WIAA State Tourney Quarterfinals: Puyallup vs. Mt. Si (Recap)
The stage was set last night with Puyallup defeating Jackson 56-50. One of the most exciting matchups of the day was between the (11) Puyallup Vikings and (4) Mt. Si Wildcats. Two 4A contenders battling it out and each team littered with college prospects is always going to make for an energy filled game! Almost 5 years ago Tyler Patterson and Jabe Mullins played for the same club team. They matched up with Kendall Munson’s Oakland Soldiers team that was ranked number one in the country and pulled off quite the upset with their Washington based team. Today’s game could be a form of revenge on Kendall’s part or it could be the continuation of success for the Mt. Si boys.
The Mt. Si Wildcats came out swinging first, executing vs. Puyallup’s zone with outside shots made by multiple players. 2020 6’5 CG Jabe Mullins was impressive defending Puyallup’s star junior forward, Kendall Munson. Kendall did a very good job of maintaining his composure after a turnover, a couple of missed shots and one of his shots even getting blocked. Jabe was physical and also used his agility to move from a full front to 3/4 and half denial. 2020 6’7 SG Tyler Patterson did a good job defensively on Puyallup’s star 2021 6’2 PG Cobi Campbell in the first half as well. Cobi has a deceptively quick first step, but Tyler used his length to disrupt his floaters in the paint.
In the third quarter 2019 6’2 G Jaeden Ingram (Puyallup HS) made two floaters in a row and Coach Griffith called a quick timeout for Mt. Si. 2022 6’5 SF Quin Patterson made some big shots for Mt. Si and played solid defense for a young freshman. 2022 5’10 PG Bennett O’Connor also played a very good game for the Wildcats hitting outside shots, rebounding and controlling the tempo. Mt. Si stretched its lead 32-26 with 2 minutes left in the third and forced Coach Scott Campbell into a timeout. Puyallup regrouped a little bit and trailed 32-24 heading into the fourth, setting up the finish everyone wanted and expected to see!
To start the fourth, 2019 6’3 G Brett Williams (Mt. Si) made yet another big shot, keeping Puyallup’s defense honest. Puyallup really started to crash the offensive boards in the fourth quarter and closed the gap to just one with 24 seconds left and the ball in Mt. Si’s possession. Puyallup was in quite the predicament with only 2 team fouls and little time left. After fouling two times on back to back inbounds passes, Mt. Si drew up a beautiful sideline out of bounds to Jabe Mullins where he scored an easy left-handed layup. Puyallup had possession with 14.8 seconds left, down 43-40 and sophomore Cobi Campbell missed a three pointer with 3 seconds left. Freshman Bennett O’Connor calmly knocked down his free throws to seal a great game! Mt. Si led for almost the entire contest and the finished on top 45-40.
Puyallup–
Kendall Munson: 13 points, 11 rebounds
Jaeden Ingram: 15 points
Mt. Si–
Bennett O’Connor: 13 points, 3 assists
Jabe Mullins: 13 points, 3 steals
Mt. Si will play at 3:45 tomorrow versus the winner of Curtis and Union.
Photo Credit: Sniper Kwam