Tacoma Dome bound: Arlington storms back to surprise Kentwood in 4A regionals, 57-56
The Arlington Eagles are soaring back to the Tacoma Dome.
Kentwood guard Corey Tita drained an off-balance, game-tying triple with 1.7 seconds remaining, but a costly Conquerors reach-in foul on the ensuing inbound sent Arlington point guard Leyton Martin to the free throw line for the game-winning penalty shots at Auburn High School.
“We’ve got unfinished business,” Martin told The News Tribune. “We’ve been bounced in the first round a few times (at the Dome). We want to go get that first one.”
Martin’s only hope was to heave a halfcourt prayer at the buzzer, but Conquerors guard Aaron Ton reached for a can’t-have-it foul with Arlington in the bonus.
Martin hit his first free throw to give Arlington a 57-56 lead and Kentwood’s Brandon Tagle missed a long look at what could have been a miraculous buzzer-beater — but the Eagles held on for a one-point win in Saturday’s 4A state regional round, a loser-out affair that sent the winner back to this week’s Hardwood Classic in Tacoma.
“It’s crazy, man,” Martin said. “We just have a lot of fight. We’ve been playing together for a long time. I don’t think any of us wanted to be done playing… that showed tonight.”
Arlington trailed by as many as nine points in the final minutes until junior guard Maveric Vaden drained back-to-back triples that tied the game at 51 with 2:14 to play, part of a 14-0 run to stun a mostly-hometown Kentwood crowd.
“We just never quit,” Arlington head coach Drew Bryson said. “We’re not the tallest team, we’re not the biggest team, but we just keep fighting.
“I’ve got to (say) hats off to Kentwood. That’s a great team.”
Martin, the 4A Wesco MVP and league-leader in points, rebounds, assists, and steals, came alive in the third quarter and finished with 14 points. He was the game’s best facilitator, earning oohs and aahs from the crowd with pretty passes behind the back and through traffic. Arlington’s Kaid Hunter paced the Eagles with 17 points.
Kentwood’s Brandon Tagle (19 points) and Corey Tita (18 points) controlled the first half and pushed the Conquerors into intermission with an eight-point lead. Enter Martin and Co.
“Our intensity... I think we just brought it to a (new) level,” Martin said. “We played hard all game, but we really started making plays in the fourth quarter. Just elevating to where we needed to be.
“We have a lot of guys who can go. If I’m forcing it, it doesn’t work. If I can keep the ball moving and find guys, we’re going to be really tough to beat.”
No. 14 Arlington meets No. 3 Glacier Peak in the Hardwood Classic’s 4A Round of 12 on Wednesday at the Tacoma Dome. Tip-off is set for 9 a.m. No. 11 Kentwood’s season ends by a razor-thin margin.
Bryson: “We ask a lot of (Leyton), and he’s a pretty special player.”
BOX SCORE
AR: 12-7-17-21—57
KW: 13-14-18-11—56
Scoring: (AR) Hunter 17, Martin 14, Kooy 14, Vaden 6, Crews 4; (KW) Tagle 19, Tita 18, St. Louis 14, Bail 3, Ross 2
REGIONAL RESULTS
4A BOYS
No. 1 Gonzaga Prep 56, No. 8 Puyallup 54
No. 6 West Valley 59, No. 3 Glacier Peak 55
No. 10 Olympia 54, No. 15 North Creek 43
No. 14 Arlington 57, No. 11 Kentwood 56
No. 13 Emerald Ridge 70, No. 12 Lake Washington 57
3A BOYS
No. 7 Seattle Prep 61, No. 2 Mount Spokane 47
No. 5 Edmonds-Woodway 66, No. 4 Bellevue 56
No. 9 Eastside Catholic 52, No. 17 Prairie 50
No. 10 Monroe 62, No. 15 Gig Harbor 33
No. 13 Liberty 64, No. 12 Shorecrest 59
2A BOYS
No. 9 Sequim 44, No. 16 Lindbergh 36
No. 11 Columbia River 94, No. 14 Renton 63
No. 12 Franklin Pierce 47, No. 13 Bainbridge 41
1A BOYS
No. 2 Royal 65, No. 7 Meridian 47
No. 3 Lynden Christian 74, No. 6 Seton Catholic 57
No. 4 Zillah 69, No. 5 King’s 44
No. 9 Chelan 70, No. 16 Tenino 52
No. 15 Overlake 62, No. 10 Riverside 51
No. 11 Cashmere 58, No. 14 La Center 47
No. 12 Bellevue Christian 61, No. 13 Fort Vancouver 48
2B BOYS
No. 2 Freeman 81, No. 7 Adna 45
No. 9 Napavine 69, No. 16 La Conner 51
No. 11 Okanogan 72, No. 14 La Salle 70
1B BOYS
No. 1 Almira Coulee Hartline 69, No. 8 Ocosta 34
No. 2 Lummi Nation 48, No. 7 Moses Lake Christian/Covenant Christian 43
No. 3 Willapa Valley 59, No. 6 Tulalip Heritage 51
No. 4 DeSales 64, No. 5 Neah Bay 52
No. 14 Summit Classical Christian 55, No. 11 Wahkiakum 49
No. 12 Garfield-Palouse 61, No. 13 Sunnyside Christian 48
This story was originally published March 1, 2025 at 6:58 PM.
