No. 8 Gonzaga Prep turns up heat, beats No. 9 Federal Way to reach Class 4A quarterfinals: 3 takeaways
TACOMA, Wash. — They flinched, but they didn’t crack.
The Gonzaga Prep boys basketball team faced the prospect of an early exit from the Class 4A state tournament in a rare loser-out scenario in the first round, facing an in-your-face defensive team in Federal Way with an equally rich history at the state level.
Senior stalwart Jayden Stevens, an Oregon State commit, supplied the calm in the face of the defensive storm to guide the Bullpups to a resilient 63-49 victory over the Eagles on Wednesday in the Tacoma Dome.
The 6-foot-7 Stevens put up 21 points and eight rebounds as Gonzaga Prep (16-8) withstood a mid-game rally from Federal Way (16-6) to eliminate the Eagles. The Bullpups remained alive for the program’s eighth top-six placing in the last 12 years and fourth state title.
“You want to play all four [games in Tacoma],” said Stevens of his team’s title aspirations. “We didn’t want to come here and lose the first one. We got the first one out of the way.”
(Photos: Jayden Stevens leads No. 8 Gonzaga Prep past No. 9 Federal Way in Class 4A first round)
After building an 18-point lead on Stevens’ steal and two-handed slam with 2:51 left before halftime for a 32-14 advantage, Gonzaga Prep let its guard down literally.
A 14-0 run that stretched from the end of the second quarter into the third by Federal pushed the Bullpups to the brink of breaking against a program that has earned all three of the school’s state crowns since 2009.
“I was really happy with the way we came out to start the game, and we’ve got a lot of new guys who have never played in the Tacoma Dome before,” said Gonzaga Prep coach Matty McIntyre. “You never know how they are going to respond, especially against a team as talented and aggressive as Federal Way.
“That part was really good, but the middle session [of the game] caused a little bit of stress. But I’m really proud of the way the guys responded in the midst of the chaos. They hung in there.”
Senior Carter Collins added 14 points for Gonzaga Prep. Junior Vaughn Weems led Federal Way with 21 points on 10-of-13 shooting from the field.
Here are three observations from the Federal Way-Gonzaga Prep game:
Eagles turn up the pressure, make G-Prep work for win
Photo by Vince Miller
The momentum started to shift toward Federal Way after it ended the first half on an 8-0 run, but that was just the start of their comeback bid.
To open the second half, Weems went on a personal 6-0 run in a 17-second segment as the Eagles cut the Bullpups’ lead to 32-28 just 37 seconds in the second half.
Weems opened the scare with a layin 20 seconds into the second half and then followed up with two steals that led directly to layins, thanks to his team’s full-court pressure.
“We thrive off our defense to get you rattled and make quick decisions and I thought for the most part they handled it,” Federal Way coach Yattah Reed said. “They are disciplined.”
Stevens does so much more than just score for Bullpups
Photo by Vince Miller
Stevens can score in many ways for the Gonzaga Prep team, but he provides so much more. In tough times his teammates could count on his calmness to help squelch a potentially catastrophic stretch of action.
Sure, it didn’t hurt that Stevens went 9 for 9 from the field and 3 for 4 from the foul line against Federal Way.
“We didn’t even know what we had with this team coming into camp this season,” McIntyre said of his leader. “We had a lot of guys who hadn’t had a chance to play together. We’ve gotten a lot more organized and the guys have really good team chemistry. I really credit our senior leadership for holding it together.
“Jayden is a calming presence. When things get chaotic, we can put the ball in his hands and we know he’s going to make the right play and make those guys around him better. He can be our 5-man in the low post and then he can bring the ball up against the press.”
Little bit of a rivalry developing between Federal Way and Gonzaga Prep
Photo by Vince Miller
After Wednesday’s win, Gonzaga Prep now owns a 3-2 series over Federal Way in state-tournament action.
This time the end of a season was a stake, but the two teams have faced off with high stakes of late. They have met in two state semifinals, one quarterfinal and a state championship game (2108) since 2010.
“I’m not sure we were looking forward [to playing Federal Way], but I give them a ton of credit,” said McIntyre, whose team started back-to-back state titles in 2018 with a 54-52 win over Federal Way. “They have a great tradition and a great history. We’ve had a lot of epic battles and it’s gone both ways. I’m just glad we get to continue our season and that the kids get a chance to continue their experience.”
G-Prep beat the Eagles in the semifinals en route to its second title in row in 2019.
Wednesday’s loser-out triumph gave the eighth-seeded Bullpups two more games for sure in the double-elimination format starting in the quarterfinals on Thursday against No. 3 seed Curtis (24-3) at 9 p.m.
---Matt Massey; @TimesPrepsMattM.
