money Federal Way’s Vaughn Weems scores 18 to lead 4A past 3A, more from WIBCA all-star games
The Washington Interscholastic Basketball Coaches Association hosted its high school basketball showcase Saturday at Curtis High School in University Place.
The annual event offered its share of highlights as the 2022-23 high school basketball season wraps up.
CLASS 4A 110, CLASS 3A 107
The matchup of the state’s top two classifications came down to the final moments, but Curtis guard Tyce Paulsen sealed a win for 4A on his home court with a steal with less than five seconds to play.
The 3A group led by as many as 15 points in the first half, but Olympia’s Parker Gerrits tied the game for the final time with 2:25 to play in the second half on a 3-pointer, opening a 7-0 run that gave 4A the lead for good.
Vaughn Weems added a 3-pointer from the corner with 1:08 left to complete the decisive run.
Gerrits and Sylas Williams both made free throws inside the final 20 seconds to give 4A the final three-point lead before Paulsen’s game-ending steal.
“It was actually pretty fun to get to meet all of the best players from around the state in 4A,” said Weems, who led 4A with 18 points and tallied seven rebounds. “After we get done competing all season, it’s a cool chance to just come out here and all have fun with each other.”
Gerrits, the WIBCA 4A player of the year who is head to Washington State, added 16 points and eight rebounds in the win.
Eastmont’s Eamon Monahan had 15 points, and Curtis’ Paulsen, Jackson’s Williams and Chiawana’s Donavin Young each had 10.
O’Dea guard Mason Williams scored a game-high 26 points for the 3A side.
Timberline’s Brooklyn Hicks, who was named WIBCA’s “Mr. Basketball” this season and is headed to UNLV, added 15 points and six rebounds.
Hicks leaves Timberline as the program’s single-game (51 points), season (749) and career (2,049) scoring leader, as well as Thurston County’s all-time scoring leader.
“Looking through the names and seeing the previous years and the previous players, honestly it’s an honor to be named by coaches around the state,” Hicks said of earning “Mr. Basketball” honors. “It’s a huge honor for me. Definitely exciting to receive that award.”
Garfield’s Jaylin Stewart, the WIBCA 3A player of the year who is headed to UConn, had 15 points, eight rebounds and four assists.
Mount Spokane’s Maverick Sanders (13 points) and Shorecrest’s Parker Baumann (12) also reached double figures scoring for 3A.
BOX SCORE
CLASS 3A — 52 55 — 107
CLASS 4A — 54 56 — 110
SCORING
CLASS 3A — Brooklyn Hicks 15, Maverick Sanders 13, Ryan Gallagher 6, Mason Williams 26, Will Landram 5, Miles Gurske 6, David Zackman 5, Jaylin Stewart 15, Isaiah Vargas 4, Parker Baumann 12
CLASS 4A — Tyce Paulsen 10, Parker Gerrits 16, Eamon Monahan 15, Cinque Maxwell 7, Vaughn Weems 18, Jamil Miller 7, Sylas Williams 10, Yanni Fassilis 8, Andreas Engholm 9, Donavin Young 10
CLASS 2A 119, CLASS 1A 88
Pullman guard Jaedyn Brown threw down two more points just before the buzzer to extend the 2A all-stars’ lead to more than 30 points in a win over the 1A squad.
Brown, who recently committed to Idaho State, led the 2A team with a game-high 23 points in the win, and added eight rebounds and five assists.
“It was fun to come out here and play (with) some of the guys I’ve competed against all year, and play with some great players,” Brown said.
Brown paced a Pullman group that placed third in the 2A state bracket this season and was also named WIBCA’s 2A player of the year.
Mark Morris’ Kobe Parlin (20 points), R.A. Long’s Cavin Holden (15 points, 8 assists), Tumwater’s Andrew Collins (12 points), Sehome’s Grant Kepley (12 points), Tumwater’s Luke Brewer (12 points) and W.F. West’s Soren Dalan (10 points, 11 rebounds) also reached double figures scoring for the 2A squad on Saturday.
King’s Way Christian’s Giovanny Evanson led 1A with 19 points, while WIBCA 1A player of the year Luke Navarre of Zillah scored 15.
Cedar Park Christian’s Denis Anishchenko (11 points, 11 rebounds) and Overlake’s Jake Shuey (10 points) also scored in double digits.
BOX SCORE
CLASS 1A — 42 46 — 88
CLASS 2A — 56 63 — 119
SCORING
CLASS 1A — Tyler Sipma 5, Jake Shuey 10, Porter Abrams 7, Shane Rivera 9, Mathew Russ 6, Denis Anishchenko 11, Miles Nelson 6, Giovanny Evanson 19, Luke Navarre 15
CLASS 2A — Jaedyn Brown 23, Cavin Holden 15, Coston Parcher 7, Andrew Collins 12, Kobe Parlin 20, Zak Abdulkadir 7, Grant Kepley 13, Luke Brewer 12, Soren Dalan 10
CLASS 2B 130, CLASS 1B 91
Tennesse Rainwater didn’t keep count of how many dunks he threw down in leading the 2B all-stars to a convincing win over their 1B opponents — but there were several.
Did he have a favorite?
“Probably the one in the first half where I threw it down really hard,” Rainwater said. “They alley-oop was cool, too.”
The 6-foot-6 guard, who earlier this month led Davenport to a 2B state title for the first time in program history, poured in a game-high 32 points — including several highlight-reel slams — and completed a double-double with 10 rebounds while also adding three assists in pacing 2B to a 39-point victory.
“Just to be able to come out and show out and have fun and play basketball, it means a lot to me that people were able to watch me play and see what I can do,” said Rainwater, who has Division I offers.
WIBCA 2B player of the year Kelson Gebbers, a Portland commit, added eight points, eight rebounds and three assists for the 2B team.
Chief Leschi’s Brendon Brown (24 points), Morton-White Pass’ Jake Cournyer (17), Okanogan’s Carson Bossel (15), Davenport’s Brenick Soliday (10) and Mabton’s Samuel Vazquez (10) also scored in double figures.
WIBCA 1B state player of the year Cole Wagenaar of Sunnyside Christian scored 11 points and added six rebounds for the 1B squad.
Neah Bay’s Julian Carrick scored a team-high 18 points, while DeSales’ Jack Lesco and Riverside Christian’s Joel Belaire each had 13.
BOX SCORE
CLASS 1B — 43 48 — 91
CLASS 2B — 68 62 — 130
SCORING
CLASS 1B — David Wynecood III 7, Jack Lesco 13, Joel Belaire 13, Riley Person 9, Will Clements 8, Diego Lago 9, Julian Carrick 18, Cole Wagenaar 11, Smokey Abrahamson 3
CLASS 2B — Brenick Soliday 10, Jake Cournyer 17, Brendon Brown 24, Brodie Avalon 6, Michael Lenke 4, Carson Bossel 15, Chase Galbreath 4, Samuel Vazquez 10, Tennessee Rainwater 32, Kelson Gebbers 8
FUTURES GAME — TEAM WILL 123, TEAM PEPPLE 101
The state’s top seniors weren’t the only players from around Washington who played in all-star games Saturday in University Place.
Twenty juniors and sophomores from the state also showcased their talent in the WIBCA Futures Game.
Mark Morris junior guard Braydon Olson paced Team Will to a double-digit victory, scoring a game-high 25 points.
“It’s really fun,” Olson said of playing in the game. “I made lots of new friends today. We had lots of fun. It was a really cool experience.”
King’s sophomore Cam Hiatt (16 points), Kamiakin junior Peter Dress (13), Richland junior Lucas Westerfield (12), Rogers sophomore Dylan Gilderhus (11), Lynden junior Anthony Canales (11), Garfield sophomore Legend Smiley (11) and North Central junior Eli Williams (10) also scored in double figures for Team Will.
O’Dea junior Miles Goodman paced Team Pepple with 23 points
Lynden Christian junior Jeremiah Wright (14 points), Curtis junior Zoom Diallo (12), Mount Si juniors Blake Forrest and Trevor Hennig (11) and Annie Wright sophomore Martin Kaupanger (10) also reached double-digits scoring for Team Pepple.
Diallo, who was named state Gatorade Player of the Year and TNT All-Area player of the year earlier this week, and his Curtis teammates — including Maxwell, Paulsen and Devin Whitten, who also played in Saturday’s showcases — are set to make one more appearance this season.
The two-time defending 4A state champions travel to Washington, D.C. next month to play in the State Champions Invitational at Georgetown University.
“My main focus is making one last strong ride with all of the seniors, our group of guys,” Diallo said. “It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that we’ve got to play on TV. Not a lot of people are blessed to have that opportunity. We’re going to practice hard, have the mindset of, it’s our last go.”
SCORING
TEAM PEPPLE — Blake Forrest 11, Devin Whitten 4, Zoom Diallo 12, Zaveon Jones 6, Trevor Hennig 11, Martin Kaupanger 10, Ajayi Simmons 6, Jeremiah Wright 14, Dominik Robinson 4, Miles Goodman 23
TEAM WILL — Dylan Skaife 5, Dylan Gilderhus 11, Braydon Olson 25, Cade Orness 9, Peter Dress 13, Anthony Canales 11, Eli Williams 10, Legend Smiley 11, Cam Hiatt 16, Lucas Westerfield 12
