Mount Si boys, Woodinville girls claim District 1/2 championships, 3 takeaways
BOTHELL, Wash. — Lifting the District 1/2 championship trophy has become familiar territory for the Mount Si boys basketball program.
The Wildcats earned their third consecutive district championship after taking down Glacier Peak, 59-53, in a matchup of two of the top three teams in Class 4A.
The loss was just the second of the season for the Grizzlies.
Both teams had already earned state berths heading into the game, but the Wildcats may have locked down the No. 1 seed in the state tournament with the win.
Blake Forrest scored a team-high 18 points for the Wildcats with Trevor Hennig not far behind him with 17. Latt Ford contributed 14 points and 10 rebounds for a double-double.
Glacier Peak standout Jo Lee scored a game-high 26 points.
Here are three takeaways from the Mount Si-Glacier Peak game:
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GLACIER PEAK'S JO LEE THE REAL DEAL
Coming into the game, Mount Si coach Jason Griffith knew Glacier Peak guard Jo Lee could be a problem. That proved to be true with Lee in a rhythm in the first half scoring 17 of his 26 total points, and left Griffith digging deep to find ways to slow him down.
Griffith said they ended up rotating just about every one they could to guard Lee, something they haven't had to do all season against anybody.
"We were running out of guys to guard him, to be honest," Griffith said. "We ran five different guys at him and that's just a credit to him. We asked Blake (Forrest) at the end to run him off the line and get under his hip, and Blake probably did the best of anybody."
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WILDCATS' CLUTCH GENE KICKS IN
The Wildcats scored the first basket of the game and found themselves out in front the rest of the way.
Glacier Peak was able to cut Mount Si's lead down to a possession or two on multiple occasions, but the Wildcats responded on both ends of the floor every time with a bucket to push their lead back up or by forcing an empty Grizzlies' possession.
"We got stops when we needed to," Griffith said. "Latt (Ford) came up with several big blocks, we had a couple guys slide over with weak side help and getting the defensive rebounds. At the end of the day, if we're going to do well, we've got to defend."
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MOUNT SI UP TO THE CHALLENGE THIS SEASON
As Class 4A's top-ranked team since the beginning of the season, Griffith and his team have had a target on their backs all year.
They've responded to that with a perfect in-state record this year, the Wildcats' only losses coming to Coronado and Liberty, both out of Henderson, Nevada.
"Obviously, we're proud of our guys," Griffith said. "We've had a big bullseye on our back — we have all year."
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Woodinville girls 60, Bothell 49
Woodinville made it a perfect 4-0 against Bothell this season, taking down the Cougars, 60-49, for the district championship. Both teams had already earned state berths.
Jaecy Eggers scored a team-high 19 points to go with three rebounds to lead the Falcons. Lyla Kahrimanovic added 17 points, five rebounds, five assists and five steals.
The Falcons raced out to a 9-1 lead in the first quarter and took a double-digit lead into halftime at 30-19.
Woodinville led by double digits for nearly the rest of the game.
"We played them four times this year and I wasn't sure if we were going to be able to get them all four times," Woodinville coach Scott Bullock said. "It's a fun rivalry game and we came out in the second half and were able to extend the lead a little bit."
With a protected game at regionals next weekend more than likely secured, Eggers and Bullock both emphasized the importance of walking into the Tacoma Dome with a first-round bye.
"A regional game is always a big game, so I feel like we need to go into that fresh," Eggers said. "It'll be a good team, obviously, but I just feel like going into state with a clear mind (is important)."
