Tacoma vs. Seattle: 253 meets 206 in Friday’s state basketball semifinals
On Friday night at the Tacoma Dome, city pride and bragging rights are on the line. It’s the 253 vs. the 206. Tacoma vs. Seattle. The Metro League vs. the Puget Sound League.
Two Tacoma programs — Lincoln High School and Bellarmine Prep, both of which play in the 3A Puget Sound League — are playing Metro League opponents in the WIAA Class 3A state high school boys basketball tournament semifinals on Friday night.
Lincoln, the tournament’s No. 7 seed, faces No. 4 Eastside Catholic. Eastside Catholic is located in Sammamish, but Metro League hoops are synonymous with Seattle.
Bellarmine Prep, the No. 5 seed in the tournament, faces No. 1 Rainier Beach, the defending state champion and favorite to repeat. Rainier Beach has plenty of starpower, highlighted by senior Tyran Stokes, the nation’s No. 1 high school recruit. Freshman JJ Crawford, the son of former NBA player Jamal Crawford, also plays for the Vikings.
HOW THEY GOT HERE
Bellarmine beat No. 4 Eastside Catholic in the state tournament regional round in late February, which earned the Lions a bye into Thursday. In Thursday’s quarterfinal round at the Tacoma Dome, the Lions defeated No. 11 Edmonds-Woodway, 60-48. Guard Ronnie Wiggins led the Lions with a game-high 18 points, forward Birk Johnston scored 14 and guard Elliott Stevenson added 12.
Expect a packed house for both games. With Bellarmine being in town and casual fans interested in watching Stokes, Friday’s game figures to be the most well-attended of the tournament so far.
“It gives us crazy energy, knowing that the whole school’s got your back,” Bellarmine Prep’s Ronnie Wiggins told The News Tribune after Thursday’s game. “That makes us want to win it all. I appreciate them for showing up.”
Lincoln also won in the regional round, beating No. 2 O’Dea to earn a bye into Thursday. Lincoln steamrolled Bellevue in Thursday’s quarterfinal round at the Tacoma Dome, 77-57. Guard O’Shea Lamar scored a game-high 17 points, guard Jalan Lillie scored 16, guard Davion Shareef-Dulaney added and forward Justus Holt added 13 apiece.
Shareef-Dulaney, a sophomore, recently passed 1,000 career points in his first two high school basketball seasons.
Bellarmine plays Rainier Beach at 3:45 p.m. Lincoln plays Eastside Catholic at 5:30 p.m.
OTHER LOCALS PLAYING
Emerald Ridge, the No. 7 seed in the 4A boys bracket, took down No. 1 Mount Si in the quarterfinals on Thursday. The Jaguars face No. 5 Gonzaga Prep, the defending state champion, at 7:15 p.m. on Friday.
Sumner advanced in the 4A girls bracket, beating No. 2 Union in the quarterfinals on Thursday, 58-53. The Spartans face No. 6 Lake Washington at 5:30 p.m. in Friday’s semifinal.
