Prep basketball roundup: No. 1 Federal Way clinches district title with 65-62 win over No. 3 Curtis

That basketball net would go nice with Federal Way boys basketball coach Jerome Collins’ fancy state-tournament suits.

He wore one around his neck after the top-ranked Eagles fended off No. 3 Curtis for another nail-biting victory, this one 65-62 and for the 4A West Central District title on Saturday at Puyallup High School. It was the first time he’s had his hands on a net since Federal Way won the 4A state title last year.

“You never get tired of it,” Collins said. “You want it more and more.”

Federal Way improved to 25-0 — the only unbeaten team remaining in any big-school classification (1A, 2A, 3A and 4A) — and hasn’t left any reason to believe it won’t be cutting down one more net on March 5.

Although, Curtis could very well be the team trying to deny that experience.

It again had a chance to win or tie on its final possession, and this time the Vikings had their top scorer on the court, instead of on the bench with five fouls.

Aushanti Potts-Woods said his fall-away baseline jumper felt good, but the potentially game-tying shot hit just off the back iron and Federal Way’s Christian Jones collected the rebound with less than a second remaining. He made one of two free throws and Curtis hardly had time to get off a full-court heave that wasn’t close.

It was the second-closest game Federal Way has played all season – just behind its 63-61 victory over Curtis on Feb. 4 in the South Puget Sound League championship game.

“We knew from the very beginning we had to play defense and it wasn’t going to be an easy battle,” said Jones, a University of Washington baseball signee who scored 11 points. “We just had to come out and at the end of the game have the mental toughness that we aren’t going to let this game get out of our hands.”

Federal Way’s Jalen McDaniels, a 6-foot-10 San Diego State University men’s basketball signee, scored a game-high 28 points, including his per-usual high-flying, crowd-lifting dunks.

He had one in the second quarter when Jones lobbed it to him off a turnover and McDaniels dunked it with one hand off the alley oop.

Curtis coach Tim Kelly said he’s never played against a player who can do what McDaniels does.

“He’s so athletic and so long,” Kelly said. “They are all long, but he is very long. And he can shoot the ball. He doesn’t seem to play too fast and he doesn’t get rattled.”

“We tried to deny him as much as possible and I think we did a good job of that. He got a lot of his buckets in transition and on the offensive glass.”

McDaniels has since taken over the leadership role vacated by Viont’e Daniels, who is in his first year playing at Washington State University.

“I’m kind of in his role now,” McDaniels said. “I’m trying to put the team on my back and trying to make the plays to win the game. That’s all it comes down to.”

Potts-Woods led Curtis with 27 points. The Vikings (23-2) earned the No. 2 seed from the district to the regional round of the state tournament, which begins Friday.

“It’s disappointing because that’s the second time in which we have been right there with them,” Kelly said. “We battled. We came back and we gave ourselves and opportunity. We got to learn from it and maybe Round 3 will go our way.”

3A WEST CENTRAL/SOUTHWEST

No. 4 Auburn Mountainview 62, Enumclaw 49: Ryan Lacey wouldn’t let Enumclaw shock his team like it had every other team since the postseason began.

The 3A SPSL MVP scored a game-high 25 points and Auburn Mountainview clinched its first district championship in school history.

The Lions (23-1) have won 13 consecutive games since their lone loss of the season on Jan. 8 against Peninsula, which beat Wilson on Saturday for the district’s No. 3 seed to the regional round of the state tournament.

That ensured 3A SPSL teams earned the district’s top three seeds. Enumclaw (13-11) is the No. 2 seed despite losing for the first time this postseason.

The other 3A district berths went to Wilson (fourth), Lincoln (fifth) and Kennedy Catholic (sixth).

1A WEST CENTRAL

Seattle Christian 57, Cascade Christian 50: The Warriors take the top seed from the West Central District to the regional round of the state tournament, while the Cougars take the No. 2 seed.

GIRLS BASKETBALL

4A WEST CENTRAL

No. 3 Todd Beamer 75, No. 6 Kentlake 43: These 4A West Central District titles have been a lot easier to come by for the Titans ever since Brittany McPhee left Mt. Rainier High School for Stanford.

Nia Alexander scored 21 points, Makenna Woodfolk scored 13 and Bria Rice had nine for The Titans. They won their second district title in a row after seniors Alexander and Rice were part of Beamer’s squads that four and three years ago had reached the title game only to lose to Mt. Rainier.

“Nightmares,” said Beamer coach Corey Alexander, when reminded of those first two years in the district title game.

Beamer (22-2) has won nine straight since losing to defending 3A state champion Lynnwood. Its other loss came to top-ranked 3A team Bellevue.

“We have athletes, but if we don’t play together and as a team and we don’t fight for each other, we can get beat,” Alexander said. “But they are playing for each other and they really have a lot of respect for each other. The sky is the limit.”

3A WEST CENTRAL/SOUTHWEST

No. 7 Lincoln 50, No. 5 Auburn Riverside 33: The Abes handed the Ravens their first loss of the season.

Lincoln (23-1) jumped out to a 20-6 lead in the first quarter and got 15 points from Morticia McCall and 14 from Tamia Braggs to claim its first district championship since winning the 4A district title in 2006.

Lincoln’s only loss came against Cleveland on Dec. 14.

Auburn Riverside fell to 23-1 and was held to a season-low point total. It takes the district’s No. 2 seed to the regional round of the 3A state tournament.

Faith Turner led the Ravens with 10 points, Olivia Denton had nine and McKenzi Williams had seven.

2A SEAKING/WEST CENTRAL

No. 5 White River 48, Franklin Pierce 20: Kendall Bird scored 19 points and the Hornets won the district title between 2A SPSL foes, beating the Cardinals for the third time this season with a dominant defensive effort.

Franklin Pierce did not score in the third quarter, but trailed 11-9 after the first quarter. The Cardinals will take the second seed from the district to the regional round of the 2A state tournament.

1A WEST CENTRAL

No. 6 Bellevue Christian 48, Charles Wright 37: Shoni Pritchett scored 18 points, but it wasn’t enough to lift the Tarriers past their 1A Nisqually foe and to the district title.

Bellevue Christian (19-2) outscored Charles Wright (15-5) 18-8 in the third quarter to pull away.

This story was originally published February 20, 2016 at 10:08 PM with the headline "Prep basketball roundup: No. 1 Federal Way clinches district title with 65-62 win over No. 3 Curtis."