Top-seeded Curtis returns to Class 4A semifinals after handling Camas with ease
TACOMA – Tyce Paulsen saw his first shot go down just 17 seconds into the Curtis Vikings 4A state quarterfinal game on Thursday morning. And they continued to go down after that as the defending state champs advanced to a 3:45 p.m. semifinal on Friday against Federal Way.
The Vikings built a comfortable lead with a 20-point first quarter against Camas and cruised to a 73-46 win. It was the second straight big victory for Curtis (26-3) over the Papermakers (19-8), who the Vikings beat 79-46 in the bi-district semifinals back on Feb. 16.
Even with that easy victory still fairly fresh, the Vikings saw Thursday as a new challenge.
“We didn’t look at it like that,” Paulsen said. “We looked at it like we were playing them for the first time. We got them by 30 the last time, but we didn’t look at it like that.”
Paulsen got things going early, then Zoom Diallo and Cinque Maxwell joined the scoring fray as Curtis steadily built up its lead to 15 by halftime, 38-23, 25 after three quarters at 59-34 and ultimately to a high of 33 with just over two minutes to play at 73-40.
Coach Tim Kelly pulled Paulsen, who had a game-high 20 points, and Diallo, who scored 18, with 3:30 left to play. Theo McMillan led Camas with 14 points.
