Sharp shooting by Gonzaga Prep leads to quarterfinal win against Union

From the beginning they were hot.

Gonzaga Prep defeated Union (20-2) in the quarterfinal round of the Class 4A Hardwood Classic by shooting lights-out, virtually the entire game. But it wasn’t just the offense that was doing the Bullpups diligence, it was their effort on the defensive end, according to head coach Matty McIntyre, that won the game for them.

“I was really proud of our defensive effort tonight,” said McIntyre. “Especially on Cranston.”

Union’s Cameron Cranston had a quiet first half, as he only scored five points for the Titans. He finished with eight; he averages 18 per game.

“We got into a rhythm early, you never know how you are going to shoot in the Tacoma Dome,” McIntyre said. “We shot it with confidence, we were attacking virtually the entire 32 minutes, we came out ready to play.”

Gonzaga Prep went 6-of-11 from three-point range in the first half, and not much changed in the second half. Union struggled with turnovers during the first two quarters, fumbling away the ball 12 times, which led to 15 points for the Bullpups.

The Bullpups (28-1) were lead by Logan Adams’ 13 points. Only two players, including Adams, scored over 10 points for Gonzaga Prep.

“Tonight we got contributions from everybody, we got in foul trouble, we had guys getting hurt and taken out, bleeding all over. We just had nine guys step up and ready to play.”

Gonzaga Prep witnessed two of their bigs get injured early. Starter Anton Watson was taken out of the game in the opening minutes after he split his eyebrow open while attempting to take a charge. Johnny Love limped off during the second quarter after hitting the floor hard after driving to the rim. Both players would return.

The Titans, who defeated Bellarmine Prep during the regional, were led by Denis Kirichenko, who scored a game-high 19 points. Kirichenko kept Union in the game by hitting threes at the end of the game, he finished shooting 60 percent from the arch (6-10).

Gonzaga Prep next takes on last year’s state champions Federal Way. When asked about how he felt about the game McIntyre said, “Should be fun,” with a smile, “If you want to be the best you have to beat the best.”

This story was originally published March 3, 2016 at 11:08 PM with the headline "Sharp shooting by Gonzaga Prep leads to quarterfinal win against Union."