February 15th District Playoff Snapshot

Everyone’s getting that itch for March and there were some great matchups Tuesday night. Teams were trying to get one step closer to the big dance. Here’s a glimpse into who fought to the bitter end to lift their teams up and grab the W. 2A - Ridgefield 46 Tumwater 51 There was some awesome defense on display at Woodland High School as both teams packed in and made life difficult inside the paint. Neither team could find much in terms of outside shooting and every possession loomed large in this thrilling district matchup between the Spudders (candidate for best mascot in the state) and the Thunderbirds. Henry Hughes 6’2 G Ridgefield 2022 Hughes was the main source of offense for Ridgefield on a night that defense ruled. He hit from every level, showing nice touch inside on floaters over bigger defenders. He had to work hard for every bucket and spent every bit of endurance he had running around screens, making cuts, all just to find a little opening. Late in the game, he drilled a three-pointer that cut the deficit to four. It proved too little, too late, and his team fell just short in the end. Ty Snider 6’3 F Ridgefield 2022 Snider made his impact on the defensive side of the ball, matching up with Tumwater’s [player_tooltip player_id="1270732" first="Luke" last="Brewer"] for much of the game. Not many guys can take Brewer out of the game completely, but Snider was making life difficult, and Brewer was held to just 9 points on 4-10 shooting. Aside from stellar defense, Snider was able to make some hard cuts and came up with a few timely buckets when the Spudders were sputtering. Andrew Collins 6’3 G Tumwater 2023 Collins is a slashing guard who can make an impact on the glass and gives full effort for four quarters. He provided 10 points on 4-8 shooting, which is huge considering the team had just 51 points. He was slashing hard to the hoop and attacking the glass to clean up misses, limiting the Spudder’s possessions. [player_tooltip player_id="1270732" first="Luke" last="Brewer"] 6’1 G Tumwater 2023 The standout guard was held in check by his normal standards, halving his season scoring average of 18.7 ppg. He did manage to dish out 7 helpers and snagged a team-high 9 rebounds. With under a minute to go in the contest, Brewer drained a killer trey ball to extend the lead to nine and essentially put Ridgefield away. Connor Hopkins 6’2 G/F Tumwater 2023 The junior provided some big hustle plays that were magnified in the low-scoring game. He played tough defense without fouling, which would prove crucial with a few of his teammates on the brink of fouling out. He even drew two charges and was a momentum eater. With time dwindling down, Ridgefield missed a shot, Hopkins chased it down among a crowd of Spudders and was fouled. He drained the freebies, nailing down the win. Tumwater will wait until Friday to take on RA Long in the District 4 championship, 8:00 pm at Mark Morris High School. Ridgefield went up against WF West Thursday night in a loser-out game. The Spudders came up just short, losing 44-48. 4A - Skyline 44 Mt Si 63 It’s tough to judge any team against the Mt Si Wildcats this year. Their undefeated season continues with another dominant win on Tuesday. The story of the game was the elite team passing by the Wildcats. Don’t believe me? Every Wildcat that played (aside from garbage time) notched multiple assists. They made a huge run in the second quarter that ultimately proved to be the difference. It is clearly a team that has put in a lot of minutes together and they should make a deep run at State. Skyline had a tough time getting going but showed real fight and aside from the second quarter, played Mt Si tough. Trey Crandall 6’1 G Skyline 2023 Crandall was a beast against Mt Si. He didn’t shy away from their size inside, going right at the bigs to finish at the cup. He ran the show for the Spartans, getting high usage and showing excellent activity on both sides of the ball. He’s an athletic player who locks in every possession and can float towards the rim. The Skyline guard has a smooth-looking jump shot, using it to pull up from mid-range time and again. Kyler Pryzbyski 6’0 G Skyline 2023 Pryzbyski is another guard who can bring the ball up and get the offense rolling. He’s a patient recipient of the pick and roll, keeping the defense guessing if he’s going to keep it or hit the roller. Kyler works to get good looks and displayed an effective pull up from about 10 feet and in, finding the dead zones in the defense. He’s a pesky defender and puts up strong finishes at the rim when he gets going. [player_tooltip player_id="674432" first="Bennett" last="O’Connor"] 6’0 G Mt Si 2022 Pretty sure I’ve said it before, but I’ll say it again - O’Connor is one of the best point guards in the state. He brought it early in this one draining a deep three and then following it up with a steal and a bucket on the next possession. He gets the ball down the court in a hurry and has big bursts from the triple threat, covering tons of ground in just one dribble that opens up looks for pull-ups from mid-range. He’s the guy that gets the engine going, and right now it’s hard to imagine it stopping any time soon. [player_tooltip player_id="674427" first="Quin" last="Patterson"] 6’7 G/F Mt Si 2022 Patterson matched up with Dylan Reilly early on, a 6’6 shooter for the Spartans. Patterson knew this and wasn’t giving Reilly any room to breathe, playing great off-ball defense and limiting opportunities for the lengthy shooter. Then Quin started heating up offensively. He had the touch from downtown and showed why his shot is hard to bother. He finished 5-10 from long range on his way to 17 points. Mt Si heads to Everett Community College to face off with Woodinville for the District championship game. Tip-off is at 7:30 pm, Friday night. Skyline went on to lose to Mariner, 54-74 Thursday night. They have one more shot against Glacier Peak at Lake Washington High School on Saturday the 19th, at 7:15 pm. 4A - Bothell 62 Glacier Peak 76 The Weather Girls must have been in attendance at Glacier Peak High School because it was raining threes, hallelujah, it was raining threes. Both squads were whapping the long-range shots on their way to a back-and-forth affair. Glacier Peak stretched the lead to 16 in the third quarter, but Bothell clawed back to make it a 5-point game. That’s as close as they would get on a career night for [player_tooltip player_id="931210" first="Bobby" last="Siebers"]. [player_tooltip player_id="923129" first="Nikita" last="Tyukalo"] 6’5 G Bothell 2023 Tyukalo should be a household name in Washington hoops, if he isn’t already. He’s a baller with an all-around game accented by his scoring ability. An aggressive rebounder, skying high to reel them in, Tyukalo also shows off a slick passing ability. He can finish with some guile around the rim and if you’re guarding the tall guard, be ready for him to pull from deep - because he will make it. Tyson Hoke 6’2 G Bothell 2024 Hoke is just a sophomore but showed some real sand in the latter moments of the game. Glacier Peak made run after run to try and stretch the game out of reach, but Hoke was a huge factor in keeping it close. He was dialed in from long distance, nailing numerous clutch threes and looking like a sharpshooter in the making. Aiden Davis 5’8 G Glacier Peak 2022 Davis was content to orchestrate the offense, get guys in position and keep the offense rolling for most of the contest. He had moments where he showed excellent acceleration towards the hoop and soared towards a strong finish. He can put a little English on it too and is nice finisher inside. Jo Lee 6’0 G Glacier Peak 2025 The freshman has incredible IQ for any player, let alone one in his first year of high school. He can bury them from deep or drive to the hoop and make art of his finishes. He’s bouncy, confident, and a natural on the floor. Lee has been a secondary scorer for the Grizzlies this season, filling a huge role behind senior leader, [player_tooltip player_id="931210" first="Bobby" last="Siebers"]. [player_tooltip player_id="931210" first="Bobby" last="Siebers"] 6’4 G Glacier Peak 2022 Siebers was getting it from inside, getting it from outside, hitting from the line, and putting in major work on the offensive glass. He did a great job sealing defenders inside and going up quick, sinking bunnies or drawing fouls. As usual, he was lights out from behind the arc, knocking one down at the end of the first half to stretch the lead to 11. He ended the night with a career high, 38 points, getting 21 of those in the first half. Glacier Peak moved on to face Jackson Thursday night, a game they lost 59-69. They now go up against Skyline in a winner to Regionals game, Friday at 7:15, at Lake Washington High School. These teams met on February 12th; Skyline took it 59-50. Bothell was eliminated with the loss.