Washington high school (WIAA) 4A/3A boys basketball tournament: Medal-game recaps, highlights, top performers

Three state-placing games for each classification being held on the east court Saturday in the Tacoma Dome. High School On SI Washington will keep you updated

Garfield sophomore Tripp Haywood and the Bulldogs are playing for third place in Class 3A on Saturday. / Photo by Todd Milles

TACOMA, Wash. - The bright lights of the Tacoma Dome are on - and let's get ready for Day 4 of the WIAA Class 4A and 3A boys basketball championships.

High School On SI Washington will provide game recaps, video highlight and top performers throughout Saturday in medal round games.

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CLASS 4A (Bracket)

(1st-2nd) - Gonzaga Prep 57, Puyallup 55: Bullpups senior Brogan Howell must’ve thought that the Tacoma Dome hadn’t seen enough excitement for the week.

The final shot made in the state tournament this year was perhaps the most meaningful. With the Class 4A boys championship game tied, Howell nailed a baseline fadeaway over 6-foot-7 Puyallup post Will Nasinec with 2.2 seconds remaining that ultimately gave the Bullpups their fourth WIAA championship in school history.

“He’s so quick and athletic,” Gonzaga Prep boys coach Matty McIntyre said of Howell. “He was able to elevate over the 6-7 kid and he made an incredible shot. We’ll have to talk about building a statue of him outside the school.”

The Vikings (23-8) called timeout after Howell’s shot to try to tie or win the game. They threw a 70-foot pass to Nasinec, who had 16 points, and immediately called timeout with 1.9 seconds left to move the ball into the front court. Puyallup set the final play up for senior guard Drew Jones, who’s three-point attempt at the buzzer was long, giving the Bullpups (26-2) the title.

Howell, who was the team’s leading scorer this season, finished with just seven points, but his final bucket was the biggest shot of his career.

Jones, who finished a game-high 20 points, tied the game with 33 seconds to play with his own baseline fadeaway.

That set the stage for Howell.

(3rd-5th) -Glacier Peak 49, West Valley of Yakima 41: In a rematch from last week's regional round (won by the Rams), the Grizzlies broke away in the fourth quarter to record back-to-back finishes of third place. Josiah Lee scored a game-high 29 points for Glacier Peak.

(4th-6th) - Richland 74, Camas 67: The consensus tournament favorite Bombers didn't get that elusive WIAA championship, but the found redemption from a regional-round loss to the Papermakers behind 23 points from Landen Northrop. Richland led by as many as 16 points midway through the third quarter.

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TOP PERFORMERS

Josiah Lee, Glacier Peak

29 points, 6 3-pointers

Landen Northrop, Richland

23 points, 8-16 FGs, 7 rebounds

Landen Birley, West Valley of Yakima

22 points, 10-21 FGs

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CLASS 3A (Bracket)

(1st-2nd) - Rainier Beach 68, Edmonds-Woodway 48: The top sseds won their 10th state championship in school history Saturday, defeating the No. 5 seed Warriors n the Class 3A championship game.

The Vikings (24-2), won three of their four state tournament games at the Tacoma Dome by at least 20 points, leading to questions as to where this team ranks historically among the great Rainier Beach teams of all-time.

Senior guard Jaylen Petty, who led the Vikings with 26 points in the championship game, has his own opinion.

“I think it’s the best team,” Petty said after the game.

Petty might be biased. Coach Mike Bethea, who won his ninth championship as the team’s head coach, offered a broader perspective.

“You come by our gym one night this summer and you figure it out with them,” Bethea said. “They’ll all be in their arguing. They rank right up there. They’re one of the most unselfish teams I’ve ever had.”

The Vikings got to the championship game last year, but fell to Eastside Catholic. With Petty returning to Rainier Beach for his senior season after two years at Auburn and the nucleus already in place, the Vikings were the favorite to win the title this season from day one.

(3rd-5th) -Garfield 62, Mount Spokane 51: A night after a tough loss to Rainier Beach, the Bulldogs scored the first 14 points of the game over. four-minute span in clinching their best state finish since winning the 3A title in 2023.

(4th-6th) - Seattle Prep 64, Bellarmine Prep 58: In his final game, Beckham King went off for 31 points and 13 rebounds as the Panthers came back in the fourth quarter to edge the Lions - in a gane with 16 lead changes. Kade Price had 17 points for Bellarmine Prep.

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TOP PERFORMERS

Beckham King, Seattle Prep

31 points, 13 rebounds

Jaylen Petty, Rainier Beach

26 points, 11-20 FGs

Nalu Vargas, Mount Spokane

18 points, 7-17 FGs, 7 rebounds

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