High School

Photos: No. 2 Auburn beats No. 5 Seattle Prep to earn WIAA Class 3A state championship berth

Re-live the 3A state semifinal game through the lens of photographer Vince Miller

Andy Buhler, SBLive Sports

Photos: No. 2 Auburn beats No. 5 Seattle Prep to earn WIAA Class 3A state championship berth
Photos: No. 2 Auburn beats No. 5 Seattle Prep to earn WIAA Class 3A state championship berth /

TACOMA, Wash. — In a low-scoring, defensive battle, Auburn was up for the task.

Maleek Arington scored a game-high 12 points, Junior Tyrell Nichols had all eight of his points in a second half spurt and Kaden Hansen hit a late 3 to help the No. 2 Trojans pull away from No. 5 Seattle Prep 45-34 in the 3A state semifinals.

(RELATED: 3A/4A WIAA boys semifinals highlights, recaps: Auburn, Rainier Beach win in 3A, 4A down to Mount Si, Curtis)

After a low-scoring first half — Seattle Prep led 17-14 at halftime — Nichols helped Auburn find a rhythm in the third quarter and outscore Prep 17-6.

Kaden Hansen hit a 3 with a minute left to push Auburn's lead to nine and hit two game-sealing free throws in the final seconds.

The Trojans will play the winner of Rainier Beach and Mt. Spokane in the 3A state championship game on Saturday at 7 p.m.

Here are photos from the game. All photos by Vince Miller.

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Photo by Vince Miller
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Seattle Prep's Braeden Smith navigates a sea of Auburn defenders in the Class 3A state semifinals.
Photo by Vince Miller
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Photo by Vince Miller
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Photo by Vince Miller
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Published
Andy Buhler, SBLive Sports
ANDY BUHLER, SBLIVE SPORTS

Andy Buhler is a Regional Editor of Texas and the national breaking news desk. He brings more than five years of experience covering high school sports across the state of Washington and beyond, where he covered the likes of Paolo Banchero and Tari Eason served on state tournament seeding committees. He works on the SBLive/Sports Illustrated Power 25 national boys basketball rankings. He has covered everything from the Final Four, MLS in Atlanta to local velodrome before diving into the world of preps. His bylines can be found in The News Tribune (Tacoma, Washington), The Associated Press, The Columbian (Vancouver, Washington), The Oregonian and more. He holds a degree from Gonzaga and is based out of Portland, Oregon.

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