Mt. Si Grabs 4A State Championship

<p>Mt. Si gets 26 points from [player_tooltip player_id="609374" first="Jabe" last="Mullins"] and claims the 4A State Championship by defeating Central Valley 58-47.</p> <p>After finishing one game short last season, senior [player_tooltip player_id="609373" first="Tyler" last="Patterson"] of the Mt. Si Wildcats said his team had been on a mission all season to do one better this year.</p> <p>The 58-47 victory over Central Valley of Spokane saw no lead changes. Mt. Si rushed to an early 14-6 first-quarter lead and held a 29-22 margin at the half. Mt. Si led by as many as 16 in the third quarter. Central Valley made a fourth-quarter run to cut the lead to eight, but that is when Mr. Clutch, [player_tooltip player_id="609374" first="Jabe" last="Mullins"], hit a three with 3:44 to play to stop the run and put Mt. Si on top 49-38.  </p> <p>It is not hard to see why Mt. Si finished the season 26-4 and State Champions. With Patterson and Mullins they have two tall, three-point shooting, Division 1 ball handlers with State Championship title game experience. But against Central Valley’s 6-10 [player_tooltip player_id="843740" first="Gavin" last="Gilstrap"], it was the play of [player_tooltip player_id="840309" first="Hayden" last="Curtiss"] that really turned the most heads.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="609373" first="Tyler" last="Patterson"] | 6-7 Guard-Mt. Si- Class of 2020 |</strong> (Montana State)  Patterson had 8 points in the title game including one three-pointer.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="609374" first="Jabe" last="Mullins"] | 6-6 Guard-Mt. Si- Class of 2020 |</strong> (St. Mary’s) Mullins played a near-flawless game. Down the stretch he was clutch. In the final minutes of the game, he went 2 of 2 from the field and 4 of 4 from the free-throw line to seal the win. Mullins looks primed for an excellent collegiate career.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="843740" first="Gavin" last="Gilstrap"]| 6-10 Center- Central Valley- Class of 2021 |</strong> Gilstrap is a bruising, low post big man with good hands, excellent sealing ability, and a powerful drop step move. The junior has a chance to be a very good prospect and will be one of the top big men in the state next year.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="840309" first="Hayden" last="Curtiss"] | 6-9 Forward-Mt. Si- Class of 2020 |</strong> (Unsigned) Curtis had three stock rising performances in the Tacoma Dome. Defensively, Curtis limited Gilstrap to just three made field goals despite giving up an inch and several pounds in size. Offensively, Curtis showed he can be a pick and pop 4-man or roll to the hoop and finish through contact. The lefty had two easy dunks off pick-and-rolls that he made look effortless. You can’t be that big, that skilled, play that well in the Dome and be unsigned for long. At the right D2, he’d have the potential to be a four or three-year starter on a team that competes for a national title. At the D1 level, he would benefit from a redshirt year in a program that could be patient.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="843789" first="Teagan" last="Hoard"] | 6-1 Combo Guard-Central Valley- Class of 2021 |</strong>  Hoard came off the bench to lead Central Valley in scoring with 13 points. He had several explosive and successful drives to the basket against the massively long and tall defenders that Mt. Si puts on the floor. An important spring looms for Hoard who may have a breakout senior season.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p>