Annie Wright entering 1A state bracket on winning streak, looking to bring trophy back to Tacoma
Annie Wright played the first varsity high school boys basketball game in school history during the 2019-20 season.
Four seasons later, the Gators are ready to contend for a trophy at the Class 1A state tournament in Yakima.
Annie Wright (23-1), led by a young and talented group, rolled to an undefeated 1A Nisqually League title this winter, added a 1A West Central District championship and routed Toppenish in a state regionals matchup last weekend at Tacoma Community College.
Now, the Gators, the No. 3 seed in this week’s 1A state tournament at the Yakima Valley SunDome, are in the state quarterfinals with a chance to bring home the first championship in program history, three consecutive wins away from a 1A state crown.
What’s the mindset heading into Thursday evening’s quarterfinals matchup?
“Win state,” sophomore forward Martin Kaupanger said. “Cut the nets down.”
The Gators certainly have the talent and depth to contend this weekend.
Not only have they bested every 1A opponent they’ve faced this season, they also have wins over 2A SPSL program White River, 3A Metro League program Chief Sealth and wins against two 3A Pierce County League programs nearby in Tacoma in Silas and Stadium.
All five of Annie Wright’s starters average double figures scoring in a balanced offense.
“You never know who’s going to be on,” first-year coach Dominique Williams said. “Anybody can be the leading scorer any night. So, it’s very valuable to us and I’m very happy to have that weapon.”
Kaupanger and sophomore guard Jeremiah Harshman each average 14.5 points per game, while junior TJ Marshall and sophomore Amare Breedlove each average 13.5 and sophomore Reggie Lester adds 10.5.
“If you stop one person, another person is going to get the game going,” Harshman said. “So, the versatility of everybody being able to score helps us out so much.”
Harshman also adds six assists per game, while Kaupanger and Breedlove average six rebounds per contest.
“We all can score and we just move the ball so well,” Kaupanger said.
Annie Wright is now in the sixth year of offering boys high school basketball, beginning the program during the 2017-18 school year and competing at the junior varsity level for two seasons before the first varsity season in 2019-20.
The Gators reached the state playoffs for the first time last winter, advancing to the quarterfinals in Yakima before losing a pair of games to top seed and eventual state runner-up King’s and Zillah, falling just one win short of a placing game.
The Gators players and coaching staff are motivated to reach new heights this weekend, entering the tournament on a 17-game winning streak.
Williams, a former Curtis High School standout — who advanced to the Tacoma Dome with the Vikings his junior season before later winning a Northwest Athletic Association of Community Colleges title with TCC and playing at Central Washington and professionally — knows what it takes to compete with the state’s best.
“Trying to win a championship is very hard, and I’m trying to lead them to do it the right way, and I think we’re headed in the right direction,” Williams said.
Annie Wright’s state-bound group includes mostly underclassmen, with only two seniors listed on the roster, and this season’s success could be just the beginning for the Gators.
“We’re young. They’re all buying in together. They’re listening to me, and they’re just trying to learn every day,” Williams said. “So, I think that’s very special that we’re young, and we’re just jelling right now.”
Harshman noted Annie Wright’s coaching staff as another key factor in the Gators’ success this season.
“The coaching staff keeps us focused all the time, because we’re a young team at the end of the day,” Harshman said. “Our starting five is a mixture of sophomores and juniors and a freshman, so our coaches keeping us focused has helped us out so much.”
The Gators open their tournament run at 7:15 p.m. Thursday, playing the winner of Wednesday’s opening-round matchup between No. 12 King’s Way Christian and No. 5 King’s.
Annie Wright is the only Tacoma program playing in the Yakima Valley SunDome this weekend, and one of only two boys programs from the city, along with 1B contender Sound Christian, who advanced to state tournament sites this winter.
“I’m born and raised from Tacoma, so it means a lot,” Williams said of representing the city in the state playoffs. “I’m doing anything I can to bring the trophy back home.”
“We’re the only team from Tacoma out there (in Yakima), so this is definitely one thing we want to bring back to the town,” Harshman said.
This story was originally published February 28, 2023 at 10:00 AM.
