Mount Si's firepower too much as Wildcats deliver another WIAA 4A boys basketball title

TACOMA, Wash. - Seconds after the buzzer sounded, Jason Griffith flew off the bench and let out a big howl.

It was mostly an unbridled display of joy as top-seeded Mount Si cruised to the WIAA Class 4A boys basketball championship.

Led by Trevor Hennig's game-high 28 points, and Blake Forrest's dynamic defensive plays, the Wildcats beat Richland, 72-58, on Saturday in the Tacoma Dome.

It was Mount Si's first state title since 2020 after advancing to the WIAA championship for the fourth time in five seasons this week.

And the 4A KingCo powerhouse won all three of its tournament games this week by double-digit margins - a hallmark of a dominant tournament run of basketball.

"It's just special," Griffith said. "Like one of (my) parents said, 'This is what we do at Mount Si.'"

If Richland - or anybody - was going to have a chance to knock off the favorites, chances are an opponent needed to follow a blueprint of previous years by Curtis (2022) or Olympia (last year) - try to hold the Wildcats under 50 points.

But the Bombers were content running up and down with Mount Si - and faring well for three-plus quarters.

But every time Richland threatened to make it a one-possession game, either Hennig twirled around the key until he knocked down an open look, or Forrest came up with a momentum-changing defensive play.

Case in point: Middle of the third quarter.

After a scramble near midcourt, and a nice save from Richland's Landen Northrop, the Bombers appeared to have a clear path to an easy layin.

Except Forrest chased the play down, elevated near his own basket and blocked the shot.

"He's super athletic. He's electric," Griffith said. "And that was a big play. He was over the court tonight."

After three consecutive field goals by Hennig, it was a Forrest 3-pointer from the right arc that put the Wildcats up, 59-50 with 6:33 to go.

And that is when it felt as if Richland ran out of answers - and time as well.

"We've been saying this since the start of the year - we believe if we play our game, and control what we can control, nobody can beat us," Hennig said.

Jack Taylor added 18 points, and Forrest chipped in with 17 for Mount Si. Joshua Woodard led the Bombers with 20 points. Richland fell to 0-3 against Mount Si all-time.