WIAA State Tourney: 3A Semi-Final Previews

<p>As the state quarterfinals have come to an end yesterday, now there are only four teams left looking to compete and win a 3A state championship. Yet again the semifinals involve all teams from Metro League, interestingly enough only two of these teams were ranked high coming into the tournament.</p> <p>3A</p> <p>(1) Eastside Catholic vs. (4) Garfield</p> <p>3:45pm </p> <p>Garfield is coming off a dominant win against Marysville-Pilchuck, Bulldogs as a whole play with a high motor and it starts with their 6’8 forward [player_tooltip player_id="544251" first="Tari" last="Eason"] who is committed to Cincinnati. Look out for standout freshman [player_tooltip player_id="923128" first="Jaylin" last="Stewart"] who put up 15 points in his state tournament debut, [player_tooltip player_id="709046" first="Kendall" last="Munson"] who dominates the interior and has great size, also [player_tooltip player_id="674422" first="Koren" last="Johnson"] who can shoot from just about anywhere on the floor and pushes the tempo. [player_tooltip player_id="840335" first="Vatrevyon" last="Garner"] is critical to Garfield’s defensive identity because he’s going to defend baseline to baseline. Eastside Catholic comes into the tournament ranked 1st and has faced Garfield twice now with the mindset of not losing to them three times. With arguably the best point guard in Washington state [player_tooltip player_id="611186" first="Nolan" last="Hickman"] who does just about anything from scoring to passing and pushing the tempo. But Jaylahn Tuimoloau is a matchup nightmare because he can finish around the rim, score outside and can guard positions 1-5, [player_tooltip player_id="843715" first="Shane" last="Nowell"] is explosive in transition and can hurt opposing teams from midrange. A player to watch is [player_tooltip player_id="840305" first="Syon" last="Blackmon"], he scores in spurts which has been essential for the Crusaders all season.</p> <p>(7) O’Dea vs. (13) Rainier Beach</p> <p>5:30pm</p> <p>Rainier Beach has fought their way all season and have surprised a lot of people that they’ve made it here in the final four, but their journey hasn’t been easy at all. In the regionals round they beat Lincoln (Tacoma) with critical scoring from their guard [player_tooltip player_id="709055" first="John" last="Hart"] and defensive effort by [player_tooltip player_id="843728" first="Winston" last="Cole"]. Heading into this year’s state tournament the Vikings are ranked 13th, with come from behind wins against Evergreen (Vancouver) and Kamiakin they’ve earned themselves a chance to survive and advance. Players to watch [player_tooltip player_id="929621" first="Ziggy" last="Holmes-Williams"] who had 15 points and 8 rebounds in yesterday’s game, Nahmir Robinson who has great speed and plays with good pace, lastly Kejohn Atkins who can score from just about anywhere on the floor. O’Dea ranked 7th and coming off an overtime win against Seattle Prep are looking to advance past the Vikings to get where they were last year which was the championship game. With double-double machine [player_tooltip player_id="611182" first="Paolo" last="Banchero"] who has been dominant all season, players like [player_tooltip player_id="711278" first="John" last="Christofilis"] who is a sharpshooter provides critical scoring for the Fighting Irish. </p>