Hoops Overview:
South Sound
Steve Dion & T.J. Cotterill


TFS-BBall-Logo-Web

 


League Overview presented by theFinalScore.TV

Steve Dion and T.J. Cotterill from the Tacoma News Tribune break down high school hoops in the South Sound this season. Which teams have made an early impact heading into the holiday break?

T.J. joins Steve to break down the top players, teams and the overall strength of Sound Sound hoops this year.

Listen to our South Sound Hoops Overview by clicking on the PLAY BUTTON below.

ad-mp-news-tribune

Be sure to visit thenewstribune.com and follow TJ’s high school hoops coverage all season long!

 

Final 4A Boys Power Rankings


theFinalScore.TV
Final 4A Boys Power Rankings
By Steve Dion

With the 2015-2016 season in the books, here are the final top ten rankings for the 4A Boys classification!

1) Federal Way (29-0):
The Eagles defended their title by completing a perfect 29-0 season to capture back-to-back 4A championships.


2) Kentwood (22-7):
The junior-laden Conks went toe-to-toe with Federal Way through three quarters in the regular season and title game; an indicator of their strength.


3) Gonzaga Prep (23-4):
The Bullpups were mere inches from knocking off Federal Way in the quarterfinals as a three-pointer the buzzer for the win narrowly glanced off. Beware of GPrep next season!


4) Curtis (25-5):
Tim Kelly takes the Vikings on another deep playoff run to cap off another strong season as one of the top 4A squads in Washington.


5) Union (23-3):
Vancouver’s powerhouse fought back to capture a fourth place finish in the Hardwood Classic after a first-round departure to Gonzaga Prep on Thursday of the tourney.


6) Issaquah (21-5):
Champions of a tough KingCo conference and advancing to the elite eight secure the sixth spot for a quality Eagles campaign.


7) Lewis & Clark (18-7):
The Tigers faced the champs in round one of the tourney resulting in a quick departure but held their own against the best of the classification.


8) Cascade (21-2):
A memorable season in program history concluded in the regional round against the eventual runner-up Kentwood.


9) Woodinville (19-5):
The high-flying Falcons fell short of reaching the Tacoma Dome again, but were improved from the previous season.


10) Central Valley (20-6):
The Bears flew under the radar all season and when the dust settled finished at the Woodshed with a top eight finish in the state.


Corosdale Punches Bothell’s Ticket to Tacoma


Corosdale Punches Bothell’s Ticket to Tacoma
By Steve Dion

Friday- February 26th 2016 Girls 4A Regionals
Bellevue College 1st 2nd 3rd 4th Final
Curtis 7 5 13 12 37
Bothell 16 6 16 7 45


Bothell senior Jhasmin Shelton

The nightcap regional game on Friday at Bellevue College featured one-loss Bothell and the Curtis Vikings. With a trip to the tournament on the line, Bothell proved their consistency this season by jumping out to a comfortable first half lead through major contributions by top scorer Taya Corosdale. The senior post recorded 13 of her game-high 17 in the first two quarters to help the Cougs take a 22-12 lead into the break.

Bothell’s lead continued to grow in the third quarter with a series of a transition buckets by Keyonna Jones, Sydney Cowan, and aforementioned Corosdale. However, Curtis sparked a fourth quarter run as a final move of desperation to preserve their season. Jalaiya Frederick and CeDrice Howard recorded a big chunk of their 13 and 11 points respectively down the stretch to draw the contest within six and the momentum in their hands.

Bothell was able to weather the storm by protecting the basketball in the remaining possessions to walk away with an eight point victory. The Cougars will finish their season in Tacoma with a chance to hoist the hardwoood!

The Final Score
Bothell 45, Curtis 37.

Top Performers:

Bothell
Taya Corosdale- 17 points, 6 rebounds, 4 blocks

Curtis
Jalaiya Frederick- 13 points
Cedrice Howard- 11 points, 10 rebounds

West Central District 3: First Round Recap

TFS-BBall-Logo-Web


West Central District 3: First Round Recap by Nic Beckman

West Central District 3 playoffs got underway with eight home games for the top seeds as 16 teams from the SPSL and Narrows leagues vie for the 6 WCD3 state tournament seeds. Home court advantage was evident as 7 of the 8 host teams came away with wins.

The top two seeds in the SPSL continued their dominance. #1 seed Federal Way had the Tornados of Yelm blow into the Eagles nest. After a close first quarter 17-12, coach Jerome Collins’s Eagle team pulled away. Behind the 19 points of Ferron Flavors and a 29-10 third quarter, Federal Way still undefeated with a comfortable win moves on. The Final Score FW 78 Yelm 41.

The #2 seed Curtis Vikings, undefeated in league play until a 63-61 loss to Federal Way at the ShoWare in the SPSL tournament championship defended their home court. Coming off a 66-63 win over Kentwood, the Vikings faced another SPSL Northeast foe in Kentlake. Aushanti Potts-Woods with 27 and Glenn Jordan with 19 combined for more than the Falcons could total as a team. The Final Score Curtis 83 Kentlake 45.

Narrows #1 seed Bellarmine matched up with SPSL South Spanaway Lake. The Lions 18-3 on the season with an unblemished 12-0 league record under the direction of head coach Bernie Salazar represented for their league with a home court opening round win over the Sentinels. The Final Score Bellarmine 75 Spanaway Lake 65.

The #2 seed out of the Narrows coach John Kiley’s Olympia Bears at 18-3 on the season and 10-2 in league play, had the Todd Beamer Titans in the house for first round action. The Bears continue on their quest to the Dome getting a 20 point win over Beamer. The Final Score Olympia 70 Todd Beamer 50.

Emerald Ridge travelled north to Kentwood to face the Conquerors. Jason Cassens and the Jags were up 12-11 after the first quarter, but coach Blake Solomon’s Conk’s were ready for the challenge. Kentwood with four players in double digits would be led by Darius Lubom with 20 and Rayvaughn Bolton with 12 as Cassens with 10, was the only Jaguar to reach double digits. The Final Score Kentwood 58 Emerald Ridge 41.

Coach John Callaghan’s Wolves of South Kitsap crossed the bridge to come play the Vikings in Puyallup. Daniel Tomkiewicz with 9 second quarter points to lead all scorers at half with 11, saw his team down 34-30. The Viks were paced by Jaden Vollmen and Tony Gutierrez each with 9. Tomkiewicz would add 8 3rd quarter points and tie the game at 42. SK down 1, 44-45 heading into the final period. Coach Scott Campbell turned up the Viking pressure and held the Wolves without a point in the quarter until 3:24 remaining. By that time Puyallup was up 54-45, Tony Gutierrez in his first game back from a quadriceps injury hit 6 of the Puyallup 13 3’s enroute to game high honors with 23. South Kitsap’s Daniel Tomkiewicz finished with 22 and Eric Wattree added 16. The Final Score Puyallup 59 South Kitsap 55.

Kent Meridian facing rival Kentridge was able to overcome an 11 point halftime deficit to tie it at 57 at the end of regulation. But Mahlik Hall with 23 and Romaine Jackson with 18 for the Royals were not enough to get their team over the hill. The Chargers held home court with a 12 -7 overtime period, Joran Ticeson led the Chargers with 19. The Final Score in OT Kentridge 69 Kent Meridian 64.

The Blazers of Timberline after finishing third behind Bellarmine and Olympia in Narrows league play, had to go to Thomas Jefferson for their first round match-up. The Raiders of the SPSL Northwest behind leading scorer Darius Anderson were unable to defend their home court. Timberline gets the only visitor win on the night. The Final Score Timberline 52 Thomas Jefferson 48.

Friday night will see winners bracket match ups Federal Way vs Timberline at 6pm, followed by Olympia vs Kentwood at 7:45pm at Auburn Mountainview HS. Bellarmine vs Kentwood at 6pm and Puyallup will face Curtis for the third time this season at 7:45pm at Mt. Tahoma HS. Winners will move on for #1 through #4 seeds.

On the loser out side of the the bracket, Yelm vs Jefferson at 6pm, then Beamer vs Emerald Ridge at 7:45pm will be played at Stadium HS. Spanaway Lake vs Kent Meridian 6pm and South Kitsap vs Kentlake at 7:45pm are playing at Auburn HS. The winners all working for the final 2 seeds from the West Central District 3 heading into the state regional round the final week of February.

4A State Basketball Rankings


theFinalScore.TV
4A State Basketball Rankings
By Steve Dion

As league play is in its final weeks and the playoffs are on the horizon, here at the top ten rankings for the 4A classification!

1) Federal Way: 18-0 (7-0)
Defending champs will be perched at the top until somebody knocks them off. Don’t expect this to happen anytime soon.


2) Curtis: 17-1 (10-0)
The Vikings continue their undeafeated mark against Washington state teams.


3) Cascade: 15-0 (9-0)
Gotell’s 51 points in Friday’s didn’t hurt the Bruins’ cause in solidifying themselves high in the rankings.


4) Gonzaga Prep: 14-1 (12-1)
Matty McIntyre’s Bullpups are the Beasts of the East. Many familiar names from the football championship squad.


5) Bellarmine Prep: 13-3 (8-0)
Can’t drop the Lions too far down considering their only in-state losses were to Lincoln and Curtis…by a combined seven points!


6) Union: 12-2 (7-0)
The Titans don’t rebuild, they reload.


7) Issaquah: 13-3 (11-1)
The second Eagles team in the top ten rankings is flying high once again on the Sammamish plateau.


8) Lewis & Clark: 12-3 (11-2)
The Tigers are hot on the heels of the Bullpups for the GSL lead.


9) Central Valley: 12-3 (10-3)
One of the top teams in one of the strongest leagues in 4A earns the Bears top ten honors.


10) Woodinville: 12-3 (9-3)
Tony Miller is a force to be reckoned with. Scored 20 in a win last week, 42 in a loss. Go figure.

On the Bubble
Kentwood
Olympia
Richland
Todd Beamer
Wenatchee


Audio Recap: Curtis vs. Rogers-Puyallup



Game Recap
Curtis vs. Rogers-Puyallup 1-9-16

The leaders of the SPSL-South in Curtis hosted the Rogers Rams from Puyallup on Saturday night! Listen as Nic Beckman provides an audio recap of the game including post-game comments from Curtis head coach Tim Kelly!

To listen to the game recap, simply click on the PLAY BUTTON below.

 


Curtis Continues SPSL South Dominance with Win Against Rams


Curtis Continues SPSL South Dominance with Win Against Rams
By Steve Dion

Saturday- January 9th 2016 Boys 4A SPSL-South
Curtis High School 1st 2nd 3rd 4th Final
Rogers-Puyallup 7 8 11 12 38
Curtis 21 11 13 14 59


Curtis senior Glenn Jordan

Curtis has separated itself as the top dog in the South Puget Sound League-South division this season and Saturday night was another opportunity for the Vikings to demonstrate their dominance. To do so, they would have to defeat the Rogers Rams who is hungry to get back on track. The fast start for Curtis set the tone for the game with the duo of senior Aushanti Potts-Woods and Glenn Jordan doing damage. Rogers chipped away at the deficit in the waning minutes of the first half, but still trailed by double digits at the break. In his post-game remarks, Coach Tim Kelly was asked about playing with a big lead and he stated, “We just have to keep playing with the same intensity, that’s what we always preach.”

Rogers made improvements on both ends of the floor in the second half by not allowing Curtis to blow the doors off the game. Daniel O’Brien led Ram scorers with a dozen points in the contest. However, the Viks kept pace down the stretch and avoided letting their lead slip away. One of Coach Kelly’s main philosophies with his team on and of the court is work ethic and after the game he said, “Whether it’s in school as students, or in the community, we don’t want to be outworked.” The home team secures another victory to keep its in-state mark blemish-free this season.

The Final Score
Curtis 59, Rogers-Puyallup 38.

Top Performers:
Curtis
Aushanti Potts-Woods- 21 points
Glenn Jordan- 16 points

Rogers-Puyallup
Daniel O’Brien- 12 points

Reigning Champs Curtis Prevails Over Conks

varsity-football-live-webarticle2

Tuesday Feb 11th 2014 4A Boys Basketball
ShoWare Center 1st 2nd 3rd 4th Final
Curtis 17 21 16 10 64
Kentwood 14 11 13 14 52

Reigning Champs Curtis Prevails Over Conks
By Steven Dion

The battle for third and fourth place in the final regular season standings of the South Puget Sound League featured the defending 4A champions in Curtis and a dark horse Kentwood squad. Tim Kelly’s Vikings are mostly a new-look squad compared to the victorious team of last year with some familiar faces. However, Curtis is still a formidable contender to make a run in the 4A tournament. The Conks have firepower primarily through freshman guard Darius Lubom. Blake Solomon’s Kentwood team is able to contend with top teams now, but is built for a bright future with their young talent.

Curtis established their desire to execute on both sides of the court and were able to shoot an efficient 64% from the field in the first quarter while limiting the opposition to 40% field goals. The Viking defense effectively forced several turnovers by pressuring the Conks to dribble through traffic. Kentwood seemed to struggle finding continuity offensively, but managed to put up enough points to keep the game within reach needing a strong second half. Lubom’s ten points in the first two frames helped to cut a big KHS deficit to 13 before the break.

It appeared Curtis had the Conks on the ropes early in the second half as the lead continued to grow early in the third, but the Viks seemingly took their collective foot off the pedal slightly. Free throws began to rim out and sloppy offensive play gave Kentwood a window to climb back into the contest. The Conks cut down the Curtis lead to single digits, but there was not enough clock for KHS to reach the summit. At the end of regulation, the 2013 4A champs came away with a 64-52 win, good for a third place finish in the South Puget Sound League. The Viks have their work cut out for them if their season is to wrap up at the Tacoma Dome again come March.

Top Performers:
Kentwood
Darius Lubom – 14 points (5/8 FG’s, 3/5 FT’s)

Curtis
Aushanti Potts-Woods – 19 points (8/15 FG’s, 3/3 FT’s)

Preview- Boys 4A State Tournament

Click here to Watch Live Tacoma Dome Coverage
Starting at 11am on Thursday


Boys 4A State Tournament Preview
By Colin Caruso 

There are a number of compelling games in the Washington State boys 4A tournament final eight, including teams from all over the state and rematches from previous games this season.  Here are the match-ups:

Newport vs. Curtis – 9:00AM

Newport has worked hard and has clawed its way back into contention for the a state title after losing four straight games towards the end of January and early February to Ballard, Issaquah, and Bothell twice.  They advanced to the round of 16 in a win and in-game versus Mount Vernon, and made it to the final eight through a tough, defensive battle in Wenatchee versus Eastmont.  Their athleticism and strength creates matchup problems for every team remaining in Washington State.

On the flip side, the Curtis Vikings have dominated this season and are currently ranked #4 in the state.  Their only losses have been to Federal Way and Spanaway Lake, and their big wins include a big win against Bellarmine Prep in their district final and a convincing 61-48 win versus Thomas Jefferson to reach the final eight.  The Vikings are led by two senior starters, Dominic Robinson and Andre Lewis, who average 13.9 points and 13.8 points respectively.


Bothell vs Garfield – 10:30AM

The Bothell Cougars have only three losses this entire season.  Unfortunately, two of those losses were to Garfield, and neither game was close.  The first contest was during the regular season, where the Garfield Bulldogs took down the Cougars by 15.  The second matchup was in their district final, where Garfield senior Tucker Haymond scored 20 of his game high 39 in the first quarter in a dominating 93-69 win.  It is always difficult to beat a team three times, especially a team with division one talent like the Cougars possess.  Bothell senior Perrion Callandret will be attending Idaho next season, and Zach LaVine, the #1 senior recruit in the state, will take his talents to UCLA.

Will Garfield complete the season sweep of the Cougars?  Or will the Cougars avenge their earlier season losses and advance to the final four?  We’ll find out early Thursday morning.


Arlington vs. Richland – 12:45 PM

Both of these teams have dominated their opponents for the majority of the season, but both teams have suffered big losses to teams still remaining in the 4A tournament.  Richland travelled to Spokane for a matchup against the Central Valley Bears and struggled in a 68-44 loss.  They did avenge that loss later in the season, just two weeks ago with a 66-54 win versus the Bears.  Arlington has suffered two losses to the undefeated Jackson Timberwolves this season, both by double digits.

In the round of sixteen, Richland dominated Stadium 68-39 in a game that was essentially over in the first quarter.  Arlington scored a big win over late surging Bellarmine Prep, 58-47 in the round of sixteen to advance to Tacoma.  This will be a great matchup between two teams from opposite sides of the state looking to make a huge impact on the 4A class.


Jackson vs. Central Valley – 2:00PM

With a combined record of 46-2, this is the matchup of the teams with the best records in 4A boys basketball.  The Jackson Timberwolves have yet to hiccup all season, completing the year with a perfect 24-0 record.  They are led by three very talented juniors, Dan Kingma, Jason Todd, and Brian Zehr.  With six wins coming in single digits this season, the Timberwolves are used to battling in close games versus all-state level talent.

Central Valley poses a big threat to Jackson’s undefeated season.  The Bears are led by senior Austin Rehkow and junior big man Beau Byus, who average 15.1 and 13.7 ppg respectively.  Their only two losses this season were at Richland and at Gonzaga Prep, both formidable opponents with strong programs.  Central Valley won a nail-biter in overtime against a very talented Todd Beamer team in the round of 16 to advance to this game, and Coach Rick Sloan and company are looking to extend their stay on the west side of the state with a win on Thursday.