No. 1 Mount Si’s speed, athleticism too much for Davis in 4A hoops semifinals
These Mount Si Wildcats are scary fast.
If this week’s Hardwood Classic at the Tacoma Dome has proven anything thus far, it’s that Mount Si possesses a keen ability to push the basketball straight to the rim. It’s a simple formula: point guard Blake Forrest races coast-to-coast, then kicks out for an open trey or dishes to the athletic, 6-foot-7 Latt Ford for an explosive dunk or highlight-reel alley-oop.
Davis, like many of Mount Si’s challengers, couldn’t keep up. The Pirates rallied early to tie Friday’s 3A semifinal by halftime, but No. 1 Mount Si pulled away in the closing minutes for a 57-45 win at the Tacoma Dome.
The Wildcats, two-time state champions, most recently in 2020, will play Saturday for a third.
“We just use our athleticism to our advantage,” Forrest said of his lightning-quick offense. “That’s how most of our offense is. And we like to build momentum that way, too.”
Forrest scored 15 points with six rebounds and two assists. He was 3-of-5 from downtown. And with Friday’s contest within two possessions in the fourth quarter, he poured in five straight points (and a clutch trey) to put the Pirates out of reach.
Mount Si’s student section, perhaps rubbing salt on the Davis wound, chanted and clapped in unison toward opposing spectators: “We can’t hear you! We can’t hear you!”
“We talked about it in the locker room. It was just a 0-0 game at halftime, so we just had to prevail and overcome,” Forrest said.
Davis guard Cesar Hernandez was Mount Si’s primary focus, and they held the Pirates’ primary ball-handler to a team-high 17 points on 5-of-16 shooting. Pirates guard Finnegan Anderson, who dropped 36 points in Thursday’s quarterfinal win over No. 11 Skyview, was held to 15 points.
“(Cesar’s) most of their offense,” Forrest said. “Just high pressure (on defense). And (Finnegan Anderson) had like 36 last game, so we wanted to make sure he didn’t get his.”
Mount Si’s Trevor Hennig scored a game-high 21 points with eight rebounds, two steals, and a block, including a three-pointer to beat the third-quarter buzzer.
Ford posted an 11-point, 10-rebound double-double with two assists and two blocks.
Mount Si meets No. 4 Glacier Peak or No. 7 Richland in Saturday’s 4A state championship at the Tacoma Dome. Tip-off is set for 3 p.m.
“I feel like we’ve been talking about it all season,” Forrest said. “I mean, tomorrow is the day.”
