Nasinec shines, Puyallup basketball handles Chiawana in Tacoma Dome opener
Kevin Olson knows a thing or two about ‘Winning Wednesdays’ at the Tacoma Dome.
Dating back to his Decatur High days, Puyallup’s head coach is 5-1 in the Hardwood Classic’s Round of 12. Just last year, his Vikings lost in the regional round, bounced back Wednesday in Tacoma, and stormed to the 4A championship game for the first time since 1971.
Is more magic in store? Vikings wing Will Nasinec delivered a game-high 23 points and No. 11 Puyallup smothered No. 6 Chiawana, 60-51, in Olson’s latest Round-of-12 statement.
When Nasinec wasn’t weaving through traffic for a handful of hard-earned and-ones, he was plugging the paint for a suffocating Puyallup defense that’ll play in the 4A quarterfinals for a second-straight year. The 6-foot-7 wing wasn’t ready for his high-school career to end just yet.
“I just kept on taking it to the basket,” Nasinec said. “I made a few threes. Those always feel good.
“It’s just a rhythm game. Staying hot, not falling into a drought… I feel like I did good with that today.”
Chiawana went without a field goal until the second quarter, held to three points in the opening eight minutes much to Nasinec’s credit. The Tacoma Dome nerves never bothered him.
Olson knew that much before tipoff. “When we took our (team) picture, Will said, ‘Coach, you nervous?’
“I said, ‘A little bit.’
“And he goes, ‘We got you.’ He knew. He was ready to go today.”
When Chiawana cut their deficit from as many as 21 points to eight late in the fourth quarter, Puyallup’s Mason Sonntag slammed the door with a two-handed flush and the Vikings cruised to the buzzer.
“Just being solid,” Nasinec said. “I think the only points they had in the first quarter were free throws. Just being solid, playing straight-up. We feel like we’re, defensively, a great team. We can play together and switch things and talk.”
Nasinec delivered a double-double, piling 23 points and 12 rebounds. Puyallup’s Bennett Hedman had 13 points with seven rebounds and point guard Quamari Costello had eight points.
Chiawana guard Messiah Guy paced the Riverhawks with 10 points.
Cue the rematch: No. 6 Puyallup battles No. 5 Gonzaga Prep in Thursday’s 4A quarterfinals, their first meeting since last year’s championship game. The Bullpups won, 57-55, on Brogan Howell’s fadeaway jumper in the final seconds.
“We know them, they know us,” Nasinec said. “It’s going to be a fight.”
This story was originally published March 4, 2026 at 6:31 PM.
