Class 3A WIAA boys Hardwood Classic 2022: Quarterfinal roundup, highlights, photos, top performances, stats leaders
TACOMA, Wash. — The Class 3A/4A Washington high school boys state quarterfinals got off and running Thursday morning, with all eyes at the 10:30 a.m. slot.
And the billing between Nos. 1 and 2 — Garfield and Auburn, the unquestioned Class 3A boys favorites since the preseason — did not disappoint.
Why is the bracket set up for the top two seeds to meet in the quarters? Auburn's upset loss to Mt. Spokane in the regional round — just its second loss of the season. Due to the 12-team bracket, a win would have guaranteed the Trojans a first round bye and put them on the other side of the bracket.
The 3A games took place in the morning, 4A in the afternoon on the boys court in the Tacoma Dome.
Here is a game-by-game tracking of the 3A bracket. This post will be updated throughout the day with results, stories, highlights, photos and more:
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Final: No. 7 Mt. Spokane 70, No. 9 Mountlake Terrace 45
Winner gets: Rainier Beach in the semifinals, 5:30 p.m. Friday
Mt. Spokane made an impressive run to the 3A state championship game in 2019. Many of its current players were in the Tacoma Dome stands as middle schoolers in support.
"Half of them were here," head coach David Wagenblast said. "A lot of them came over ... for them, this is something they'd always dreamed about being a part of."
Led by then-sophomore Tyson Degenhart, the Wildcats dropped a lopsided title game loss to Paolo Banchero and O'Dea. A year later, with much of the same core in tact, they dropped a first round heartbreaker.
And in 2021 — now-Boise State standout Degenhart's senior year — a talent-laden Wildcats roster saw its season, and state tournament dreams dashed by COVID-19.
Color head coach David Wagenblast pleased that it's early March, and his current group has a clear shot at a title after a convincing 2022 Tacoma debut.
WHAT MADE THE DIFFERENCE?
There wasn't a facet of the game the Wildcats didn't dominate. They won the rebounding battle (34-20), passed more (14-3 on assists), turned the ball over less (14-8) and shot the ball a whopping 56.4 percent to the Hawks' 38.1.
TOP PERFORMERS
Xavier Kamalu-Vargas, Mt. Spokane
Scored a team-high 16 points and six assists. Made 8 of 10 field goal attempts.
David Roe, Mt. Spokane
Scored 12 points on 5 of 7 shooting and pulled down five rebounds.
Zaveon Jones, Mountlake Terrace
The bruising forward led the Hawks in scoring for the second straight day, posting 16 points on 5 of 6 shooting, 6 of 6 at the line, and six rebounds before fouling out.
QUOTABLE
Wildcats sophomore guard Ryan Lafferty on his first time playing at state:
"It's great, I love it. I can say I was nervous first coming in here, but I'm here now and I'm looking forward to playing some more games ... (it's about) trusting myself, trust the work I put in, trust my teammates ... a lot of visualization."
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Final: No. 4 Rainier Beach 65, No. 6 Gig Harbor 60
Winner gets: Mt. Spokane in semifinals, 5:30 p.m. Friday
WHAT MADE THE DIFFERENCE?
It helps to out-rebound your opponent by 15. It also helps to shoot 55 percent from the field. What helped the Vikings stave off Tides more than both? Defensive intensity.
TOP PERFORMERS
Jaelin Green, Rainier Beach
Also a standout wide receiver, he scored 15 points on 6 of 8 shooting.
Nahmier Robinson, Rainier Beach
The Vikings' leading scorer netted 15 points and six assists.
Will Landram, Gig Harbor
Finished with a game-high 19 points on 8 of 11 shooting and five boards.
Luke Browne, Gig Harbor
Sharp-shooter showed why he's averaged 20 points per game all year, scoring 18 points and hitting 4 of 9 3s.
QUOTABLE
Rainier Beach head coach Mike Bethea:
“We got up early, and then we kind of like shifted to cruise-control. It was kind of a wake-up call. I pulled them aside in a timeout and I just told them, ‘Look, you guys want to play in the final four? Or do you want to be where we’re playing a one-and-done. It’s that simple.’ I said, ‘We played all year for this? For this kind of effort.’ Because we weren’t giving the effort, that’s all it was.”
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Final (OT): No. 2 Auburn 64, No. 1 Garfield 60
Winner gets: No. 5 Seattle Prep in semifinals, 3:45 p.m. Friday
The stage was set two days earlier than expected, but nevertheless, both teams — and the state, for that matter — got the matchup they'd long hoped for in the 3A state quarterfinals: Garfield and Auburn, the top two seeds and wire-to-wire top two teams in the state dating back to the preseason.
The result? An instant classic. The game of the year, to date.
WHAT MADE THE DIFFERENCE?
The much smaller team won the battle on the glass. Auburn, which runs a guard-heavy lineup and its tallest player is 6-foot-5 guard Tre Blassingame, out-rebounded Garfield 23-14 in the second half. The Bulldogs took six free throws in the second half and overtime, only making two.
TOP PERFORMERS
Dae'Kwon Watson
The senior guard did a little bit of everything, scoring a team-high 22 points, which included going 11 of 13 at the line, pulled down 10 rebounds, dished out three assists — and took the charge that helped seal the game in the final seconds of overtime.
Maleek Arington
Scored 20 points and went 7 of 10 at the line. Hit key free throws and served as a stabilizing force in the fourth quarter and overtime to help Auburn stay in, reclaim a lead and hang on.
Jaylin Stewart
The 6-foot-7 forward scored 16 points on 8 of 15 shooting and finished with 12 rebounds. He caught a full-court pass and got off a turnaround fadeaway jumper with 0.8 seconds left on the clock for a potential game-winner, but it missed.
Kenzel Massey
Massey has come off the bench in the past, but got the start on Thursday and made the most of it. The 6-foot-6 wing hit 4 of 6 3-point attempts, had two key blocks and finished with 16 points. A transfer from Lakes, Massey is a fifth-year senior who became eligible midseason.
QUOTABLE
"It feels great. We took that loss the first time, but we knew which win mattered more. So we pushed it to the side. Locked in. Got better and grinded it out to get to this moment." — Auburn senior guard Maleek Arington
(Read the full game story: Instant classic: No. 2 Auburn spoils No. 1 Garfield's undefeated season, repeat 3A title hopes in overtime thriller)
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Final: No. 5 Seattle Prep 55, No. 14 Eastside Catholic 50
Winner gets: Winner of Garfield/Auburn in semifinals, 3:45 p.m. Friday
Loser: Drops into the consolation bracket, will face loser of Garfield/Auburn Friday at 9 a.m.
WHAT MADE THE DIFFERENCE?
Two years ago, Braeden Smith, then a sophomore, led a furious 3A state quarterfinal overtime push against Paolo Banchero and O'Dea that ultimately fell short.
On Thursday, two years later on the same stage, Smith was determined for history not to repeat. The senior guard and Colgate commit scored a game-high 24 points to lead the Panthers through to the quarterfinals.
Smith credited the Panthers' defensive intensity in the second half after it trailed by two at the midway point.
"We just kind of woke up late," Smith said.
TOP PERFORMERS
Seattle Prep was led by Braeden Smith's game-high 24 points. Tyler Mrus added 14 points and 10 boards and Christian King chipped in 16.
Eastside Catholic, a 14-seed, had four scorers in double-digits — sophomore 6-7 big Jacob Cofie (13 points, nine boards), Louis Grante-Halliday (10), Amari Jackson (10) and Nate Krohn (10).
QUOTABLE
"This is the biggest stage in high school in Washington, so if you're not coming ready to play, you're doing something wrong. There's nothing better." —Braeden Smith
(Full story: Braeden Smith takes over in second half to lead Seattle Prep over Eastside Catholic in WIAA 3A state semifinals)
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Where the road ends
State semifinals Friday: 3:45 p.m. and 5:30 p.m.
State championship Saturday: 7 p.m.
