Battle Royale Recap

Ryan Morgan October 23, 2023 @ 02:18 PM

<p>Saturday afternoon I stopped by the Rainier Vista Boys & Girls Club to watch some of the top teams across the state face off. It was a great opportunity not just to see many of the top players in the state, but also to get acquainted with one of the newest prep schools in the area and see some talent from Spokane in person. Here's a rundown of all the action I witnessed on a busy Saturday.</p>   <p><strong><em>Teams in Attendance: </em></strong>Mt Si, Garfield, Eastside Catholic, Bellevue, North Central, Annie Wright, Roosevelt (OR), Great Futures Prep</p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Bellevue vs Annie Wright, 65-64 (OT)</h2>   <p>This was a back-and-forth game for all four quarters. Two complete teams that gave each other their best shot. Even at the end, it came down to the ball bouncing one team's way. Annie Wright's [player_tooltip player_id='1450983' first='Jeremiah' last='Harshman'] blocked a shot attempt right in front of the rim but the ball fell into the hands of [player_tooltip player_id='1451019' first='Marco' last='Varani'] standing nearby. Varani put the ball up and in uncontested, leaving just two seconds left for the Gators to respond.</p>   <h3 class="wp-block-heading"><em>Standouts</em></h3>   <p><em>Bellevue </em>- [player_tooltip player_id='2140825' first='Jimmie' last='Haywood III'], [player_tooltip player_id='1485587' first='Bryce' last='Smith'], [player_tooltip player_id='1984504' first='Taylor' last='Mwale'], [player_tooltip player_id='1451019' first='Marco' last='Varani'], [player_tooltip player_id='1863256' first='Nick' last='Norrah']</p>   <p><em>Annie</em> <em>Wright </em>- [player_tooltip player_id='1450980' first='Martin' last='Kaupanger'], [player_tooltip player_id='1450983' first='Jeremiah' last='Harshman'], [player_tooltip player_id='1625220' first='TJ' last='Marshall'], [player_tooltip player_id='1587969' first='Gabriel' last='Walsh']</p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Garfield vs Mt Si, 68-64</h2>   <p>This was a matchup I was really excited for. Possibly two title favorites, one in the 4A, and one in the 3A, squaring up in a matchup you probably won't see again. Both teams lived up to the hype and it was a battle to the final buzzer. Garfield was able to stretch the floor from 3-point land and came up with some timely defensive plays to swing the game their way. </p>   <h3 class="wp-block-heading"><em>Standouts</em></h3>   <p><em>Garfield </em>- [player_tooltip player_id='1450985' first='Legend' last='Smiley'], [player_tooltip player_id='1450575' first='Ishe' last='Kanhukamwe'], [player_tooltip player_id='1450500' first='Jamari' last='Harris'], [player_tooltip player_id='2173107' first='Isiah' last='Davis']</p>   <p><em>Mt Si </em>- [player_tooltip player_id='1450486' first='Trevor' last='Hennig'], [player_tooltip player_id='1450494' first='Blake' last='Forrest'], [player_tooltip player_id='1685491' first='Lattimore' last='Ford'], [player_tooltip player_id='2021624' first='Brady' last='Hennig']</p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Great Futures Prep vs Bellevue, 82-59</h2>   <p>This game started out pretty even but GFP's length and size up front helped the Blue Sharks steadily build the lead over the first half and end up running away with the game in the second half. Their bigs deterred a lot of paint shots and did a great job rim-running in transition. Meanwhile, their guards were pestering Bellevue's ballhandlers and making most trips down the floor a grind. </p>   <h3 class="wp-block-heading"><em>Standouts</em></h3>   <p><em>Great Futures Prep </em>- [player_tooltip player_id='1450946' first='Tait' last='Spencer'], <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2300107' first='Lucius' last='Fox']</strong>, <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2300104' first='Mo' last='Diao']</strong>, [player_tooltip player_id='1450933' first='Xavier' last='Santana'], <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2307319' first='Myles' last='Moore']</strong></p>   <p><em>Bellevue </em>- [player_tooltip player_id='1615160' first='Kenyan' last='Jackman-Thomas'], [player_tooltip player_id='1984504' first='Taylor' last='Mwale'], [player_tooltip player_id='1451019' first='Marco' last='Varani']</p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Eastside Catholic vs North Central, 70-60</h2>   <p>This was a matchup I did not want to miss. Both teams came in with prominent frontcourt players and brought size you don't always see line up face-to-face at the high school level. When it was all said and done though, it was the [player_tooltip player_id='1450484' first='Jacob' last='Cofie'] show. At 6-foot-9, he had the skill to bring the ball up the floor, break down his man off the bounce, hit tough shots from various spots, and was a load at the rim. It was a really impressive showing on his end and any time North Central made a big play it seemed Cofie answered with one of his own. North Central's bigs fought hard and had a handful of their own highlight plays but the Crusaders were too much.</p>   <h3 class="wp-block-heading"><em>Standouts</em></h3>   <p><em>Eastside Catholic </em>- [player_tooltip player_id='1450484' first='Jacob' last='Cofie'], [player_tooltip player_id='1685489' first='Yeabsera' last='Aklog'], [player_tooltip player_id='1662790' first='Luke' last='Johnson'], <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2627277' first='Steven' last='Sun']</strong></p>   <p><em>North Central </em>- [player_tooltip player_id='1450982' first='Gelonni' last='“JuJu” Ervin'], [player_tooltip player_id='1450562' first='Jacori' last='Ervin'], [player_tooltip player_id='1450604' first='Eli' last='Williams'], [player_tooltip player_id='2205067' first='Trevelle' last='Jones']</p>

Saturday afternoon I stopped by the Rainier Vista Boys & Girls Club to watch some of the top teams across the state face off. It was a great opportunity not just to see many of the top players in the state, but also to get acquainted with one of the newest prep schools in the area and see some talent from Spokane in person. Here's a rundown of all the action I witnessed on a busy Saturday.