12/19/2024
(University Place, WA) This is the 7th Curtis Winter Classic and another great line-up of schools participating. Over the years there have now been teams from 6 states and 2 countries. Teams from Washington, Oregon, Idaho, California, Colorado and this year add Utah along with Canada have all competed.
The Winter Classic is a true 8-team tournament format with quarterfinals, semifinals, finals and a consolation bracket. So all 8 teams will play 3 games in 3 days and never really know who they are going to play and when until the games have been completed.
This year the teams include 2 from other states, Doherty High School from Colorado and Davis High school from Utah. The rest are from Washington state and include Kentwood, Timberline, O’Dea, West Valley (Yakima), Mount Spokane and the host team Curtis.
Our coverage below is from each day and as we progress through the tournament we will add the new coverage to the top of this post. We will have short re-caps, links to the game replays and our MVP’s in each game. Let’s get to our 7th Curtis Winter Classic coverage!
Day 3 Championship Saturday
7th/8th Place
Curtis 62, Timberline 53
4th/6th Place
O’Dea 70, Doherty 64
3rd/5th Place
Davis (UT) 78, West Valley (Yakima) 49
Championship
Mount Spokane 67, Kentwood 57
Game 1
Curtis 62, Timberline 53
Opening up the final day of the 2024 Curtis Winter Classic, the hosts of the tournament in the Curtis Vikings would take on the closest school to Curtis High School in the Timberline Blazers. Two familiar teams for the tournament would look to salvage the finale of their week and put an end to their losing streaks as once again Curtis was without their leader Xavier Ahrens.
With the rain pouring down outside and the temperature low, Curtis would heat things up right out of the gate as the offense was red hot in the opening quarter. Kametrius Babbs could not be stopped as the sophomore rolled to 13 points in the opening eight minutes of the game while Timberline really struggled to get anything going. Some bad bounces off the rim and backboard frustrated the Blazers as they continued to see the Vikings have a ton of success on offense with Mercer Estes also getting off to a strong start in his first start of the tournament. After the opening quarter, Curtis had surged out to a 25-10 lead.
Things began to change on defense for Timberline in the second quarter as the defensive presence of Carmelo Roper seemed to get the Blazers dialed in on that end of the floor. Kametrius Babbs sat for the entire second quarter after picking up two fouls in the first. The double post combination of Mercer Estes and Robby Lavata’i kept Curtis moving right along on offense. Trey Curtis would light a little bit of a spark on offense for Timberline with a three as Josh Tichenor and Leon Heilman also hit a shot from beyond the arc. We would go to halftime with Curtis still out in front 36-22.
After trailing by as many as 21 in the second quarter, Timberline made their move in the third. The defense really clamped down on the Vikings offense as Roper and Kenyon Simmons played tremendous defense in the paint for the Blazers. Simmons also got his offense going after being held scoreless in the first half. The defense was the key in the Timberline charge but Trey Curtis continued to put together a phenomenal game off the bench as he became the Blazers go to scorer. Timberline cut their deficit down to seven as the game moved to the fourth with Curtis leading 43-36.
In the final eight minutes, the duo of Babbs and Estes were just too much for Timberline to overcome. In what might be his best game of the season, Mercer Estes was great in all aspects of the game. Both he and Babbs used their long reach to create turnovers and control the glass while they continued to trade buckets with Timberline. The cold start was too much to overcome for Timberline as Curtis would hang on to defeat the Blazers 62-53.
Our Thorbeckes MVP of the game was Kametrius Babbs with his game-high 23 points and tremendous defense and control of the boards.
Scoring
Timberline: Trey Curtis 16, Kenyon Simmons 9, Josh Tichenor 8, DJ Falco 6, Carmelo Roper 6, Damari Evans 5, Leon Heilman 3
Curtis: Kametrius Babbs 23, Mercer Estes 17, Robby Lavata’i 8, Noah Kaylor 7, Will Torrone 7
Link to watch full game replay on the NFHS Network (subscription required)
Game 2
O’Dea 70, Doherty (CO) 64
The O’Dea Fighting Irish came into the 4th place game after putting up 88 points against Timberline, and faced a tough Doherty (CO) Spartans squad who played great defense both games to give themselves a shot at winning back-to-back games.
O’Dea used their speed and length to jump out to the lead but Doherty fought back to make it just a four-point game with O’Dea leading after the first quarter 15-11. Doherty had seven first-quarter points from Zander Muna, who was a magician with his phenomenal passes and scored efficiently for the Spartans. O’Dea was led by Breylon Webb and Josiah Bowman who scored six and five points.
O’Dea had a big second quarter, dropping in 24 points as the Irish doubled up the Spartans in the quarter, with smothering defense to take a 39-24 lead at the half. O’Dea’s Breylon Webb and Brian Webster each had 10 points in the first half to lead the Irish.
Doherty roared back in the third quarter with 24 points of their own, as Maddox Dee-Mortenson had nine points for the Spartans but they still trailed O’Dea by six points, 53-47.
The Spartans comeback fell short, as O’Dea had the answer for everything that was thrown at them by Doherty. Both teams had another good quarter, with 17 points each as O’Dea claimed 4th place, while Doherty took 6th place.
Our Thorbeckes Game MVP went to O’Dea’s Breylon Webb who finished with 22 points and was spectacular all tournament long.
Scoring
O’Dea: Breylon Webb 16, Brian Webster 12, Gavin Bristol 10, Josiah Bowman 7, Levi Orbino 6, Peyton Brooks 6, Gene Woodard III 4, Davion Sherlock 3
Doherty: Elijah Mack 26, Maddox Dee-Mortensen 13, Zander Muna 12, Syron Odie 6, Gavin Gilbert 5, Kaleb Foster-Gebur 2
Link to watch full game replay on the NFHS Network (subscription required)
Game 3
Davis (UT) 78, West Valley (Yakima) 49
Making the 830-mile trip all the way from Kaysville, Utah to University Place and Curtis High School, the Davis Darts would look to head home with a win and a third-place finish in the Curtis Winter Classic. Standing in their way of doing just that would be the West Valley Rams who made quite the statement during the week in their trip to the west side.
Coming into the game everyone was excited about the matchup between Coleman Atwater for Davis and Landen Birley for West Valley. In the opening quarter however, it was Bode Sparrow getting off to a very strong start as Parker Mills and Austin Birley got off to a good start for West Valley. Coleman Atwater would get going as well but every time Davis felt like they were about to pull away, West Valley had a response and most of the time it was Parker Mills with the baskets. It was back and forth in the opening quarter but Davis held the lead 18-14 after one.
As Atwater continued to lead the scoring for the Darts in the second quarter, Landen Birley began to get going for the Rams in the second. Some foul trouble had the lineup changing for West Valley but they continued to keep Davis within reach. Parker Mills saved his best game for last as he frustrated the posts for Davis while also keeping up with his high scoring output. Atwater’s 17 points in the first half and Bode Sparrow’s tremendous passing and defense would keep Davis out in front at halftime with a 34-27 lead at the break.
Something special began to brew in the third quarter. Everyone knew that Coleman Atwater was having a great game. He took it to another level in the third. Atwater could not miss as he started knocking down three ball after three ball. Despite being scorched earth hot, Atwater was not forcing anything. He continued to feed his teammates as the Darts maintained their high output on offense. Atwater was still out of his mind however as he just flat out couldn’t miss in the third. After scoring 17 in the first half, Atwater scored 17 in the third quarter alone as the Darts headed to the final quarter with a 60-40 lead.
The single game record at the Curtis Winter Classic for points scored in a game belonged to Brooklyn Hicks from Timberline who scored 42 in 2022. Atwater needed eight to tie the record and nine to break it. With the game in hand thanks to the Davis defense dominating in the final quarter, everyone sat on the edge of their seats as Atwater continued to chip away. After he hit the record tying shot to put him at 42, it became a mission for West Valley to not let him break the record. It did not matter. Despite being smothered and triple teamed, Atwater got opened and fittingly hit a three to break the record. A timeout was then taken as both teams cleared their benches and Atwater received a standing ovation. Davis would defeat West Valley 78-49 and Coleman Atwater etched his name into Curtis Winter Classic history.
Our Thorbeckes MVP of the game unsurprisingly went to Coleman Atwater. With a performance that left many speechless and in awe, Atwater made sure he left his mark on the state of Washington and got to head home with one of the greatest performances ever seen on ESN.
Scoring
Davis: Coleman Atwater 45, Bode Sparrow 11, Croyden Christensen 6, Bryker Couser 6, Junior Moala 5, JT Turley 3, Autin Taylor 2
West Valley: Landen Birley 16, Parker Mills 12, Austin Birley 10, Parker Hill 6, Jett Bremerman 5
Link to watch full game replay on the NFHS Network (subscription required)
Game 4
Mount Spokane 67, Kentwood 57
The Curtis Winter Classic Championship came down to the Kentwood Conquerors and the Mt. Spokane Wildcats. Mt. Spokane needed just 58 points vs Doherty (CO) on Thursday but needed 79 points on Friday over West Valley (Yakima) to make it to the championship game, while Kentwood cruised to a win over Timberline on Thursday, but played the game of the tournament on Friday, with Corey Tita hitting the buzzer beater to give Kentwood a 56-54 win over Davis (UT).
Mt. Spokane got off to a hot start, putting up 22 points in the first quarter to give the Wildcats a 10-point lead, with Jake Lenberger scoring 11 in the quarter. Jaden Ghoreishi had a good quarter too, getting six points for Mt. Spokane after his 33-point game on Friday.
The second quarter was full of defense, as both teams had to earn their baskets. Mt. Spokane only had 12 points in the second quarter, but Kentwood only had 11 as Mt. Spokane held a 34-23 lead at the half. Jake Lenberger led all scorers with 13 first-half points for Mt. Spokane, right behind him was his teammate Jaden Ghoreishi, and Kentwood’s Brandon Tagle had 10 points at the half.
Mt. Spokane added to their lead in the third quarter with a 15-point quarter, led by Cade Strocsher, who had seven of the Wildcats points to put him into double figures. Mason St. Louis for Kentwood got into double figures with six points in the quarter and 11 points in the game. Mt. Spokane led 49-34 heading into the fourth quarter.
Kentwood attempted to mount a comeback, pressing on defense, forcing a few turnovers for Mt. Spokane, and scoring a game-high 23 points in the fourth quarter, but Mt. Spokane had 18 points themselves and had the answer for everything Kentwood through at them. Mt. Spokane would win their second Curtis Winter Classic in four years by taking the championship game 67-57 over Kentwood.
Our Thorbeckes Game MVP went to Mt. Spokane’s Jake Lenberger, who again went for double figures coming off the bench for the Wildcats to help lead them to another Curtis Winter Classic title.
Scoring
Kentwood: Brandon Tagle 23, Mason St. Louis 20, Corey Tita 5, Jacob Bail 5, Caleb Ross 2, Jaevieon Jamerson 2
Mount Spokane: Jaden Ghoreishi 25, Jake Lenberger 15, Cade Strocsher 13, Lucas Dickau 8, Nalu Vargas 3, Rock Franklin 3
Link to watch full game replay on the NFHS Network (subscription required)
Friday
Game 1
O’Dea 88, Timberline 67
The Timberline Blazers came into Friday’s game with intentions of having a vastly improved start compared to their loss the previous day against Kentwood. The Blazers were able to do just that, and jump out to an 8-0 lead early in the first quarter, thanks to the offense from Kenyon Simmons (6 1Q points). With O’Dea in a bind, the Irish turned to Breylon Webb who led O’Dea with 7 points in the opening quarter. The Irish rallied to trail 19-17 at the end of the first quarter.
Period number two turned into a track meet. End to end chances kept the pace of the game lightning fast. Brian Webster scored 7 of his 12 first half points in the second quarter, while Kenyon Simmons paced Timberline with another six points in the 2nd quarter. The back and forth speed race had the rally minded Irish up 41-37.
Jason Kerr’s O’Dea side is trademarked thanks to their offense, but in the second half, it was their defense that shined. Kenyon Simmons came into the evening as the leading scorer for Timberline average 16.8 PPG). The Irish held Simmons scoreless all second half. The third quarter was where O’Dea began to pull away. Breylon Webb’s 10 points and Brian Webster’s 6 points bolstered the O’Dea lead. It was a proficient 3rd quarter for the Irish, outscoring Timberline 25-13. O’Dea led 66-50 after 3.
O’Dea slammed the door shut in the 4th quarter. Both Breylon Webb and Brian Webster finished with solid performances. Webb had 23 points for the game and Brian Webster had 25. Webster’s 25 points earned him Elisportsnetwork.com MVP honors.
Scoring
Timberline: Josh Tichenor 14; Kenyon Simmons 12; Carmelo Roper 9; Damari Evans 8; Trey Curtis 8; Isaiah Tillman 8; Leon Heilman 6; DJ Falco 2
O’Dea: Brian Webster 25; Breylon Webb 23; Gavin Bristol 7; Peyton Brooks 6; Gene Woodard III 6; Josiah Bowman 4; Davian Sherlock 4; JuJu Duckett 4; Nino Moksivong 3; Ray Clark III 2; Giulio Banchero 2
Link to watch full game replay on the NFHS Network (subscription required)
Game 2
Doherty (CO) 61, Curtis 54
In the second consolation game of the day, the Doherty Spartans played their third game in as many days as they took on the hosts in the Curtis Vikings. Both teams lost their back-and-forth games in the 4th quarter in the opening round and both would be without their leading scorers from their first game as Elijah Mack for Doherty and Xavier Ahrens for Curtis both sat out with injuries.
Both offenses had a tough time adjusting to playing without their leaders. Robby Lavata’i got to the free throw line early and often for Curtis and knocked down three of his first four from the charity stripe. Doherty would have to grind out some possessions but the scoring was extremely balanced in the opening quarter. Maddox Dee-Mortensen was in the lineup after missing the tournament opener and he put together a nice first quarter for the Spartans. It would be a low-scoring opening eight minutes but Doherty had the lead after one, 15-9.
The offense picked up in the second quarter and once again for Doherty, it was Syron Odie lighting the spark off of the bench. Odie hit a free throw before knocking down a three ball to jumpstart the Spartans. Curtis had a more balanced approach as seven different Vikings scored in the first half but Kametrius Babbs became the go to guy for the Vikings. Just like they did against Mount Spokane, Doherty used their backdoor cuts to score at will with Gavin Gilbert once again leading that charge. 13 players in total scored in the opening half but it was Doherty with the 33-26 lead at the break.
Doherty looked like they would run away with the game in the third quarter. Maddox Dee-Mortensen made up for lost time as he took the game over in the third. Using his height and long wingspan, MDM was a force on both ends of the floor and helped build Doherty’s lead up to double digits. Curtis would not go away as they stayed within reach. After falling behind by 15 late in the quarter, Will Torrone had a great finish to the frame and Curtis ended the quarter on a 6-0 run. There was still work to do as the game went to the 4th with Doherty leading 52-43.
The battle between Kametrius Babbs and Maddox Dee-Mortensen stole the show in the 4th quarter. The two tall and talented players can play and defend anywhere on the floor which made for a very entertaining battle. Zander Muna’a defense helped push Doherty to the finish line as he racked up some late steals and six points in the final quarter. While Curtis continued to fight behind a nice final quarter from Malik Sadibe, free throw shooting decided this one. Doherty shot 14-17 from the charity stripe while Curtis went 7-17 from the line, including 1-6 in the second half. That was the difference maker as Doherty knocked off Curtis 61-54.
Our Thorbeckes MVP of the game went to Maddox Dee-Mortensen who scored a game high 24 points. He scored from everywhere including going 5-6 from the free throw line as he went to work in the paint. Missing game one didn’t seem to affect MDM as he made up for lost time in leading his squad to their first win of the season.
Scoring
Curtis: Kametrius Babbs 14, Robby Lavata’i 9, Will Torrone 8, Malik Sadibe 7, Mercer Estes 7, Noah Kaylor 6, Skylar Clement 2, Elijah Killian-Howard 1
Doherty: Maddox Dee-Mortensen 24, Syron Odie 11, Zander Muna 6, Gavin Gilbert 6, Kaleb Foster-Gabur 6, Acai Biglow 4, Javar Harrison 4
Link to watch full game replay on the NFHS Network (subscription required)
Game 3
Kentwood 56, Davis (UT) 54
The Kentwood Conquerors relied on a strong start in the Curtis Winter Classic for the second straight day. With hopes of playing in the Curtis Winter Classic Final, the Conks exploded out of the gate again. This time it was the efficient shooting from Brandon Tagle and Mason St. Louis putting on a show in the early stages. Thanks to a pair of 3-pointers each for Tagle and St. Louis, the Conquerors jumped out to a 16-5 lead 6:44 into the game. Davis Head Coach Chad Sims had seen enough, calling timeout with 3:16 left in the opening quarter.
Davis however, did not fly two hours to get run out of the building. The timeout from the 2021 6A Champion Coach Sims proved pivotal for Davis. The Darts outscored Kentwood from the timeout, 22-3 the rest of the half. With a swarming defense and opportunistic defense, Davis trimmed the Kentwood lead down to 19-14 at the end of the 1st Quarter. Davis Quarterback and Forward, Tradon Bessinger showcased his skills on the hard court just like on the football field in the first quarter. The first team all 6A Quarterback connected on four 1st quarter threes, rallying the Darts.
The 2nd quarter commenced the way the first quarter ended. Davis with swarming defense, left Kentwood offensively lost. The Darts shutout Kentwood in the 2nd quarter 13-0. Bode Sparrow scored 5 points in the 2nd quarter to build the Davis lead. Davis led 27-19 at the half.
The second half was when Kentwood kickstarted their rally. Just like the first quarter, Kentwood relied from beyond the arc to claw back in the game. Brandon Tagle, the starting quarterback for the Kentwood football team, connected on a pair of 3’s to reduce the deficit. When Tagle was not hitting 3’s Corey Tita drove to the rack for his scoring. Tita was responsible for 10 second half points. JT Hurley scored 7 of his nine points in the second half for Davis. At the end of the 3rd Quarter, the Davis lead was reduced to 40-37.
In the fourth quarter, Kentwood continued to chip away at the lead. Each team trading pound for pound similar to a 12 round cage match. In the closing seconds, Kentwood had managed to tie the game. Kentwood got the ball and had a chance to win it with 1.3 seconds left. With the Kentwood quarterback Tagle inbounding, the QB found his receiver Corey Tita on the low block over the shoulder. Tita’s putback found its way home, and the Conks booked their ticket to the Curtis Winter Classic Championship on a walkoff buzzer beater by Corey Tita. The Conquerors play the Championship Game at 7pm against Mt. Spokane. Davis plays in the 3rd Place Game against West Valley (Yakima) at 5:30 PST/6:30 MST.
The combination for the winning bucket, Brandon Tagle 18pts 7ast and Corey Tita 15 pts were the Elisportsnetwork.com co-MVPs of the game.
Scoring
Kentwood: Brandon Tagle 18; Corey Tita 15; Mason St. Louis 12; Jaevieon Jamerson 6; Jacob Bail 5
Davis: Tradon Bessinger 18; Coleman Atwater 10; Bode Sparrow 10; JT Turley 9; Bennett Wright 4; Croyden Christensen 2; Bryker Couser 1; Junior Moala 1
Link to watch full game replay on the NFHS Network (subscription required)
Game 4
Mount Spokane 79, West Valley (Yakima) 74
Both teams used different ways to get to the semifinals of the Curtis Winter Classic with Mt. Spokane squeaking out a 58-54 win over Doherty (CO) while West Valley rallied behind an impressive 38-point performance from Landen Birley to get the 10-point victory over the defending Curtis Winter Classic champs and hosts, Curtis.
It was a fast and furious pace of great and competitive basketball, with neither side grabbing control of the game. Parker Hill hit three three-pointers for West Valley to open up with nine points while Nalu Vargas for Mt. Spokane had seven points in the first quarter, but it would be the West Valley Rams who had a one-point lead after the first quarter.
Mt. Spokane’s junior forward, Jaden Ghoreishi was shutout in the first quarter, but had 11 points in the second quarter, to help Mt. Spokane have a 21-point quarter. Nalu Vargas had 12 points at the halftime break to lead the Mt. Spokane Wildcats in the first half, and Jake Lenberger had 10 points coming off the bench. West Valley’s Parker Hill drained another three in the quarter to give him 12 first-half points, while Landen Birley had 11. Mt. Spokane led 38-37 after another fantastic quarter.
Mt. Spokane’s Nalu Vargas would continue to lead the Wildcats with an eight-point quarter, giving him 20 points through three. Both teams in the first three quarters relied heavily on the three-point shot, and Vargas hit four of them in the game, while Jake Lengenberger had five points in the third quarter, while hitting three three balls in the game to give him 15 points through three quarters. Jaden Ghoreishi added seven more points in the third quarter, but West Valley ran stride for stride with the Wildcats, as Landen Birley had eight points in the quarter and Parker Mills had multiple baskets plus the foul to give him seven third-quarter points. Mt. Spokane had another 20-point quarter and led 58-55 after three quarters.
In the fourth quarter, Mt. Spokane’s junior star, Jaden Ghoreishi, exploded for 15 of the 21 Mt. Spokane points in the quarter, as he was automatic for the Wildcats. Lucas Dickau added a crucial three-point play but was valuable as the point guard, running the show for Mt. Spokane and made many critical defensive plays for the Wildcats. Landen Birley had another eight-point quarter and Parker Hill hit a pair of baskets for the Rams but Mt. Spokane went 12-15 from the free throw line and had their third straight 20+ point quarter, with 21 in the final stanza of play to get the 79-74 win and advance to the Curtis Winter Classic Championship Game.
Our Thorbeckes Game MVP went to Jaden Ghoreishi as it’s hard to look away from 33 points in just three quarters as Ghoreishi didn’t score his first basket until the second quarter, and with 15 of the 21 fourth-quarter points for Mt. Spokane, his clutch play was tremendous down the stretch for the Wildcats. Nalu Vargas, with 20 points, kept Mt. Spokane in the lead for the middle portion of the game, and Jake Lenberger was tremendous for Mt. Spokane also with 16 points coming off the bench. West Valley’s Landen Birley is a scoring machine, with Birley nearly hitting every shot he puts up, finished with 27 points after only scoring only five points in the first quarter. Parker Hill’s sharp shooting from three-point land would’ve also been in consideration, as the junior led the game with five three-pointers, and Parker Mills used steady interior play for the Rams.
Scoring
West Valley: Landen Birley 27, Parker Hill 17, Parker Mills 15, Austin Birley 11, James Mataia 4
Mount Spokane: Jaden Ghoreishi 33, Nalu Vargas 20, Jake Lenberger 16, Lucas Dickau 3, Rock Franklin 3, Colt Kenison 2, Cade Strocsher 2
Link to watch full game replay on the NFHS Network (subscription required)
Day 1
Kentwood 64, Timberline 46
Mt Spokane 58, Doherty (CO) 54
West Valley (Yak) 72, Curtis 62
Davis (UT) 62, O’Dea 51
Game 1
Kentwood 64, Timberline 46
The Kentwood Conquerers got things rolling with a fast start in the 1st half sprinting out to a 20-9 lead after the 1st quarter and stretching that to a 30-14 halftime lead. Mason St Louis led the Conk attack scoring 11 with Corey Tita right behind with 9.
Kentwood’s defense was smothering always having a hand in the way on defense without fouling while piling up the points.Timberline was simply out of synch and never got into the right although they did start forcing Kentwood to shoot from the outside in the 2nd quarter which the Conks struggled with but still doubled up the Blazers 10-5 to lead 30-14 at the break.
In the 2nd half again the Conks controlled the 3rd quarter extending their lead to 48-25 building a 23 point lead after 3 quarters. But then Timberline found a rhythm and in the 1st 4 minutes of the 4th quarter and cut the lead tgo 13. Kenyon Simmons and DJ Falco led the comeback and the Blazers had a shot at a miraculous comeback.
The Conks dug in though and there would be no big comeback win and Kentwood finished strong to win by 18. It was a great way for Timberline to finish though and gave them some momentum going into day 2 and they will again play the 4pm game. The Conks will advance to the semifinals with a 7pm tip.
Our Thorbeckes MVP went to Corey Tita. Tita finished with 19 points and his defensive pressure was key in the opening half to help build their big lead. Mason St Louis and Brandon Tagle also were considered but we leaned slightly to Tita.
Scoring
Kentwood: Mason St. Louis 20, Corey Tita 19, Brandon Tagle 15, Jacob Bail 5,Jaevieon Jamerson 5
Timberline: Kenyon Simmons 13, DJ Falco 10, Josh Tichenor 6, Carmelo Roper 5, Leon Heilman 4, Isaiah Tillman 4, Trey Curtis 2, Alex Kumher 2
Link to watch full game replay on the NFHS Network (subscription required)
Game 2
Mt Spokane 58, Doherty (CO) 54
The Mt Spokane Wildcats just missed playing for the State Championship last season finishing 3rd. But they took a hit at graduation and now the Wildcats are coming back with another big senior class but inexperienced. Mt Spokane was 3-3 coming into the tournament and coach Dave Wagenblast was excited about how his team was beginning to gel.
The Doherty Spartans from Colorado were trying to turn the corner on a slow start this season. The Spartans were up for not only tghe 3 games at the Winter Classic but got things started on Wednesday with a game at Monroe.
The game began with a bang when the Wildcats got a clean tip and Jaden Ghoreishi broke free and slam dunked the opening bucket. Mt Spokane would keep up the hot scoring surging out to a 17-9 lead after the 1st quarter.
The Spartans would flip the script in the 2nd and outscored the Cats 17-7 to take a 26-24 lead in at the break as Mt Spokane went cold. Elijah Mack and Gavin Gilbert led the 2nd quarter charge each scoring 6 points.
Neither team could go on a significant run in the 2nd half to stretch the lead one way or the other. After 3 quarters Doherty clung to a 1 point lead 39-38. The game would come down to the final quarter and Mt Spokane would get a huge 3 ball with about 55 seconds to play from Colt Kenison to give them a 5 point lead.
Doherty tried to come back but simply ran out of time. Mt Spokane’s Ghoreishi led all scorers with 21 and added 5 rebounds and was 5-5 from the line while Nalu Vargas knocked down 15 and grabbed 6 boards. Mack and Syron Odie led the Spartans each with 14. Odie knocked down 4 3-balls.
Our Thorbeckes MVP went to Jaden Ghoreishi of Mt Spokane with a lot of consideration for Vargas. Had Doherty pulled off the win it would have come down to Mack or Odie.
Scoring
Doherty (CO): Elijah Mack 14, Syron Odie 14, Javar Harrison 8, Zander Muna 7, Gavin Gilbert 6, Acai Biglow 3, Kaleb Foster-Gebur 2
Mount Spokane: Jaden Ghoreishi 21, Nalu Vargas 15, Jake Lenberger 8, Lucas Dickau 7, Colt Kenison 5, Rock Franklin 2
Link to watch full game replay on the NFHS Network (subscription required)
Game 3
West Valley (Yak) 72, Curtis 62
The Curtis Winter Classic will have to wait another year for a shot at back-to-back Champions as the host team was the defending champs but a late 4th quarter run by West Valley of Yakima knocked the Vikings into the consolation bracket.
Neither team could land an early knock-out blow as both teams held slim leads at times with West Valley leading 17-15 after the 1st quarter and up 35-32 at the half. Landon Birley landed buckets from all over the floor scoring 21 1st half points for the Rams. Freshman Austin Birley added 8. For Curtis, Xavier Ahrens had 10 and Noah Kaylor pumped in 9.
Ahrens then nedarly single-handedly kept the Vikings in the game scoring 14 of his 27 total points. Landon Birley continued to add to his total and finished with 28 after 3 and West Valley held a 51-50 lead as the Vikings outscored the Rams 18-16 in the 3rd.
In the 4th and deciding final 8 minutes both teams continued to trade jabs and it was nip and tuck. That all changed about midway through the 4th when Landon Birley heated up again and rained down several buckets in a row to finally give West Valley a little breathing space with a 5 point lead. They would push it 9 and ultimately win by 10 72-62 in a much closer game than the final score indicated.
Our Thorbeckes MVP was an easy call with Landon Birley finishing with 38. Younger brother Austin finished with 13. Had the Vikings pulled off the win it would have been tough to get around Xavier Ahrens who finished with 27.
Scoring
West Valley (Yak): Landon Birley 38, Austin Birley 13, Parker Mills 12, Parker Hill 6, James Mataia 3
Curtis: Xavier Ahrens 27, Noah Kaylor 13, Skyler Clement 8, Will Torrone 8, Kametrius Babbs 4, Mercer Estes 2
Link to watch full game replay on the NFHS Network (subscription required)
Game 4
Davis (UT) 62, O’Dea 51
This began as a hard fought physical game and it never let up. The Davis Darts from Kaysville, Utah were not intimidated by the O’Dea Fighting Irish who are fresh off winning the State 3A Football Championship. The Darts were going to match them possession by possession through the 1st half.
The Darts led 17-14 through the 1st 8-minutes but O’Dea rallied back in the 2nd half outscoring Davis 18-11 to take a 32-28 lead at the break. The game got very physical with an intentional foul being called against the Irish and Levi Orbino being ejected from the game. The Irish were led by a team effort with 10 different players scoring in the 1st half led by the 8 of Brian Webster.
Davis had 6 in the scorebook with no one scoring more than 6 as Coleman Atwater and JT Turley each had a half dozen. O’Dea had the edge in rebounding at the half 14-8.
There was no let up by either side as the 3rd quarter began. O’Dea would stretch their lead but Davis would turn it around. The Darts hit some big shots and took over offensively to re-take the lead up 43-41 headed to the 4th quarter.
The Darts kept that momentum rolling and would build a lead by as many as 7. O’Dea fought back and with 1:37 to go in the game the Irish trailed by 4, 53-49. After a missed 3 ball Davis came firing back and had the ball with a new shot clock with 1:13 to play when Coleman Atwater made a spectacular play to lay up a bucket while being covered tight by O’Dea and with 1:04 to go they went back up by 6.
After a turnover Davis added a pair of free-throws to push their lead to 8. O’Dea answered with a bucket and their hopes were still alive trailing by 6 wigth 43-seconds to play. The Irish were forced to foul and the Darts answered sinking 5 of 8 and completed the 62-51 win.
The Thorbeckes MVP went to the Darts’ Coleman Atwater who led his team in both scoring and rebounding and came up with a huge play that really turned the tide late and helped Davis secure the win.
Scoring
Davis (UT): Coleman Atwater 20, JT Turley 14, Bode Sparrow 7, Benntt Wright 7, Croydon Christensen 6, Bryker Couser 5, Tradon Bessinger 3
O’Dea: Brian Webster 14, Breylon Webb 9, Peyton Brooks 7, Gavin Bristol 5, Davian Sherlock 4, Ray Clark 3, Josiah Bowman 3, Gene Woodard 2, Giulio Banchero 2, Juju Duckett 2,
Link to watch full game replay on the NFHS Network (subscription required)
www.elisportsnetwork.com
