High school boys basketball: 3A state tournament bracket breakdown
The Class 3A boys state basketball tournament begins Wednesday at the Tacoma Dome, where 15 games will be played in four days to decide this season’s champion.
Here’s what to watch for in the 2023 bracket, which features 12 programs from around the state.
STATE REGIONALS RESULTS
State regionals play-in games
No. 16 Shorecrest 48, No. 17 Stadium 45
No. 15 Auburn Mountainview 67, No. 18 Mountain View 57
No. 14 North Thurston 68, No. 19 Everett 46
No. 20 Walla Walla 55, No. 13 Mount Vernon 46
Winner-to-quarterfinals, loser-to-first-round games
No. 1 Mount Spokane 64, No. 8 Rainier Beach 61
No. 2 Garfield 83, No. 7 Timberline 51
No. 3 Eastside Catholic 54, No. 6 Mountlake Terrace 52
No. 5 O’Dea 63, No. 4 Auburn 61
Winner-to-first-round, loser-out games
No. 16 Shorecrest 69, No. 9 Gig Harbor 60
No. 10 Bellevue 64, No. 15 Auburn Mountainview 35
No. 14 North Thurston 51, No. 11 West Seattle 34
No. 12 Arlington 68, No. 20 Walla Walla 57
TACOMA DOME SCHEDULE
Wednesday’s first round and Thursday’s quarterfinals
No. 14 North Thurston vs. No. 6 Mountlake Terrace, 3:45 p.m. Wednesday
Winner vs. No. 5 O’Dea, 3:45 p.m. Thursday
No. 10 Bellevue vs. No. 7 Timberline, 5:30 p.m. Wednesday
Winner vs. No. 1 Mount Spokane, 5:30 p.m. Thursday
No. 12 Arlington vs. No. 4 Auburn, 7:15 p.m. Wednesday
Winner vs. No. 3 Eastside Catholic, 7:15 p.m. Thursday
No. 16 Shorecrest vs. No. 8 Rainier Beach, 9 p.m. Wednesday
Winner vs. No. 2 Garfield, 9 p.m. Thursday
Friday’s semifinals
7:15 p.m. and 9 p.m.
Saturday’s championship and placing games
4th/6th — 9:30 a.m.
3rd/5th — 1 p.m.
Championship — 5 p.m.
10 PLAYERS TO WATCH
Jacob Cofie, Eastside Catholic, jr.
Miles Gurske, Rainier Beach, sr.
Brooklyn Hicks, Timberline, sr.
Zaveon Jones, Mountlake Terrace, jr.
Ryan Lafferty, Mount Spokane, jr.
Jaylen Petty, Auburn, soph.
Maverick Sanders, Mount Spokane, sr.
Legend Smiley, Garfield, soph.
Jaylin Stewart, Garfield, sr.
Mason Williams, O’Dea, sr.
TEAM PREVIEWS
No. 1 Mount Spokane (23-1) — 6-foot-6 forward Maverick Sanders, the 4A/3A Greater Spokane League MVP, is the player to watch for the Wildcats. He averages 16.4 points, 8 rebounds, 2.5 steals and 1.7 blocks per game. 6-foot-5 guard Ryan Lafferty (13.1 ppg, 5 apg, 2 spg) is a high-level scorer and distributor — he holds the school record for single-game assists with 11. This is Mount Spokane’s first time as the tournament’s top seed.
No. 2 Garfield (22-2) — While Mount Spokane takes the tournament’s top seed, Garfield is considered the favorite by many, led by 6-foot-6 forward and UConn signee Jaylin Stewart (19.8 ppg), one of the state’s top players. Guard Legend Smiley (13.5 ppg), Emmett Marquardt (11.1 ppg) and Sherrell McCullum Jr. (9.7 ppg) round out a balanced scoring attack. Brandon Roy is back on the Garfield sideline this year, his third stint as the Bulldogs’ head coach.
No. 3 Eastside Catholic (19-8) — Could Eastside Catholic meet Garfield in the semifinals? The Crusaders have been Garfield’s kryptonite this season, handing the Bulldogs their only two two losses. 6-foot-9 post Jacob Cofie — a four-star recruit — is a load inside, averaging a double-double with 18.7 points and 11.4 rebounds per game. Ishe Kanhukamwe (13.2 ppg) and Nate Krohn (11.4 ppg) are also contributors.
No. 4 Auburn (19-6) — Auburn’s regional round loss to O’Dea means the Trojans will have to play in the opening round Wednesday. The good news? Auburn lost in the regional round last year, too, and ended up winning the whole thing. Rainier Beach transfer and sophomore guard Jaylen Petty (22 ppg) won 3A NPSL MVP honors this season. He can get hot in a hurry with his outside shot. Semaj Brown (14 ppg) and Luvens Valcin — who recently picked up his first Pac-12 football offer from WSU — can both put points on the scoreboard. While not as offensively gifted as last year’s title-winning group, Trojans’ defense and athleticism will make them a tough out for anyone.
No. 5 O’Dea (19-8) — Fighting Irish are through to the quarterfinals after beating Auburn in a back-and-forth, physical regional round game. O’Dea boasts plenty of height, highlighted by 6-foot-8 wing Miles Clark (8.8 ppg, 6.2 rpg) and 6-foot-8 wing Malcolm Clark (5.4 ppg, 4.1 rpg). Guard Mason Williams (16.4 ppg, 4 apg) has been the team’s top scorer, followed by 6-foot-10 wing Miles Goodman (9.7 ppg) and junior guard Noel Davis (9.7 ppg).
No. 6 Mountlake Terrace (18-6) — Guard Jaxon Dubiel is the team’s top scorer, averaging 16 points per game for the Hawks and junior forward Zaveon Jones plays taller than his 6-foot-2 height, averaging a double-double with 13.5 points and 11 rebounds per game. Jones was an all-tournament selection last season.
No. 7 Timberline (18-6) — The Blazers feature one of the state’s top players in UNLV commit Brooklyn Hicks, a 6-foot-3 guard who can score at will from anywhere on the floor. Hicks, three-time MVP of the 3A South Sound Conference, averages 32 points, 9 rebounds, 5 assists and 3 steals per game. He’s complemented by forward Darrell Gipson (14 ppg, 8 rpg), who has taken on a bigger scoring load in the paint this season following the departure of Miles Gurske (transferred to Rainier Beach).
No. 8 Rainier Beach (14-8) — Speaking of Gurske, the former Timberline standout is the top offensive threat for Rainier Beach this winter. Vikings could be dangerous as a No. 8 seed — they have wins over Eastside Catholic and O’Dea on their resume — and longtime coach Mike Bethea’s teams seem to play their best basketball in March.
No. 10 Bellevue (22-4) — Wolverines tore through the 3A KingCo undefeated this season, with their two in-state losses coming to 3A Metro League powers O’Dea and Garfield. Point guard Brady Kageyama and forward Alex Yu were first-team all-league selections. Keep an eye on forward Andrew Gooding, too. Wolverines are scrappy and fly around on defense.
No. 12 Arlington (19-5) — Guard Leyton Martin (15 ppg, 7 rpg, 6apg, 3 spg) is a knockdown shooter and 6-foot-6 post David Zachman (15 ppg, 7 rpg, 2 bpg) was one of the top players in the 3A Wesco this winter.
No. 14 North Thurston (18-8) — Forward Ray Adams (13.3 ppg, 10 rpg, 2.4 bpg, 1.6 spg) has been a difference-maker for the Rams. He’s coming off a massive 25 -point, 25-rebound effort in a regional play-in win over Everett last week. 6-foot-6 forward Thad Tenkley (13.3 ppg, 6.8 rpg) is another player to watch.
No. 16 Shorecrest (18-6) — What a week for the No. 16 seed, beating a galvanized No. 16 Stadium squad on Tuesday before knocking off No. 9 Gig Harbor on Saturday to advance to the Tacoma Dome. Guards Parker Baumann and Keaine Silimon lead a group that prides itself on hustle and defense.
TNT CHAMPIONSHIP PICK
No. 2 Garfield 60, No. 1 Mount Spokane 54
This story was originally published February 28, 2023 at 5:00 AM.
