-half effort in the Class 4A District 3/4 semifinal game against visiting Camas on Thursday night was fixable, even though Curtis was still winning.
“I thought we were trying to do too much,” said Curtis coach Tim Kelly. “We had to settle down.”
And settle down, they did. The ball started to move in the second half, senior Tyce Paulsen played more assertively in the third quarter, the transition defense improved and the turnovers stopped. Eventually, Curtis pulled away and won comfortably, 79-44.
“Just getting the ball moving, not settling for threes,” said Paulsen, who scored 17 points in the win. “Getting to the cup. We had the size on them and there’s no point to just shoot threes when you’re up by 10. Just getting to the cup was really the key to win.”
Curtis seems to be at their best when Paulsen is playing assertively, looking for his shot. He showed his midrange and fadeaway game in the third quarter, making difficult shots over the outstretched arms of Camas defenders.
“Coach Kelly’s always telling me to be assertive, find your shot,” Paulsen said. “I think me shooting opens things up for everyone else.”
Kelly told his team he wanted Paulsen to touch the ball on every possession.
“We have to remind him and also remind (his teammates),” Kelly said. “It’s like a two-way deal. Move the ball, move ourselves, the ball’s gotta move.”
As usual, Cinque Maxwell quietly filled up the stat sheet, scoring a game-high 20 points. Star guard Zoom Diallo — the focal point of Camas’ defensive gameplan — added 14 points.
Curtis moves on to face 4A SPSL rival Olympia in the district championship game on Saturday. It’ll be the rubber match, as the teams split the season series.
“I think keying on Parker Gerrits is a big (key), keeping him in front,” said Paulsen.
Gerrits, a WSU commit, scored a game-high 31 points in a semifinal win over Federal Way in the game preceding Curtis’ game.
“We’re going to know each other, it’s going to be a war again,” Kelly said.
