Stars Shine as Tacoma Quarterfinals Top Performers

The competition keeps ramping up as we get deeper into the state playoffs in Tacoma. Here are 15 of the top performers who shined brightest over the course of quarterfinal play yesterday at The T-Dome.    24 pts 12 rebs 11 asts 9/12 FG   It was another all-around dominant performance for Stokes, whose combination of length by the rim, footwork, and vision on the go makes him almost unstoppable. When he drives inside, he has the strength to finish through multiple guys, and if even more defenders come over to help, he's going to make the right find.     17 pts 6 rebs 5 asts 6 stls 6/7 FG   Ili-Meneese had eight first-half points when Beach trailed O'Dea, and a lot of it came just from anticipating the action and getting out ahead of the defense in transition. In the second half, he continued to be efficient at the rim while sprinkling in some playmaking off his paint touches. In addition to the proficiency on offense, his hands were everywhere on the defensive end, leading to six steals and countless other pokes and deflections.     18 pts 2 stls 7/13 FG 4/6 3PT   Even as O'Dea clung to a five-point halftime lead, you knew it was inevitable that both Stokes and Crawford got going at some point. Crawford exploded in the second half with four 3-pointers and multiple dunks, on his way to 18 points. A lot of those dunks and threes came off of forced turnovers, and Crawford, along with Stokes and [player_tooltip player_id='2140846' first='Micah' last='Ili-Meneese'], played a huge role atop Beach's 3-2 zone. Their combined length gave the Irish a lot of problems and led to quick offense.     19 pts   Groves had a nice inside, outside game working. He would bury a three, then get a strong bucket inside, bumping defenders back. He came in clutch, not just with the game-winning shot inside, but with a big three that put them up one with 30 seconds remaining in regulation.     18 pts 5/6 FT   Costello made big play after big play late in their double-overtime loss to Gonzaga Prep. First, hitting a three to cut the deficit to one with 2:30 remaining in the fourth, then converting a tough scooping layup to take the lead with 1:24 left. He also tied it up later with two free throws and showed some real guts and confidence in the big moments that had Puyallup right there until the end.     15 pts 2 stls 6/9 FG   Bennett made some key plays across their upset victory over top-seeded Mount Si. He was able to cash in from each level, working hard on and off the ball to create good looks. He also made two huge plays at the end, diving and securing a loose ball, and then sinking two free throws with five seconds remaining to put them up five.     19 pts 7/11 FG   Mosley was solid on both ends of the floor and continued to make strong drives and well-timed cuts to get to the rim and finish. He had one superb reverse finish with some english, and then drained a half-court shot to beat the third-quarter buzzer. He led the team with 19 points.     23 pts 11 rebs 3 asts 3 blks 2 stls 10/16 FG   Ford led the game with his 23 points and was nearly unstoppable with his determination to get to the rim. He started the game with a three and then a big alley-oop, and continued his assault on the rim with aggressive transition takes and some strong slashes, splitting defenders and getting all the way to the hoop.     19 pts 8 rebs 3 asts 2 blks   He was frustrated in the first half but turned it on in the second half to help the Rams eat at Richlands' lead. He does a fantastic job when he gets inside at going up into defenders. He takes away any ability to block his shot, and he has the size and strength to get a clear look up high, or draw some contact and work to the foul line.     33 pts 7 rebs 5/14 3PT 8/8 FT   Northrop came out hot, hitting two threes right over defenders in the early part of the opening quarter. He ended with five threes and had some backbreaking shots right over the top of tight defense that just made it seem West Valley would not close the gap. He also finished a couple of and-ones inside, and was a threat throughout the game with 16 first-half points and 17 in the second.     20 pts 6 rebs 3 asts 2 blks 2 stls 9/11 2FG   Horntvedt was just too much for the Rams inside the arc, going 9-for-11 on twos with a handful of dunks and shots in close, but also mixed in a couple of midrange shots where he just elevated over the defense. His size was a factor on the defensive end too, where he matched up with [player_tooltip player_id='1587955' first='Parker' last='Mills'] and helped contain the Rams' big man to just four made field goals.     18 pts 9 rebs 3 stls   Wiggins came out of the gates feeling it from distance and ended up being that steady offensive presence the Lions needed to build a lead and advance. His ability to stretch the floor and handle the ball helped set up Bellarmine's bigs with some more space to operate around the key, and his decision-making helped them control the pace throughout the contest.     17 pts 6 rebs 6 asts 5/11 3PT   Lamar has taken a big step forward this season, and a lot of it has to do with his improved outside shooting. He knocked down five 3-pointers yesterday en route to a game-high 17 points. He looked in full control with the ball and also dimed teammates, including a big alley-oop pass to Shareef-Dulaney just before the first quarter ended.     13 pts 4 asts   It wasn't his biggest stat line, but his impact was felt throughout the game, and he came through with some key 3-pointers with a high-degree of difficulty that kept momentum on Lincoln's side. He did some great playmaking too, with quick passes ahead, as well as some great extra passes after drawing up multiple defenders that gave his guys wide-open looks. And he got it done on the defensive side with a big block and some steals.     20 pts 7 asts 4 rebs 2 stls   Nagel had a game-high 20 points, and it seemed each bucket was a hard-earned point. He had two big threes, worked to the line for nine attempts, and was finishing tough shots inside. He also hit a running 3-pointer with 4.0 seconds left to cut the deficit to one.

The competition keeps ramping up as we get deeper into the state playoffs in Tacoma. Here are 15 of the top performers who shined brightest over the course of quarterfinal play yesterday at The T-Dome.