This week will be the Top 10 games that are not involved in tournaments. Even with the limited games because of the tournaments, there are some very enticing matchups across the Evergreen state. The tournaments also will have some big-time matchups throughout the state but with the unpredictability of tournaments we leave them out as a whole.

1. Cascade Christian defeats Decatur 65-61. In a game where the spread throughout the whole game was no more than 8 points at the most. This game came down to simple things. Defense and execution! Bradley Graham was clearly the best player on the floor. The game went into OT due to the lack of execution on Decatur’s part. Offensively they had issues with getting into there sets. The Cougars executed down the stretch and took this game away from the Golden Gators.
2. The Quakers win in convincing fashion against the Foster Bulldogs. The Quakers had a balance attack while the Bulldogs had 2 main guys that kept them a float for the first half. Jamari Severson and Michael Smith both scored in double figures. Defensively the Quakers pressured the ball all game long and took the wind out of Foster. Both Jordan Allen and Alex Bing were on the money from downtown and couldn’t be contained in the open court.
3. The undefeated Life Christian Academy Eagles beat South Bend 83-31. The Eagles are on a mission this year. The main reason is because Omari Maulana, Noah Robinson and Eric Overgaard. These 3 power the offense and anchor the defense. This game ended in the first 5 minutes. The Eagles got up quick and applied some superior pressure. South Bend was overmatched and athletically couldn’t match up in any position. The Eagles will continue this streak and I don’t foresee anybody in the 2A defeating them.
4. Gonzaga Prep defeats West Seattle 44-28. In a battle of two of the most superior post players in the state with Anton Watson and Abdul Mohamed. Two D1 recruits who can bang in the middle and rebound at a high clip. The game was close for the first half and even going into the second half. This game was going to be won by the team who could defensively get more stops. Gonzaga Prep athletically were longer and could cover more ground with fewer steps which helped when they ran zone.
5. Mountlake Terrace Hawks win by 2 against the West Valley Rams 71-68. Khyree Armstead went off in this game and the rams didn’t have an answer for him. Scoring at will and defensively slowed down the attack of West Valley. On the rams side Spencer Bailey and Dallin Cluff were great during this game. Both carried the scoring load for the rams. Defensively it came down to making one stop and Armstead took that task of making sure that Cluff didn’t get a shot off.
6. Timberline loses to Odea in a battle of Erik Stevenson vs. Noah Williams. Odea came out fast paced, strong and physical. The Blazers were unable to      match that aggression and physicality. Stevenson ended the game with 36 points and Williams ended the game with 30 points. Early on this game looked to be competitive and close. Odea defensively got more hands on balls and won the game in the paint.
7. Kelso Hilanders defeat Black Hills Wolves by 27. The game got out of hand early on when the hilanders went zone and the wolves couldn’t known down a shot for over 8 minutes. The wolves have had a tough start to the season and it looks like they are in the rebuilding stages. The hilanders needed this win as a confidence booster.
8. Life Christian Academy beat NW Christian 63-41. On 12/19 The Life Christian Eagles physically took the game away from the NW Christian Navigators in their first meeting of the year winning 63-41. The Eagles which are traditionally a lot more physical than most teams came out with a chip on their shoulder. I didn’t see the same intensity matched by the Navigators. Though this was the first meeting for both squads, I do anticipate the next meeting to be a little more competitive.
9. Kentridge Chargers defeat the Kent-Meridian Royals 78-38. In a game where very little defense was played due to mishandles and unforced turnovers it was hard to watch this game after the first 5 minutes. Cruz Medina, Keshawn Douglas and Jeremy Banks took over and led the attack on both ends. I was very impressed with who fundamentally sound they played.
10. Kennedy Catholic Lancers beat the Mt Rainier Rams 58-52. The Rams fought hard and got some good play from there star players Wilkens Dolce and Yadel Hedego. Both scoring double figures and rallying there team late in the second half. Kennedy Catholic stars DaeShawn Wilson and Will Seubert put on a show and could not be stopped in transition. I was very impressed with there defensive composure late in the game.