3A boys Hardwood Classic 2022: First round highlights, photos, standout performances, statistical leaders
TACOMA, Wash. — The 3A/4A Washington high school boys state tournaments got off and running Wednesday morning for the first time in two years with eight teams in each classification playing elimination games for a spot in the quarterfinals.
The 3A games are scheduled for the morning, 4A in the afternoon.
Here is a breakdown from each game in the 3A bracket. This post will be updated throughout the day:
3A BOYS
Final: No. 9 Mountlake Terrace 65, No. 8 Timberline 62
Up next: No. 7 Mt. Spokane (21-5) on Thursday at 2 p.m.
Photo by Vince Miller
Zaveon Jones scored 22 points and Jeffrey Anyimah added 16 and Mountlake Terrace squeaked past Timberline in the final seconds to advance to the 3A state quarterfinals.
Miles Gurske hit a pair of free throws to bring Timberline within one with 44 seconds left. But Zaveon Jones scored on a drive to the rim on the next possession and Vito Mkrtychyan hit two free throws to help the Hawks hold on.
Timberline's Brooklyn Hicks led all first half scorers with nine points at the half, but Mountlake Terrace went into the break with a slight advantage. Gurske had a game-high 22 and Hicks added 21 for the Blazers, whose season ends at 17-5.
Mountlake Terrace faces No. 7 Mt. Spokane in the 3A quarterfinals Thursday at 2 p.m.
Read the full game story here.
—
Final: No. 4 Rainier Beach 58, No. 12 Ferris 45
Up next: No. 6 Gig Harbor on Thursday at 12:15 p.m.
Nahmier Robinson more than made up for his regional round absence.
The crafty guard returned after missing Rainier Beach's lopsided loss to Seattle Prep with an injury and scored a game-high 20 points to lead the Vikings through to the quarterfinals — their 11th consecutive appearance.
"Our goal isn't really to get here, it's to get to Saturday," senior forward Josh Conerly said.
Robinson was one of three Vikings in double figures. Conerly –who is also a five-star offensive lineman —had 12 points and 11 boards and Mario Clark added 11 on 5 of 7 shooting.
The game featured seven lead changed in the first three quarters. An AJ Newcomb bucket pulled the Saxons within one with just over two minutes left in the third quarter.
Rainier Beach proceeded to mount a 15-0 run to build a comfortable cushion in the fourth quarter, which Ferris did not climb back from.
WATCH: Josh Conerly: 'Our goal isn't to get here, it's to get to Saturday'
The Vikings out-rebounded Ferris 34-24.
Beach is coming off of a 29-point loss to No. 5 Seattle Prep, in which it was short-handed, in the regional round.
Ferris defeated Arlington, 64-45 in a loser-out regional game to earn a trip across the state from Spokane after making a run to its district 8 title game.
"We're happy we made it here, we would have loved to keep playing," Ferris coach Sean Mallon said. "This is a special group, they loved playing together, you want a group like that to have a success. Overall I think we'll look back and be proud of it, I think right now in the moment it's really tough."
—
Final: No. 2 Auburn 69, No. 15 Kennewick 33
Up next: No. 1 Garfield (22-0) on Thursday at 10:30 a.m.
Kaden Hansen finished with 24 points — including six 3s — in Auburn's first round win over Kennewick in the Tacoma Dome Wednesday.
Photo by Andy Buhler
Kaden Hansen hit six 3s on his way to a game-high 24 points as the Trojans blew the door off of Kennewick in the first round to set the stage for the rematch the state has all been waiting for: No. 1 Garfield.
Dae'Kwon Watson finished at the rim in transition through a foul, then beat the third quarter buzzer with a 3 to help the Trojans build on its early lead and pull away.
Ayden Knapik finished with a team-high 11 points and 10 rebounds — including five on the offensive glass — for the Lions.
Auburn jumped all over Kennewick from the tip. Kaden Hansen splashed two straight 3s and Tre Blassingame scored a fastbreak layup to put the Trojans up 23-10 after one quarter of play. Hansen hit four 3s in the first half for a game-high 14 points.
Auburn guards picked Kennewick up full court and made life difficult as the Trojans scored the game's first eight points.
—
Final: No. 14 Eastside Catholic 48, No. 3 O'Dea 44
Up next: No. 5 Seattle Prep, 9 a.m. Thursday
The first game of the tournament produced an upset between familiar foes, and No. 14 Eastside Catholic has a 9 a.m. practice, in part, to thank.
Jacob Cofie blocked an Owen Moriarty attempt at the rim in the final seconds and Eastside Catholic held on to beat 3-seeded O'Dea — with Eastside students chanting "little brother" as the final horn sounded.
Both teams shot around 40 percent and the felt the adjustment to the cavernous Tacoma Dome backdrop. In order to make sure his team was ready to play at an early hour with its season on the line, Crusaders coach Brent Merritt scheduled an early practice in the days leading up.
"We were very confident waking up early," Grante-Halliday said, "our minds were right this morning."
Contributions were spread out for the Crusaders, who hit seven 3s as a team. Two of those came from Kayden Lamebull-Ingram back-to-back to push the lead to five in the fourth quarter.
Moriarty had 11 to lead O'Dea, which saw its season end.
Miles Goodman led all first half scorers with nine points and Crusaders guard Lamebull-Ingram beat the buzzer to pull EC within two at the break, in a game featuring a matchup between standout 6-foot-9 sophomore bigs, Cofie (Eastside) and Goodman (O'Dea).
Eastside Catholic won the first matchup between the Metro League powers in the regular season, 62-56.
"I've been playing against them for four years," senior Amari Jackson said. "We know what they run, we rep it in practice and we're just preparing for every game, day in and day out."
WATCH: Louis Grante-Halliday, Amari Jackson break down Eastside Catholic's upset win over O'Dea
—
---Andy Buhler; @AndyBuhler.
