Game recaps, highlights from the 2024 The Dream Showcase high school basketball tournament
There will be nine high school basketball games played at the 2024 The Dream Showcase on Monday at Federal Way High School.
The event honoring Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. features five boys basketball games and four girls basketball games in its second year, and includes teams at the Class 4A, 3A, 2A and 1A levels from the South Sound and beyond.
Follow along for live updates throughout the day.
SCHEDULE
8 a.m. — Annie Wright vs. Federal Way (Girls)
9:30 a.m. — Franklin vs. Rogers of Puyallup (Boys)
11 a.m. — Davis vs. Lincoln of Tacoma (Girls)
12:30 p.m. — Davis vs. Seattle Prep (Boys)
2 p.m. — Richland vs. Eastside Catholic (Boys)
3:30 p.m. — Camas vs. Annie Wright (Boys)
5 p.m. — Lake Washington vs. Sumner (Girls)
6:30 p.m. — Eastlake vs. Emerald Ridge (Girls)
8 p.m. — North Kitsap vs. Federal Way (Boys)
GAME RECAPS
ANNIE WRIGHT 51, FEDERAL WAY 45
The Gators went on a 15-4 run in the final five minutes to close out a 51-45 win over the Eagles in the first of nine games hosted Monday at Federal Way in the second annual The Dream Showcase.
Annie Wright led much of the second half, but Federal Way rallied early in the fourth, leading by as many as five on an Aaliyah Leverette basket with 4:45 to play.
Gators guard Aaliyeh Martin then scored the first two of her eight fourth-quarter points moments later, keying Annie Wright’s game-winning run.
Martin gave Annie Wright what turned out to be the game’s final lead with 3:47 to go, but Federal Way cut the lead as close as 47-45 with 1:25 to go on a basket from Meeghan Meagher.
Martin, who scored a game-high 20 points, kept Annie Wright’s lead out of reach with four free throws in the final 16.6 seconds.
“I’m very proud of my girls,” Annie Wright coach Alex Montgomery said. “They stayed together. They took care of the basketball. They boxed out. They rebounded. And then, most of all, we put the ball in the hole. … Knocked down our important free throws down the stretch. So, that’s what it took. It took team basketball.”
J’Lyn Doodigian added 18 points for the Gators, who improve to 7-4 with the victory. Lillian Morlan led Federal Way with 12 points, while Sierra Vaifale had nine.
Annie Wright resumes 1A Nisqually play Tuesday at Seattle Christian, while Federal Way hosts Decatur in a 4A NPSL contest Tuesday.
ROGERS 74, FRANKLIN 57
Rogers carried a double-digit lead much of the second half, and had three scorers in double figures in an eventual 74-57 win over Franklin.
The Rams posted a 22-point second quarter to take a 37-31 lead they never lost into the break, led 59-43 at the end of the third and held off late-scoring runs by Franklin in the fourth to improve to 9-8 this winter.
“Franklin does a great job,” Rams coach Connie Richardson said. “We knew that they weren’t going to quit at any point, no matter what the score was.”
Junior guard Treyshawn Weatherspoon, who averages a team-best 15.8 points per game, led Rogers with a game-high 18 points, while senior forward Amanna Anusiem added 17 and junior guard Dylan Gilderhus had 15.
Keshawn Lynch and Santana Schaerer each had 14 points for Franklin.
Rogers, without three contributors Monday due to injury, resumes its 4A SPSL schedule Thursday at Graham-Kapowsin before meetings with reigning division champions Olympia and Curtis and rival Emerald Ridge to wrap up league play.
“We’ve just got to get healthy going down the stretch,” Richardson said. “ … We’ve got big games coming up.”
Franklin continues 3A Metro League play Wednesday at Ingraham.
DAVIS 75, LINCOLN 59
The Pirates opened the game with a 23-point first quarter to take an early lead they never lost on the way to a 75-59 win over Lincoln in a meeting of two programs that played in the Tacoma Dome — Davis advanced to the first round in the 4A tournament, and Lincoln placed sixth in the 3A bracket — last winter.
Davis led 23-13 by the end of the first, which proved enough to carry the Pirates (11-4) to a fifth consecutive victory.
Lincoln kept pace with Davis the rest of the way, outscored by two points or fewer each of the final three quarters, and at one point cut the lead to single digits in the fourth, but it wasn’t enough to overcome the Pirates’ early first-half lead.
Davis senior guard Esmeralda Galindo led all scorers with 27, while freshman forward Cheyenne Hull added 26 points for the Pirates and Leilani Johnson had 14.
Senior guards Ciona Wells and Jaleigha Robinson led Lincoln with 17 points each, while senior forward De’Andrea Woods added 10.
The loss ended a four-game winning streak for the Abes (6-5), who resume 3A Pierce County League play Wednesday at Mount Tahoma.
Davis hosts Moses Lake in a Big 9 contest Friday.
DAVIS 84, SEATTLE PREP 76
The No. 1 team in 4A in the WIAA’s RPI rankings posted an eighth consecutive win Monday.
After trailing 43-38 at the halftime break, and 63-60 after three quarters, Davis posted a 24-point fourth to close out an 84-76 victory over Seattle Prep.
Four players combined for 74 of the Pirates’ 84 points. Brandon Lee led the way with 24, while Cesar Hernandez added 22, Finnegan Anderson had 18 and Blake Garza had 10.
Nirvaan Misra scored a team-high 21 points for Seattle Prep, while Beckham King added 19 and Balin Meza had 12 on four 3-pointers.
Davis, a 4A state qualifier last winter, improves to 14-1 with the victory. The Pirates’ only loss this season remains a 69-63 loss to Eastside Catholic — currently No. 2 in 3A in WIAA’s RPI rankings — in December.
Davis continues Big 9 play Friday, hosting Moses Lake. Seattle Prep (8-8) hosts Rainier Beach in a 3A Metro League contest Wednesday.
EASTSIDE CATHOLIC 64, RICHLAND 63
Kayden Greene’s 3-pointer with 4.2 seconds left lifted Eastside Catholic past Richland on Monday afternoon in a meeting of state contenders.
Trailing by two in the final seconds, the Crusaders’ senior guard set a quick screen on an in-bounds play, rolled to the right, caught a pass from four-star forward Jacob Cofie, stepped away from a defender and sent the game-winner through the net.
“Originally I was supposed to be in the corner, then Jacob said, no I want my shooter coming off, setting it, popping — and that’s what we did, and then I knocked it down,” Greene said.
Richland led much of the way, including carrying a 41-35 lead into the half, but Eastside Catholic kept the lead in reach throughout.
Then, with 7:15 to play in the fourth, the first of back-to-back 3-pointers from Kevelle Parkman gave the Crusaders their first lead since 6-5 at the 5:45 mark in the first.
“We just had to lock down our guy,” Greene said. “We all had a matchup. We all had to execute. And then when we executed, the result showed.”
Richland tied the game twice more after that, and took a lead for the last time on a Landen Northrop jumper with 2:48 left.
Neither team scored again until Greene’s game-winner.
Northrop led all scorers with 24 points for Richland, while Joshua Woodard and Jack Forbes each added 12.
Cofie, a Virginia signee, paced Eastside Catholic with 22 points, while Greene and Parkman also reached double figures with 10.
Richland (8-4), which advanced to the 4A state quarterfinals in the Tacoma Dome last March, resumes MCC play Tuesday against Pasco.
Eastside Catholic (11-1), last season’s sixth-place team in the 3A state tournament, continues 3A Metro League play against state power Garfield on Wednesday. The Crusaders do not have an in-state loss this winter.
“I think we’re doing good,” Greene said. “We’re playing well. Getting our chemistry together. Every game we’re just getting better and better. And every practice just locking in, doing what we need to be done.”
Eastside Catholic ranked second in 3A in WIAA’s RPI rankings entering Monday, while Richland was No. 9 in the 4A rankings.
ANNIE WRIGHT 60, CAMAS 43
Annie Wright has played 10 in-state contests so far this winter — and posted double-digit victories in every game.
The Gators (10-2) added another in Monday afternoon’s 60-43 win over Camas in a meeting of two programs that advanced to state tournament sites last March.
Annie Wright’s only losses this season are to Oregon 6A program South Medford (58-51) and Arizona 2A program Rancho Solano Prep (57-54) at The Hardwood Invite in December.
“It was big,” Gators junior point guard Jeremiah Harshman said of Monday’s victory over a Camas program that placed fourth in 4A in the Tacoma Dome last season. “We had a tough few losses in Portland, and Camas actually went deep in the tournament, so we felt like this game we had to be ready locked in to prove that we can compete with good teams.”
Annie Wright led from late in the first quarter on, took a 34-15 lead into the break, and kept the lead at double digits from there.
Martin Kaupanger led the Gators with 18 points, while Harshman and TJ Marshall each had 13 in the win.
Beckett Currie led Camas with 17 and Matthew Sitler added 10.
The Papermakers (8-6) were limited to a season-low 43 points in the loss, and are set to host Skyview in a 4A GSHL contest Tuesday.
The Gators, the defending 1A Nisqually League champions, will look to remain undefeated in league play Tuesday when they host Seattle Christian, and eventually make a return trip to the postseason after advancing to the 1A state quarterfinals in Yakima last winter.
“I feel like we’re right where we need to be, but we’ve still got a long ways to go until March for us to get our ultimate goal,” Harshman said.
LAKE WASHINGTON 47, SUMNER 40
In another meeting of state contenders Monday evening in Federal Way, it was three-time 3A state runner-up Lake Washington that eventually closed out a 47-40 win, extending the program’s current winning streak to eight games.
Both Sumner and Lake Washington entered the day ranked in the top 10 in the WIAA’s RPI rankings, the Spartans at No. 1 in 4A and the Kangaroos at No. 8 in 3A.
Sumner has reached the Tacoma Dome in the 4A bracket each of the past two seasons, advancing to the title game in 2022 and the first round last March. Lake Washington has reached the final in the 3A bracket each of the past three tournaments.
Monday’s meeting gives both teams another tough nonleague contest ahead of upcoming postseason competition next month.
“They’re strong in their conference, we’re strong in our conference,” Lake Washington coach Jeff Wilson said. “We have to find a way, especially in January, to prepare for the playoffs. So, getting a Sumner this late in the season, win or lose, we knew it was going to be so beneficial.”
Lake Washington eventually pulled away in the fourth for a seven-point victory, but the contest was close throughout, and included 10 lead changes and five ties in the first three quarters.
The two programs were tied at 9-9 after one quarter and Sumner then took a 21-19 lead into the break before Lake Washington took the lead for good with 1:23 left in the third on an Ashley Uusitalo basket.
“Sumner does such an incredible job with getting great ball pressure and never giving up,” Wilson said. “Everybody kind of knows around the state — they play so hard, they’re relentless.
“We feel like the way our guards can handle the ball, and the way that on a daily basis we’re working on handling pressure, we were kind of built to handle that pressure. Some of our guards, too, even though they’re young, have experience in our program in the last few years. We’ve scheduled really tough nonconferences to kind of prepare for games like this.”
After Lake Washington pushed the lead as high as 11 with 2:45 left in the fourth on another basket from Uusitalo, the Spartans answered with a 6-0 run to close the lead back to five with 44 seconds left, but the Kangaroos closed out the win from there.
Uusitalo led all scorers with 14 for Lake Washington, while Julia Benthin added 10. Kawehi Borden paced Sumner with 11 points and Lainee Houillon added 10, all in the second half.
The loss was the first this winter for the Spartans, who opened the season 14-0. Sumner next hosts South Kitsap in a 4A SPSL game Tuesday.
Lake Washington (12-3) continues 3A KingCo play at Bellevue on Wednesday.
EMERALD RIDGE 60, EASTLAKE 55
The Jaguars led most of the way, and pushed their lead to as many as 12 points in the fourth quarter on the way to besting the defending 4A state champion Wolves, 60-55, Monday night at Federal Way.
This is the second time in as many years Emerald Ridge has picked up a win over a defending state champion at some point in the season. Last year, it was an upset win over defending 4A champion and top-seeded Woodinville in the state regionals. Monday, it was the Wolves.
And Jaguars coach Arvin Mosley will look to continue to schedule the state’s best whenever possible.
“I think that’s what you have to do if you want to be a program that’s recognized for not just winning some games, but winning consistently,” he said.
Emerald Ridge took the game’s first lead on a Naleila Cammack 3-pointer at the 5:50 point in the first quarter, and led until Darcy McCoy’s corner 3-pointer with 5:37 to play in the half, but that turned out to be Eastlake’s only lead. The Jaguars took it back for good moments not long after on the first of back-to-back 3-pointers from Saniya Fair.
Emerald Ridge took a 30-28 lead into halftime, and kept the Wolves out of reach the rest of the way, pushing the lead to double digits five times in the final two quarters.
Three players reached double figures for Emerald Ridge in the contest. Naomi Senato led the way with 15 points, while Cammack and Fair each had 11.
The Jaguars were without starter Raymiah Jackson much of the second half. The freshman forward, who added nine points, left the game with a knee injury midway through the third quarter. Jackson was injured near the baseline on a defensive play with 4:57 to go in the third, and was eventually helped off the court. She later returned to the Emerald Ridge bench with crutches.
“We just won’t know until she gets checked out,” Mosley said. “ … Hopefully it’s not anything serious.”
Eastlake was also without leading scorer Sofia Aluas, who had 16, late in the fourth. Aluas was injured colliding with the bleachers with 2:03 left as players went for a loose ball, and was tended to by medical staff before leaving the court with her lower right leg wrapped.
“The last thing any coach wants to see — our team, their team — nobody wants to see injuries,” Mosley said.
Eastlake closed the lead to as few as four points in the final seconds, but Emerald Ridge eventually earned the five-point victory.
Tatum Wood added 16 points for Eastlake, while McCoy had 11 for Eastlake.
Eastlake (10-6), which only has in-state losses to Sumner, Camas, Woodinville, Bothell and now the Jaguars, resumes 4A KingCo play Friday, hosting North Creek.
Emerald Ridge improves to 10-5 with the win. The Jaguars’ only in-state losses this season are to returning Tacoma Dome teams from last winter in Woodinville, Bonney Lake, Mead and 4A SPSL rival Sumner.
Emerald Ridge, which took home a program-best sixth-place trophy from the 4A tournament in 2023, continues league play Tuesday, hosting Graham-Kapowsin.
NORTH KITSAP 66, FEDERAL WAY 59
Harry Davies scored a team-high 33 points — including seven 3-pointers — and North Kitsap posted a 66-59 win over host Federal Way in the final game of the showcase Monday night.
North Kitsap took what turned out to be the game’s final lead with 4.2 seconds left in the first quarter on a basket from Jordan Williams, to take a 16-14 advantage into the quarter break.
The Vikings extended the lead to 36-25 by halftime.
Federal Way made several scoring runs in the third and fourth, but each time North Kitsap had an answer — and often from the perimeter. Five of Davies’ 3-pointers were in the second half.
The Eagles closed the gap as close as five on a Mason Thomas 3-pointer in the final moments, but North Kitsap closed the game with a pair of free throws from Davies.
Cade Orness also reached double figures for the Vikings, adding 18.
Thomas led all scorers in the game — and the nine-game showcase — with 34, including connecting on 15-of-17 free throw attempts.
Kofi Peyton added 11 points for the Eagles.
North Kitsap, now on a five-game winning streak, improves to 10-3. The Vikings continue Olympic League play Tuesday at Olympic.
Federal Way (10-3) resumes 4A NPSL play Tuesday at Decatur.
This story was originally published January 15, 2024 at 1:39 PM.
