Mid-Season Update: 3A Class (Part 2)

As the season begins the second half of the year, meaning league play begins and games begin to mean a lot more to teams. For this article, I will be taking a look into the 3A class and see which teams are sitting on top of each conference standings and which teams are potential favorites to play deep into the state tournament.   Metro Mountain Conference:   Eastside Catholic HS - RPI: 2 - Record: 10-1 (7-0) - Eastside Catholic is always a top team in the entire state and have a plethora of talent from top to bottom. They are a well rounded team who knows how to win games and do so in a big fashion. [player_tooltip player_id='1251215' first='Alex' last='Elston'], [player_tooltip player_id='1450620' first='Nate' last='Krohn'], [player_tooltip player_id='1685489' first='Yeabsera' last='Aklog'] are some guys who are leading the charge for the squad.   O'Dea HS - RPI: 22 - Record: 10-5 (7-1) - Top to bottom O'Dea could have the most talented roster in the entire state. [player_tooltip player_id='1463067' first='Noel' last='Davis'] is an electric guard who scores at all 3 levels smoothly and is as crafty as they come with the ball in his hands. Air Force commit [player_tooltip player_id='1440564' first='Malcolm' last='Clark'] is a big time presence who makes big plays on both sides of the ball. [player_tooltip player_id='1315357' first='Isaiah' last='Cunningham'] is a wing who provides some great shooting on the outside. [player_tooltip player_id='1631541' first='Breylon' last='Webb'], [player_tooltip player_id='1685492' first='Brian' last='Webster'], and [player_tooltip player_id='1685493' first='Doni' last='Burkett'] are some young studs who have big roles too.   Garfield HS - RPI: 24 - Record: 5-3 (5-3) - Garfield has only played conference games so far, which could help and hurt them as the season progresses. It may help because they have been locked in on key conference games the entire season but it may hurt as those extra non-conference games provides more experience for teams. [player_tooltip player_id='1450985' first='Legend' last='Smiley'] is a complete player, one of the best offensive threats in the the state. [player_tooltip player_id='1450500' first='Jamari' last='Harris'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1450492' first='Ajayi' last='Simmons'] are some big time talents as well.   Rainier Beach HS - RPI: 28 - Record: 6-5 (4-5) - Rainier Beach has lost the last couple games, against the top teams in the Metro league. They have proved they could beat top teams too, defeating O'Dea already once this year. [player_tooltip player_id='1850299' first='Kaden' last='Powers'] is an offensive threat at ll levels and puts the ball in the bucket smoothly. [player_tooltip player_id='1451029' first='Nyale' last='Robinson'] has a solid deep shot and also facilitates the offense to a high level. [player_tooltip player_id='1598394' first='Dominik' last='Robinson'] is a 6'9" powerhouse down low in the paint and is sneaky athletic.   Other Teams: West Seattle HS - 7-6 (3-5), Nathan Hale HS - 5-8 (3-5), Seattle Prep - 7-7 (2-6), Bishop Blanchet HS - 2-7 (1-7)   Metro Sound Conference:   Roosevelt HS - RPI: 3 - Record: 10-0 (8-0) -   Ballard HS - RPI: 14 - Record: 11-2 (6-2) -   Cleveland HS - RPI: 36 - Record: 6-6 (5-3) -   Other Teams: Ingraham HS - 8-6 (5-3), Lakeside HS - 3-6 (3-5), Lincoln HS - 3-9 (2-6), Franklin HS - 2-7 (2-6), Chief Sealth HS - 1-11 (1-7)   Pierce County Conference:   Stadium HS - RPI: 9 - Record: 11-2 (6-0) - Stadium plays well rounded and has been playing very consistent all season long. Their roster is filled with juniors and seniors, so having so much experience already should help them in their attempt to make a deep tournament run.   Mt Tahoma HS - RPI: 20 - Record: 8-4 (4-2) - Mt Tahoma is also a very experienced team that contains a lot of seniors and play a very well rounded game on both sides of the ball. Tre' Walker and [player_tooltip player_id='1447650' first='Carter' last='Williford'] are guards that play off each other at a high level.   Lincoln HS - RPI: 10 - Record: 10-3 (4-2) - Lincoln is a great team who is stacked with seniors on their roster. Experience like that pays off for the teams who make deep runs into the state tournament. They are athletic with some solid sized bigs down low.   Other Teams: Lakes HS - 8-4 (4-3), Spanaway Lake HS - 8-5 (3-3), Silas HS - 6-7 (1-5), Bonney Lake HS: 1-12 (0-6)   South Sound Conference:   North Thurston HS - RPI: 8 - Record: 12-1 (7-0) - North Thurston has been playing at a very high level and are a top team in the 3A class. They have played in many close games, but always know how to find a way to pull out the win. [player_tooltip player_id='1463068' first='Ray' last='Adams'] is a 6'7" wing who plays multiple positions and scores smoothly.   Gig Harbor HS - RPI: 15 - Record: 14-2 (6-1) - Gig Harbor is a well balanced, well coached team. They do a great job at making teams play to their pace while also being one of the tallest teams in the class. Sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='1601813' first='Michael' last='Masini'] is a wing who scores smoothly and has a long length on the perimeter. [player_tooltip player_id='1612262' first='Luke' last='Allison'] is a 6'8" big framed post who finishes around the rim smoothly.   Other Teams: Timberline HS - 7-6 (5-2), River Ridge HS - 5-6 (4-4), Peninsula HS - 2-8 (2-5), Yelm HS - 4-7 (2-5), Capital HS - 2-10 (2-5), Central Kitsap HS - 2-9 (1-5)   WESCO 3A Conference:   Mountlake Terrace HS - RPI: 1 - Record: 11-1 (8-0) - Mountlake Terrace has been the top player in the 3A class so far this season, having some very quality wins against the top conference teams and also back to back 2A state champ Lynden. [player_tooltip player_id='1450563' first='Jaxon' last='Dubiel'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1450489' first='Zaveon' last='Jones'] lead this experienced Hawks team that features mostly seniors.   Arlington HS - RPI: 17 - Record: 10-4 (7-1) - [player_tooltip player_id='1451025' first='Leyton' last='Martin'] has been a fantastic leader for this squad all season long and the team plays well as a unit, being very disciplined. They've been able to hold onto some close games but have showed some signs of struggle against more complete teams.   Monroe HS - RPI: 27 - Record: 9-3 (7-1) - Monroe has some sneaky athletes and a lot of players that go under the radar. They have nice size and length but have also played a tough non-conference schedule which will help them in the long run of this season.   Shorewood HS - RPI: 16 - Record: 10-3 (6-1) - Shorewood has been an impressive team so far this season, winning quite a few games in dominate fashion. They have solid size and great team chemistry, they are a team to keep an eye on throughout the rest of the year.   Cedarcrest HS - RPI: 2 - Record: 11-2 (6-2) - Here is a team that not many probably thought would be where they are, ranked in the top 5 for RPI. I watched Cedarcrest win the Laurel Shootout last summer and was very impressed by how they competed as a team. Jack LeBlanc has been playing some great basketball, [player_tooltip player_id='1837774' first='Alex' last='Amaral'] is a wing who scores the ball very well, [player_tooltip player_id='1984477' first='Murphy' last='Vliem'] is the glue guy who also provides a big spark on both sides of the ball.   Everett HS - RPI: 30 - Record: 9-6 (7-2) - Everett is a team who I don't think teams can under-estimate. They are able to score the ball well as a team with [player_tooltip player_id='1450954' first='Isaiah' last='White'] leading the charge. White is crafty with the ball and knows how to get to his spots easily. [player_tooltip player_id='1978880' first='Ty' last='Bloomfield'] is an electric guard with great vision and a lights out deep shot.   Marysville Getchell HS - RPI: 23 - Record: 10-4 (5-4) - Getchell is a team that finds ways to stay in games. [player_tooltip player_id='1444804' first='Arion' last='Palacol'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1547314' first='Shawn' last='Etheridge'] play off each other well and are a dynamic guard duo. The only thing that may hold them back from making a deep run ia a lack of size, but they have found ways around it so far.   Other Teams: Edmonds-Woodway HS - 7-6 (5-3), Stanwood HS - 4-7 (4-5), Meadowdale HS - 5-8 (2-6) - Archbishop Murphy (2A) - 4-9 (1-7), Cascade HS - 4-8 (1-7), Marysville Pilchuck HS - 2-11 (1-7), Snohomish HS - 4-10 (1-8), Lynnwood HS - 0-13 (0-9)

As the season begins the second half of the year, meaning league play begins and games begin to mean a lot more to teams. For this article, I will be taking a look into the 3A class and see which teams are sitting on top of each conference standings and which teams are potential favorites to play deep into the state tournament.