Auburn felt doubted, making district championship win over Gig Harbor extra sweet
After all the talent the Auburn High School basketball team lost to graduation after winning the 2022 Class 3A state title, there was some question whether the Trojans could repeat as 3A District 3/4 champions a season later.
That doubt made Saturday night’s 60-59 district championship win over Gig Harbor extra satisfying.
“I feel like it means a lot, because people think just because we lost four out of the five starters, they didn’t think we were gonna be nothing,” said junior Luvens Valcin, who scored 14 points in the win and had a two-handed putback slam in the second half that brought the crowd to its feet. “They didn’t think state champs or district champs. We wanted to come out and prove that we could be them dawgs, be the next ones. I feel like tonight we came out and proved that.”
The win served as validation for a group that has lived in the shadow of last year’s team, the first team to ever win a state championship at Auburn.
“We had a good nucleus of guys coming back off that team last year, but everyone knows that our big punch all graduated,” said Auburn coach Ryan Hansen. “These guys wanted to continue the traditions that those guys set before them. They felt like they were a little overlooked coming into the season, so they took that personal.”
It was Gig Harbor who came out hot out of the gate in the first half, racing out to a 17-7 lead behind 11 first-quarter points from senior guard Will Landram. But Auburn outscored Gig Harbor 26 to 17 in the third quarter to take the lead. After scoring just three points in the first half, senior guard Lateibreon Chandler scored a team-high 15 points in the win, including four second-half 3-pointers.
“I just had to get into a rhythm,” he said. “I think I was probably getting into my head a little too much. Overall, I just had to settle in and I started knocking shots down.”
Chandler had a vote of confidence from his teammate Valcin.
“I loved it,” Valcin said. “I told him to shoot with confidence. They’re giving him space and he’s a shooter. So I told him to shoot his shot, be confident and that’s what he did and that’s how he knocked down all them shots.”
Of course, it helps that this year’s 3A NPSL MVP transferred in from Rainier Beach during the offseason. Sophomore guard Jaylen Petty added 13 points for the Trojans.
“Obviously, the addition of Jaylen Petty has been huge,” Hansen said. “He’s the MVP of our league, he’s been a guy for us all year. I’ve got a bunch of guys that are just winners, great competitors, they’re tough. I think we really showed that tonight just how tough we can be when we need to be.”
Gig Harbor was paced by Landram’s game-high 23 points. Senior forward Luke Browne added 16 points for the Tides.
This story was originally published February 18, 2023 at 9:47 PM.
