Slighted Monroe boys make statement, blow past Gig Harbor

ARLINGTON — If you walked into the Monroe boys basketball locker room after their state tournament game against Gig Harbor at Arlington High School on Friday, you would think the boys were on their way to algebra after gym class.

The room was upbeat, but there was not any hooting or hollering. Especially not that of a program that won its first state playoff game in over 30 years.

Just weeks after drenching head coach Justin Prohn with a water cooler after clinching the Wesco 3A North title, the No. 10 seed Bearcats (22-3) calmly took care of business in a 62-33 win against the No. 15-seed Gig Harbor Tides (17-12) in the Boys 3A Basketball State Tournament, advancing to the Final 12 at the Tacoma Dome for the first time since 1993-94. Four Bearcat starters reached double figures, led by junior Wyatt Prohn (14 points).

It took Justin Prohn closing out his postgame remarks with, “We’re going to the Dome, baby!” to really get the team riled up. In his sixth season at Monroe, he feels a huge shift just in the past few weeks.

“I think we’ve grown up a lot in the last two, three weeks in the playoffs,” Prohn said. “It’s been like this growth of being new to this, but at the same time, the amount of growth and experience, and all that experience brings wisdom, so I can kind of tell they’re exhausted right now. … But I think they’re taking a really good, professional type of attitude towards this, and they know, ‘Alright, we got one more week.’”

Despite winning the District 1 3A championship, the Bearcats were named the No. 10 seed in 3A, five spots behind Edmonds-Woodway, which they defeated 61-56 in Saturday’s final. They were one of two district champions across all classes to not earn a top-8 seed along with La Conner, which won the District 1/2 2B Championship, but was named the 16th-seed after entering the state tournament 14-9.

“We were a little surprised, but there’s not much we can do about it,” senior Kieren Greear said earlier this week. “We can’t just sit there and be mad about it, we got to go win a game anyway. So we’re just ready to play.”

It turns out district champions might actually be pretty good. Who would’ve thought 🤷‍♂️ https://t.co/ADD68aCREw

— Coach O'Neill (@CoachONeillMHS) March 1, 2025

Feeling disrespected, the Bearcats made a statement on Friday, looking like the significantly stronger team from beginning to end.

The Bearcats got off to a strong start defensively, grabbing steals on four straight possessions, resulting in seven points at the other end. After hitting a 3 on the first possession, the Tide went without a point for nearly 6:30, and Monroe carried an 11-5 lead into the second.

The Bearcats continued to roll in the second quarter, stretching their lead to 15 by halftime due in large part to Greear (12 points) finishing off set plays under the basket.

Just three seconds before the break, in between Monroe junior Dominic Castillo’s two foul shots, Gig Harbor coach Billy Landram made his frustration known to his players, for the entire gym to hear.

“I’m embarrassed to even be here,” Landram exclaimed, back turned to the court.

Monroe fed off that frustration going into the third. Just 1:18 into the frame, Wyatt Prohn pulled down a hard rebound and pushed up court. With the offense set, the ball found its way to junior Caleb Campbell (11 points), who soared over the paint to flush a slam dunk. With the lead increased to 21 and in the midst of an eventual 8-0 Bearcats run to open the quarter, Gig Harbor called timeout. The Monroe crowd was electrified, students chanting, “On his head!”

But for the players, it was business as usual, no different than any timeout after a big run.

“I think it shows that we’re going to be composed, regardless of what happens,” Campbell said. “We really have to work together to stay calm, and that even though it’s a big deal, big environment we’re going to be playing.”

When Wyatt Prohn hit a 3-pointer with eight seconds left in the third to make it 49-22, it felt all but over.

“I feel good,” Wyatt said. “I’ve been in a little bit of a slump lately, but it felt good to get out of that a little bit.”

The Bearcats will face whoever loses Saturday’s game between second-seeded Mount Spokane and No. 7 seed Seattle Prep at the Tacoma Dome on Wednesday. A win would mean advancing to the Final 8. A loss ends what has already been a magical season.

Dealt a harder path by the seeding committee, Monroe could have chosen anger, letting the hand it had been dealt affect its play. Instead, it plowed forward with a mindset Greear put into words earlier this week:

“I just think no one wants to see the ‘Cats in March.”