Luke Brewer leads Tumwater to coveted win over Mark Morris in MLK Day 2A showdown (takeaways, photos)

“Our goal this year is to leave a mark and hang a banner,” said Brewer, who had a game-high 23 points.

Author:
Andy Buhler, SBLive Sports
Publish date:
Jan 18, 2022 1:39 AM EST

LONGVIEW, Wash. — Tumwater boys basketball coach Josh Wilson finally got his win over alma mater Mark Morris. The T-Birds toppled the Monarchs 64-52 on Monday as part of Lower Columbia College’s Martin Luther King Jr. Tribute.

The only thing missing from the victory was Wilson’s former coach and mentor Bill Bakamus, who was absent from the sideline due to COVID-19 protocols. Longtime assistant Steve Kloke filled the head coach shoes Monday.

“It feels a little bit like cheating,” quipped Wilson.

The T-Birds withstood early struggles in the first and second half — when Mark Morris took 4-0 and 37-36 leads — to earn the convincing victory in a matchup of two top-10 teams in SBLive's 2A power rankings.

Luke Brewer scored 23 points to lead Tumwater (10-2), with Andrew Collins chipping in 18.

Mark Morris (9-4) hung tough due to a strong night on the offensive glass, but shot just 25 percent (15 of 59) from the field in the defeat. Kobe Parlin led the Monarchs with 21 points, and Deacon Dietz added 14.

Here are three observations from the game:

Tumwater gets Monarch-sized monkey off back

Entering Monday’s game, the Monarchs had won the past five meetings between the teams, and 12 of the past 15.

Coach Wilson said he fully expects to see Mark Morris again in the 2A Southwest District Tournament next month. A victory Monday was more than just a feather in Wilson’s cap over his alma mater.

The T-Birds showed their mental fortitude in withstanding that early pressure from the Monarchs, before riding the momentum of some hard-earned buckets.

“It’s surprising to come out against a team that plays that hard,” Wilson explained. “I’m real happy they took that and overcame it for sure.”

Junior-led sides show bright future

Just eight of the team’s combined 116 points came from seniors on Monday. Adam Overbay’s six and Ryan Otton’s two points for Tumwater were the only buckets for the Class of 2022.

A star-studded junior class for Tumwater, led by Luke Brewer and Andrew Collins, has the T-Birds’ hopes high to vie for a state title in March 2023.

“Our goal this year is to leave a mark and hang a banner,” Brewer said. “But I feel like we can really place high in state next year.”

Mark Morris should equally be excited, with Deacon Dietz and Kobe Parlin — both juniors — leading the way.

Gritty Monarchs never an easy out

Mark Morris didn’t play anyone over 6-foot-1 on Monday. Yet, they had a sizable advantage on the boards thanks to the relentless efforts on the boards.

It’s no surprise to Wilson, who has seen Monarchs’ squads year after year outhustle and outwork opponents.

“The culture that has been established there is so strong that it’s just about gutting it out and playing hard,” Wilson said. “It’s a pretty simple thing, but it’s so ingrained in the culture down here, it’s always going to be tough to play Mark Morris.”

That culture is something Wilson sees starting to embed itself into the T-Bird program.

“It took five years, but I feel like our culture is finally getting there,” Wilson said. “We’re trying to be tough as nails as well.”