Herald staff
TACOMA – University of Washington fans may soon find out what the Snohomish boys basketball team learned first-hand on Saturday afternoon: That Brandon Roy kid can play.
Roy, a 6-foot-6 senior at Garfield High School who will play at UW next season, scored 38 points in the Bulldogs’ 71-70 win over Snohomish on Saturday. Roy’s total marked the most points scored in this year’s 4A state tournament. (The all-time record of 48 was set in 1955.)
“This is my last (high school) game ever,” Roy said, “so I just wanted to come out and have a good game.”
Roy is listed as a forward, but he typically brings the ball upcourt for Garfield. He is so diverse that he can score from almost anywhere on the floor. He hit three 3-pointers against the Panthers and did a lot of damage inside as well.
“We tried five or six different things against Roy,” Snohomish coach Len Bone said, “but everything we tried didn’t work.”
Almost every Panthers starter got some time defending Roy, all with similar results.
“He doesn’t seem like he’s going very fast, and then all the sudden he just explodes by you,” said Snohomish forward Scott Shine, who saw the most minutes checking Roy. “It’s fun to watch him.”
Said Panthers teammate Ryan Sommer: “We knew he was going to get his points. He went out there and did it. That’s why he’s going to the University of Washington.”
Roy is generally regarded as the top recruit in the state of Washington, and he hasn’t disappointed at the tournament. Sommer, a 5-foot-11 guard, expects big things from him in the near future.
“He’s so talented,” Sommer said. “He can do whatever he wants. If he works hard, he can go the NBA and do whatever. I don’t think there’s anything stopping him.”
Northern exposure: Although both of Snohomish County’s boys teams lost Saturday games, they certainly made a statement during the four-day-long 4A tournament. Both Snohomish and Stanwood proved that they could play with any team in the state.
“They can compete, that’s for sure,” Snohomish senior Scott Shine said of the teams from Snohomish County. “I think a lot of teams overlooked the north at first. But the way Stanwood and ourselves played this year, and with the amount of talent both teams have coming back next year, I think the north will start getting a little more respect.”
Back to back: It’s exciting enough for Snohomish fans that the boys and girls basketball teams played in the state tournament in the same year for the first time in school history. That both teams lasted until Saturday is even more impressive. Both teams brought home trophies, along with Ferris – the only other school to qualify both teams for Saturday games in the four-day tournaments.
“It says a lot about our athletic programs,” said Snohomish guard Matt Holzer. “We’ve got good programs in all our sports.”
The boys made their first appearance since 1987 this season. The girls, who finished third in 2000 and were knocked out on Friday last year, started up in the early 1970s.
Rooter busses for the teams were kept busy. The girls played at 9 a.m. Wednesday while the boys drew the 8:30 p.m. game, forcing the school to run two sets of busses. The game times were the same on Thursday. Start times on Friday were 4 1/2 hours apart. Saturday, fans finally got what they were looking for. The girls played at 11:30 followed by the boys at 1:30, though both teams lost.
“It was fun to have both teams playing,” Snohomish forward Anne Bailey said.
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