Schedule
Thursday’s Games
At the Tacoma Dome
Seattle Prep vs. Lakeside (Seattle), 3:45 p.m.
Garfield vs. Kennedy Catholic, 5:30 p.m.
Bellevue vs. Rainier Beach, 7:15 p.m.
Marysville Pilchuck vs. Eastside Catholic, 9 p.m.
Tickets
Adults—$12 per day, $28 for an all-tournament pass; seniors and students with ASB cards—$10 and $23; children 5 and younger—free.
Players to watch
Jaylen Nowell, Garfield: Nowell is just a sophomore, but averaged 23.5 points and six rebounds per game this season for the Bulldogs. He’s scored in double figures every game this season. The Bulldogs won the 4A state championship last season and will need Nowell to be at his best if they are going to win a loaded 3A tournament this year.
Dejounte Murray, Rainier Beach: The Washington commit is a double-double machine. He averages 24.2 points and 13.6 rebounds for the defending 3A state champions. The Vikings seem to be a staple in the big game, but getting through this loaded 3A tournament will be one of their biggest challenges to date.
Matisse Thybulle, Eastside Catholic: The 6-foot-6 senior is a dominating presence inside, averaging 18.2 points and 8.2 rebounds per game this season. The UW-bound Thybulle helped the Crusaders reach the state championship game last season. It will be a tough road for Thybulle and his teammates to return to the big game. If they get past Marysville Pilchuck in the first round, they will face the winner of Rainier Beach and Bellevue in the semifinals — the top two teams in the final AP poll of the season.
Isiah Brown, Lakeside: In a Metro Conference loaded with talent, Brown stood out as the league’s top scorer, averaging an eye-popping 28.2 points per game. The junior scored over 30 points 13 different times this season. The Lions come into the state tournament with a 21-7 record, but have failed to beat any of the top-three teams in the AP poll so far this season.
Gunther Klimes, Bellevue: The senior, who has committed to Army, leads five Wolverines players that average double figures in scoring with 14.9 points per game. Klimes might not standout like some of the other high-flyers and top-scorers in the 3A boys tournament, but he has helped Bellevue to a 23-3 record this season. The Wolverines were ranked second in the final Associated Press poll of the season and scored a big victory over No. 3-ranked Garfield in the District 2 tournament.
The Favorite: Garfield
The Bulldogs were third in the final 3A Associated Press poll of the season, but the top three teams in the poll (No. 1 Rainier Beach, No. 2 Bellevue and Garfield) each received at least one first-place vote. The Bulldogs, who have lost just twice all season, won the 4A state championship a year ago and have a roster loaded with talent. Bellevue, Rainier Beach and Eastside Catholic could all be in the mix, but the slight edge goes to the Bulldogs.
The Herald predicts …
Garfield cruises through its half of the bracket and in the championship game takes down Rainier Beach, which narrowly edges No. 2-ranked Bellevue in Thursday’s quarterfinals.
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