District basketball: Jackson Mott leads Gonzaga Prep boys in rout of Hanford; Bullpups girls outlast Richland 55-46

The Gonzaga Prep boys team is no stranger to lofty rankings – or expectations. A nearly perennial contender under coach Matty McIntyre, the Bullpups came into the District 6 tournament as the top seed and the No. 1-rated team in 4A, according to the state’s RPI system.

Gonzaga Prep lost just two games during the regular season, and none in the state – an early season loss at Idaho 6A No. 3 Post Falls and an overtime decision against the host team at a holiday tournament in Hawaii.

After an undefeated trip through the Greater Spokane League, the Bullpups know the stakes are higher in district play – with three of the top nine in RPI and four of the top 12 in the district, two good teams are going to be left out.

Jackson Mott scored 17 points, Carter Nilson added 14 – all in the first three quarters – and the host Bullpups (21-2) handled eighth-seeded Hanford (3-19) 74-37 in a first-round game on Thursday.

G-Prep hosts a semifinal Saturday.

“I thought we shared the ball really well,” McIntyre said. “We got out in transition, got some easy baskets. But it was definitely an unselfish night for us.”

Four scored in double figures, and eight of nine who played scored for the Bullpups against the outmatched Falcons.

“Playoff basketball should be enough to motivate all of us,” McIntyre said. “And it isn’t always perfect, but there were possessions that we can definitely look at and say it builds confidence, and then there were some possessions we can look at and say we still got a little work to do.”

It only gets harder from here, with just two spots available to advance.

“That’s just the way it is. You can say that pretty much for any year,” McIntyre said. “We know what’s at stake, and if we take care of what we need to do, then we’ll be OK. But we’re not looking at scenarios right now.”

Tied at 7 early, the Bullpups used an 8-0 run, six by Nilson, and led 15-12 after one quarter. A 10-5 run early in the second quarter pushed the lead to double digits. G-Prep limited Hanford to seven points in the quarter and led 34-19 at halftime.

The Bullpups started the third quarter on an 11-2 run, with four players scoring, to open a 20-point lead. Mott scored 11 in the quarter.

“He did such a nice job in the post sealing, trading angles,” McIntyre said. “And then he steps out and makes a 3. So, it’s a great all-around game for him.”

Girls

Gonzaga Prep 55, Richland 46: Sometimes it just takes one quarter to win a basketball game.

Senior Olivia McIntyre scored 12 of her 20 points in the third quarter and the third-seeded Bullpups (14-6) outlasted the visiting sixth-seeded Bombers (9-11) in a first-round game.

The Bullpups travel to second-seeded Chiawana in a semifinal on Saturday. Richland takes on seventh-seeded Lewis and Clark in a loser-out Saturday.

G-Prep trailed by five at halftime and outscored Richland 21-8 in the third quarter.

“We had a little bit of a slow start, just kind of playing sluggish – we weren’t playing our basketball,” McIntyre said. “We talked about effort at halftime.”

“Playoff basketball is gonna be hard, no matter what the seed says or what their record says,” Gonzaga Prep coach Geoff Arte said. “We were just kind of lethargic early. We didn’t have school today, so maybe that was a little bit of it. But you know, you can’t have that excuse. You’re fighting for your life no matter who you’re playing.”

Richland senior Mackenzie Schulz scored eight points of her 21 points in the latter stages of the second quarter and Richland led 26-21 at halftime.

McIntyre drew fouls on baskets on three consecutive possessions early in the third quarter to give the Bullpups their first lead since the first quarter, at 29-28. McIntyre continued to attack, and G-Prep led 42-34 entering the fourth quarter.

“We saw a lot of open space in the first half, and then we just tried to take advantage of that and get in and get some easy buckets,” McIntyre said.

“She got it going downhill,” Arte said. “And then our shots outside were a little bit more wide open, because she started kicking it out when they started collapsing on her.”

The Bombers opened the fourth quarter with a 6-2 run to narrow the deficit to four. It stayed that way until the final 2:11, when G-Prep freshman Sharissa Byrd hit a 3-pointer to make it 47-40. The Bullpups hit 8 of 9 from the line the quarter.

“We start in November, and everything that we’ve done for the past three months is for these moments,” McIntyre said. “The girls know what it takes and it’s going to be a battle, but it always is. That’s why it’s all worth it – these are the best games of this season.”