Mt. Spokane boys comeback falls short, Seattle Prep wins State 3A third-place game

TACOMA – The state third-place games always present a challenge for coaches to get their teams up for an early Saturday game at a largely empty Tacoma Dome after getting knocked out of the championship bracket the previous night.

But that wasn’t the case for the boys 3A game between seventh-seeded Mt. Spokane and fifth-seeded Seattle Prep.

The game had good pace throughout, and one cold stretch in the second quarter turned the tide.

Tyler Mrus scored 31 points, hitting all 13 of his free-throw attempts, and Seattle Prep held off a late charge to down Mt. Spokane 76-69 to earn the third-place trophy.

It was a disappointing end to a strong season for Mt. Spokane, which finished fifth.

“I loved it, I love playing with my guys,” senior Xavier Kamalu-Vargas said. “I’ve loved playing with them, with coach Wagenblast, everything.

“No more games. No more fun. We’re on to the next.”

“I was very honored to be his coach,” Mt. Spokane coach David Wagenblast said of his point guard. “He’s the type of person that you know you want to be associated with. … And what a great leader. You know he was hurting and he didn’t show it at all.”

The Wildcats (22-7) trailed by 18 points entering the fourth quarter and reduced the deficit to seven twice, but Seattle Prep (23-7) hit 11 of 15 at the line to hold on, including six straight by Mrus.

“I think our kids showed that, you know, they’ve just got a lot of heart and that they are always up for a challenge,” Wagenblast said. “And I was just really proud of our effort, especially when it seemed like, you know, there was no chance at all.”

Braeden Smith, headed to Colgate in the fall, added 17 points with five assists for Seattle Prep, with 11 points in what was ultimately the deciding second quarter when the Panthers outscored the Wildcats 22-9.

“We came here to win a state championship, and we fell short of that,” Smith said. “But you know, it feels good to end my high school – and all the seniors’ high school careers – on a win, so we’ll take it.”

Junior Maverick Sanders led Mt. Spokane with 20 points and 10 rebounds. Kamalu-Vargas, Ryan Lafferty and Andrew Rayment each added 10 points.

“Digging that hole, that was tough,” Kamalu-Vargas said. “But we came back and we did as much as we could.”

It was a good pace early, ignited by Mrus and Sanders with 12 and nine points, respectively, in the first quarter as the Panthers took a 21-20 lead.

Mrus continued his pace in the second quarter with another nine points. Smith went scoreless in the first quarter, but scored 11 points in the second, including a late three-point play off a spinning reverse that made it 43-29 at halftime.

“I think it was just kind of that pride that kicked in a little bit, the defensive intensity picked up for both teams,” Smith said of the second quarter.

“They came out with more fire,” Kamalu-Vargas said of the second-quarter run. “They took the fire out of us and they just took it from there.”

“Once again, we had one quarter that got away from us,” Wagenblast said. “I think it was just one or two missed plays, on ourselves, where (Seattle Prep) came down and capitalized. They had a really quick run and that seemed to be the difference in the game.”

Chapel Smith and Aiden Prado hit quick 3-pointers for Mt. Spokane in the third quarter, but Christian King matched that for Seattle Prep . Nirvaan Misra nailed a long 3-pointer and the Panthers’ lead grew to 20.

Mt. Spokane cut into the deficit early in the fourth quarter. Sanders picked up a couple of quick baskets and a 7-2 run made it a 12-point game with 5½ minutes to go. A three-point play by Andrew Rayment got it to single digits.

Kamalu-Vargas hit a 3-pointer from the wing to make it 71-64 with just 2 minutes to go, but the Panthers kept making their bonus free throws and the comeback attempt was quelled.

“That could have just as easy been the state championship game between the two of us,” Wagenblast said. “So I can’t be upset with the end result.”

Mt. Spokane should return a strong nucleus next season, including Sanders and sophomores Lafferty and Rayment.

“You always hope that your kids get a taste of this and then say, ‘Oh, wow. OK, that’s what we have to do now,’” Wagenblast said. “And maybe if we are willing to be reflective and all of us – coaching staff included – learn, then we have a chance to maybe do something next season.”