State Tournament: Top Performers in the Quarterfinals (3A)

<p>The 3A quarterfinals were exciting, to say the least. The first three games were all nail biters and within five points. The game of the day between #1 Garfield and #2 Auburn went into overtime. Mt. Spokane was the only team with a double-digit win and they ran away from Mountlake Terrace in convincing fashion. There were a ton of great performances in the quarterfinal matchups but these players showed up and showed out. </p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="674424" first="Braeden" last="Smith"] - 5’11 PG - Seattle Prep</strong></p> <p>Basketball is a game of runs and Smith went on a run of his own in the third quarter. After making multiple plays at the rim, Smith knocked down a three at the buzzer after sprinting to the corner and pump faking the defender into the baseline. Whenever Eastside Catholic seemed to find a spark, Smith would make a play. He took the game over and had no intentions of losing in the first game of the day. The future Colgate point guard used his speed all morning to keep control of the game and run the show for his team.  </p> <p><strong>Kenzel Massey - 6’7 SG/SF - Garfield</strong></p> <p>Massey did everything he could to avoid the loss. It seemed like he showed up every time the Bulldogs needed him. He knocked down big threes to end scoring droughts. He got deflections to disrupt the flow of the Trojans’ offense. He was the anchor on defense with three blocks and six defensive rebounds. Massey even started overtime with his signature step-back three but his 16 point effort just wasn’t enough to get the win. </p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="674438" first="Maleek" last="Arington"] - 6’3 PG - Auburn</strong></p> <p>If you watched the start of this star-studded game, you know just how special Arington was today. He came out the gate attacking the rack. He ended the quarter showing his range as he knocked down a three as the defense tried to protect the paint. The Bulldogs didn’t seem to have an answer for the strong point guard. After his big first half, he knocked down free throws and made smart plays on both ends to keep the game within reach. His teammates stepped up big to finish off the Bulldogs but it was Arington’s big start that set the tone for the Auburn boys. </p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="929619" first="Jaelin" last="Green"] - 6’5 SF/PF - Rainier Beach</strong></p> <p>Green came up big for Beach in their matchup against Gig Harbor. The football star brought energy and effort on both ends. He seemed to be on the receiving end of the majority of the assists from his teammates with multiple dump-off dimes. Don’t be mistaken though, Green has a nice spin move in his bag which showed that his footwork on the football field translates over to the court. Green had 15 points on 6/8 shooting.</p> <p><strong>Xavier Kamalu-Vargas - 6'1 PG - Mt. Spokane</strong></p> <p>Kamalu-Vargas led the game in scoring and assists in the win on Thursday afternoon. The senior point guard had 16 points and he did it without even attempting a three. But what impressed me the most was his passing. He had 6 assists but he showed that getting his teammates involved came naturally. He made one-handed passes with either hand, post-entry passes, and made the correct pass when attacking the basket. His stat line was solid and the hidden gem was his zero turnovers through 26 minutes of play. </p> <p>&nbsp;</p>