Best of Wesco 4A boys set to clash in WIAA Round of 12

While most teams who advanced to the Tacoma Dome for this week’s WIAA State Basketball Round of 12 will face off against unfamiliar foes from across the state, Glacier Peak and Arlington — the top two Wesco 4A teams — will clash for the third time this season.

The No. 3 seed Grizzlies (21-3) went 12-0 in conference play this season and won the District 1/2 4A Championship, but after losing to six-seeded West Valley 59-55 on Friday, they missed their chance to lock in a quarterfinal berth. The Grizzlies placed third in Tacoma last season and are hoping to reach greater heights this time around.

On the other side is the No. 14 seed Eagles (19-7), whose only two losses in conference play this season were at the hands of Glacier Peak. The Eagles fell in the District 1/2 4A semifinals against Mount Si, missing their chance to exact revenge against the Grizzlies in the championship, but now they get it after defeating No. 11 seed Kentwood 57-56 on Friday.

Despite holding the higher seed and winning both head-to-head matches this year, Glacier Peak is not taking the competition lightly, especially when coming off a competitive loss to get to this point.

“Definitely zero comfort level,” Glacier Peak coach Brian Hunter said. “I would say that we have a ton of respect for Arlington. … They’ll be the most senior-laden team in Tacoma, so this is kind of one of those ‘all your cards are out there’ (games), and this is their time. So that’s a really difficult team to play against because I think that group realizes this is it for them.”

The Eagles, meanwhile, are feeling good after a gutsy one-point win to advance to the Round of 12. It’s Arlington’s third season in a row reaching this point, but they lost each of the previous two times in the 3A tournament. Now in 4A, they’re hoping their experience will be enough to push them over the top.

The Eagles topped Kentwood despite trailing by 11 with about six minutes left. Thanks to a 14-0 run that saw every player deliver when it counted, Arlington is still in the mix. Arlington coach Drew Bryson reciprocated the respect towards Glacier Peak, and after passing a major test against Kentwood, feels ready for the next one.

“We got tons of respect for Glacier Peak. They have a lot of talent, they’re really well-coached, they’re disciplined,” Bryson said. “They’re one of the top teams in the state for a reason. We really wanted that matchup, we were hoping to get them in the district championship game. … So we’re excited for that test. We’re excited to be back in the Dome, but we’re not satisfied. And we’re gonna, hopefully, be putting together 32 minutes of good basketball.”

Thirty-two minutes of good basketball for the Eagles starts with senior Leyton Martin. The 2025 Wesco 4A League MVP and All-State guard will have to be on his game for Arlington to have a chance. But that doesn’t mean he needs to do it all himself.

During the aforementioned 14-0 run against Kentwood that pushed Arlington to the win on Friday, Martin did not score a point. Instead, he facilitated for Kaid Hunter (19 points) and Billy Kooy (15 points). Martin scored 14 in a relatively quiet scoring performance — he averages 24 per game — but the boost he gave the rest of his team made the difference.

“I think we have a lot of guys who are playing hard right now, and they’re playing well,” Martin said. “I think if we can continue to carry that, we’re going to be super tough to beat. I think we had a lot of guys that knocked down shots last game, and we shot at a clip. If we can do that again, I don’t think anyone can really stay with us.”

Martin will have a familiar counterpart on Wednesday in Glacier Peak senior Jo Lee. The First Team All-Wesco guard has led the Grizzlies all season, and he played on the same AAU teams as Martin: the Seattle Stars in fourth and fifth grade, then Seattle Select through most of high school.

The two have remained friends and text each other throughout the season. Martin even attended Glacier Peak’s regional loss on Friday against West Valley, because he has friends on both sides.

While talking after the game, Lee told Martin: “If you guys beat Kentwood, we’ll see you guys again.”

“Yeah, we will,” Martin replied. And a day later, his prediction came true. The matchup was set.

Glacier Peak won the first matchup 70-62 in a close game on Dec. 13, then got out to a fast start and rolled the Eagles 57-44 on Jan. 17. A lot of time has passed since then — relative to a basketball season, at least — but both sides know what they’ll be stepping into on Wednesday when things tip off at 9 a.m.

“It’s definitely really hard to beat a team three times,” Lee said. “But I mean, it goes both ways. They know us pretty well, compared to just a random matchup. … We just need to play together and execute our game plan that our coach has for us.

“Tacoma games, we know from last year, can go either way. You can’t really get comfortable with any sort of lead, so you always have to keep that in mind.”

Only one of these teams will advance to the state quarterfinals on Thursday. Of all the paths that could have led them there, this one feels the most fitting.