Evergreen 2A preview – Tumwater stacked for deep post-season run
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It looks like a three horse race once again in the Evergreen 2A League. Tumwater is the clear favorite, coming off a fifth place finish at the state tournament last year. W. F. West looks to be a good bet…
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Continue ReadingIt looks like a three horse race once again in the Evergreen 2A League. Tumwater is the clear favorite, coming off a fifth place finish at the state tournament last year. W. F. West looks to be a good bet to finish runner-up once again, although Black Hills may have a say in that. Aside from these three teams who finished as the top three last season, the rest of the league is in re-build mode. Here’s a closer look at the 2022-23 teams.
Tumwater-1st place 2022-(22-6) 11-1-league-5th place state
Key returners-
Luke Brewer Luke Brewer 6'2" | PG Tumwater | 2023 State WA – 6’2-G-2023 (17.9PPG) League MVP
Andrew Collins Andrew Collins 6'4" | SG Tumwater | 2023 State WA – 6’2-G-2023 (12.4PPG)1st team all league
Connor Hopkins Connor Hopkins 6'1" | SG Tumwater | 2023 WA – 6’2-G-2023 (7.8PPG) Honorable mention all league
Luke Reid – 5’10-G-2023 (3.9PPG)
Braydon Oram-6’0-G-2023 (3.4PPG)
Tanner Brewer-6’4-F-2023 (3.3PPG)
Outlook-
The T-Birds got a taste of the state tournament last season bringing home some hardware. The expectations will be high this year. Brewer is one of the best guards in 2A and a player of the year candidate. Collins is arguably the best athlete in the league. A strong supporting cast makes Tumwater is legitimate state title contender. Brewer is good enough to get them there.
W. F. West – 2nd place-2022 (14-9) 10-3-league
Key Returners-
Soren Dalan Soren Dalan 6'10" | C W.F West | 2023 State WA – 6’10-C-2023 (14.2PPG 13RPG) 1st team all league
Tyler Klatush-2024-6’0-G (14.7PPG)*Rochester-2nd team all league
Gage Brumfield Gage Brumfield 6'2" | SG WF West | 2025 State WA – 6’2-G (4.1PPG)
Outlook-
The Bearcats have a huge presence in the paint with Dalan who is a matchup nightmare. Klatush transferred from Rochester after last season and will help provide scoring, along with Brumfield who looks like a break-out candidate. This is team should be fighting for a state tournament berth come late February.
Black Hills 3rd place-2022 (13-10) 8-5-league
Key Returners-
Johnnie Stallings-6’0-G-2023 (14.1PPG) 2nd team all league
Keagan Rongen-6’3-F-2023 (8.5PPG) 2nd team all league
Simon Trujillo-Nysted-5’10-G-2024 (10.1PPG)
Jaxsen Beck-6’1-F-2025 (4PPG)
Harrison Pilon-6’1-G-2023 (3PPG)
Outlook-
The Wolves only lost two seniors from last year’s team. They return a solid core and should also be in the mix for a state tournament berth.
Shelton 4th place-2022 (11-9) 7-6-league
Outlook-
Lost almost all of their scoring from last season. Looks like re-build for the Highclimbers this season. Rochester, without Klatush, Centralia-lost a big-time scorer, and Aberdeen-a young team will all be looking for something to build on in the upcoming season.