Recaps, highlights from semifinals at 4A and 3A state boys basketball tournaments
Between the Class 4A and 3A boys state tournaments, 30 high school basketball games will be played in the Tacoma Dome this weekend. The News Tribune will be providing game recaps, highlights, interviews, stats and more.
Follow along for live updates from Friday’s semifinals.
CLASS 4A SEMIFINALS
No. 1 Gonzaga Prep 62, No. 3 Glacier Peak 50 (OT)
Gonzaga Prep has been here before. Trailing most of the game against No. 3 Glacier Peak in the 4A state tournament semifinals on Friday afternoon at the Tacoma Dome, the Bullpups never panicked.
“We’re never nervous,” guard Ryan Carney said. “We’ve had a bunch of close games, a couple in Spokane where we got down big at halftime. We just stick together, trust our defense and just slowly claw back.”
That’s been the recipe this year for the top-seeded Bullpups, who lost their two top players to injury before the season even began: stick around and win tight, one or two possession games. The Bullpups forced overtime against the Grizzlies on Friday and pulled away for a 62-50 win.
In overtime, Carney stole the show, knocking down a layup and then hitting a corner 3-pointer to put the Bullpups up by five. Gonzaga Prep never looked back.
“Our shots hadn’t been falling and we knew that they were bound to,” Carney said. “My guards had been driving and getting open a lot so I knew that I was eventually gonna get a corner three. I got lucky that Brogan (Howell) kicked one to me and I was able to get it.”
Gonzaga Prep coach Matty McIntyre said he felt grabbing an early overtime lead was crucial.
“Absolutely huge,” he said. “The team that probably started with the lead in overtime was really gonna carry the day there. For (Carney) to come in and get in the paint and then knock down that open three, that’s big-time. Big time guts.”
Like his team, McIntyre never looked fazed on the sideline. His stoic expression may have concealed some inner turmoil, though.
“I’m miserable,” he said, laughing. “I’m in absolute agony.”
Josiah Lee and Reed Nagel each scored a game-high 18 points for the Grizzlies. Gonzaga Prep’s output was typically balanced; Carney led with 14, Hudson Floyd and Brogan Howell scored 12 apiece, Carter Nilson had 10 and Jackson Mott chipped in eight.
“That’s the story of this team,” Carney said. “We knew that everyone had to step up. We’ve had all sorts of guys that scored double digits, it’s not just one person, which makes us a special team.”
Gonzaga Prep will face the winner of the Puyallup vs. West Valley (Yakima) in Saturday night’s Class 4A state championship game.
No. 8 Puyallup 53, No. 6 West Valley 46
Drew Jones had a quiet first half in Puyallup’s Class 4A state tournament semifinal game against West Valley (Yakima) on Friday night at the Tacoma Dome.
But it doesn’t take long for the Vikings’ senior guard to catch fire. He scored 14 points in the third quarter, knocking down shots from all over the floor and lifting Puyallup over West Valley, 53-46.
“I had kind of a slow first half, I didn’t get many buckets,” Jones told The News Tribune. “Coming out of the locker room, I knew I was gonna have to step up a little bit to win this game. I hit a few shots, they were in rhythm, I was just taking good shots and letting the game come to me.”
Jones has been perhaps the tournament’s best player. His play has Puyallup in Saturday night’s 4A state championship game.
“A lot of people didn’t think we’d get here,” Jones said. “We worked really hard in the offseason to get here. It’s an amazing feeling, for sure.”
And something of an underdog story, too. Puyallup, the tournament’s No. 8 seed, isn’t Cinderella, but the Vikings weren’t a favorite to reach the tournament championship game, either. As Jones has gone, the Vikings have gone. All the way to the state championship game, for the first time since 1971, when Puyallup beat Pasco to lift the 4A trophy.
“Last year, it hurt,” Jones said. “We lost in the first round at state. I knew I was gonna make it a commitment of mine to get back here and go win something. I made it a priority in the offseason to get up early, go late nights and just work my butt off. I’m glad I did because the hard work has paid off for sure.”
Jones scored a game-high 24 points with seven rebounds, two assists and a steal. Forward Will Nasinec scored eight points to go along with nine rebounds and three blocked shots. Forward Mason Sonntag had a 14-point, 12-rebound double-double, including some clutch fourth-quarter buckets. Puyallup coach Kevin Olson knows what he’s going to get from Jones and Nasinec most nights, but Sonntag is the X factor for this group.
“When Mason is producing, when he’s getting after it, making some plays, things are going well for us,” Olson said. “When he’s struggling to score and not finding his way, we’ve only got two guys that are scoring and it makes it kind of tough. Our third guy has gotta be Mason.”
West Valley’s talented guards were held in check. Forward Parker Mills scored a team-high 14 points for the Rams, but West Valley shot just 30 percent from the field.
It’s been a long time coming for Olson, too. He coached in a state championship game as an assistant coach at Decatur 30 years ago, but hasn’t returned since. He’s trying to soak it all in this time around, knowing the chances don’t come by often.
“You just have to cherish these moments,” he said.
Puyallup will face No. 1 Gonzaga Prep in the state championship game. Puyallup played Gonzaga Prep in Spokane last weekend in the state regional game and lost by two. This time, it’ll be about a 15-minute drive instead of a five-hour drive.
“Last year, it hurt,” Jones said. “We lost in the first round at state. I knew I was gonna make it a commitment of mine to get back here and go win something.”
CLASS 3A
No. 5 Edmonds-Woodway 41, No. 2 Mount Spokane 34
The difference in the game was simple. The Warriors had Cameron Hiatt and the Wildcats didn’t. The senior scored 26 points, including his own personal 9-1 run in the third quarter that gave his team the lead for good.
“It’s just a matter of making plays and sticking with it,” Hiatt said. “There is going to be times, and I think the first half was a good example of that, when things aren’t really going your way. You’ve got stay mentally tough and you’ve got to stay mentally with it. We were able to do that.”
Hiatt also knocked down a three with 3:33 to play that gave the Warriors an eight-point lead, which proved too much for Mt. Spokane to overcome.
“It’s exciting,” Hiatt said. “You get in those types of moments, you dream about that stuff as a kid. I got to what I was trying to do and I made a read, and obviously it worked out.”
Edmonds-Woodway was able to get the win, despite scoring 10 less points that they did in any other game this season.
“(It) was a low-scoring game,” Hiatt said. “You’ve got to will those ones out. We did just that. We stayed mentally tough and ultimately, we got the W.”
The Warriors (26-2) will play for the championship at 5 p.m. on Saturday. Mt. Spokane (19-9) will play at 1 p.m. Saturday in the third-fifth place game.
No. 1 Rainier Beach 59, No. 3 Garfield 47
Garfield led Rainier Beach 20-10 after a quarter in the 3A state tournament semifinals on Friday night.
It didn’t take long for Rainier Beach’s high-powered offense to flip the script.
Rainier Beach outscored its familiar Metro League rival 49 to 27 the rest of the way and won 59-47 to advance to Saturday night’s 3A state championship game.
“We was a little tense,” Rainier Beach’s Kaden Powers said. “We were so excited to get out here, we were making a couple mistakes, rookie mistakes. But at the end, we got it through.”
That ability to put rapid-fire points on the board is unique, Powers said.
“Never had anything like it, never,” he said. “When I’m not going, somebody else is going.”
Everybody has been going for Rainier Beach in this tournament. Powers scored a game-high 20 points and guard Jaylen Petty added 14. Longtime Beach coach Mike Bethea has coached plenty of great teams. Where this one will rank will depend on what happens on Saturday, but Bethea said it’s one of the most unselfish groups he has coached.
“They’re making their own part in Rainier Beach history,” Bethea said. “They’re without a doubt one of the better non-selfish teams I’ve had. Love it.”
Garfield guard Tripp Haywood and forward JuJu Ervin scored 14 apiece for the Bulldogs.
The Vikings will face the Cam Hiatt-led Edmonds-Woodway Warriors in the title game, 5 p.m. on Saturday at the Tacoma Dome. Powers said he has played AAU basketball with Hiatt and is familiar with his game.
“He does a really good job (getting to the rim) and he scores a lot of points,” Powers said. “So our job is just to take some points off that scoreboard and try to get a win.”
This story was originally published March 7, 2025 at 6:20 PM with the headline "Recaps, highlights from semifinals at 4A and 3A state boys basketball tournaments."
