Road to Tacoma: WIAA Class 4A state boys basketball preview

Wire-to-wire 4A favorite Mount Si has run through its competition. Who can stop the defending 4A champs?

The 2021-22 WIAA basketball season is down to its final week, and for the first time since the world shut down in March 2020, the 12 remaining Class 4A boys basketball programs are due to arrive soon in Tacoma starting Wednesday and running through Saturday evening. 

Here is SBLive’s tournament preview — with players to watch, team favorites, schedules and championship game predictions:

COVERAGE REWIND

Get acquainted with the field through SBLive's coverage from throughout the 2021-22 season.

• Record-breaking Dylan Darling is carrying Central Valley's tournament hopes on his shoulders

• 'It's like walking in new territory:' Tahoma boys surging into first state appearance after regional road win over No. 4 Kamiakin

• Tyler Bilodeau grew into one of Washington's best high school basketball players — when no one was watching

• 2022 forward Jayden Stevens, Gonzaga Prep's 'nucleus,' commits to Oregon State

• In the end, it's another No. 1 Mount Si double-digit victory, this time over dangerous Gonzaga Prep

• Regional playoff roundup: 5 WIAA playoff basketball games you should not have missed

• SBLive’s final Washington high school boys basketball power rankings, by classification (Feb.21)

• SBLive's midseason state player of the year watch list in Washington high school boys basketball

WEDNESDAY SCHEDULE

Tahoma's Cooper Church defends Kamiakin's Tyler Bilodeau, an Oregon State commit / Photo by Andy Buhler

No. 11 Olympia (23-5) vs. No. 6 Mariner (16-9), 3:45 p.m.

Winner plays No. 5 Tahoma (15-8) on Thursday at 3:45 p.m.

No. 15 Graham-Kapowsin (13-10) vs. No. 7 Davis (19-1) , 5:30 p.m.

Winner plays No. 1 Mount Si (23-0) on Thursday at 5:30 p.m.

No. 12 Central Valley (18-7) vs. No. 4 Kamiakin (19-4), 7:15 p.m.

Winner plays No. 3 Union (19-5) on Thursday at 7:15 p.m.

No. 9 Federal Way (16-5) vs. No. 8 Gonzaga Prep (14-8), 9 p.m.

Winner plays No. 2 Curtis (24-3) on Thursday at 9 p.m.

State semifinals Friday: 7:15 and 9. p.m.

State championship Saturday: 3 p.m.

THE FAVORITE

Mount Si point guard Bennett O'Connor evades Central Valley's Dylan Darling in the 2020 4A state championship game as sophomores. Two years later, both have led their respective teams back / Photo by Vince Miller

Mount Si lost in the state title game in 2019, then turned around and won it with much of the same core in 2020. The scary part? This year might be its deepest group yet — and includes seniors that have been there before, like point guard Bennett O’Connor (7.3/1.1 assists-to-turnover ratio), dominant interior presence Miles Heide (15.4 points, 10.4 rebounds per game) and hard-to-rattle UC San Diego signee Quin Patterson. The only team that has played the Wildcats (23-0) within single digits all year is No. 3 Union, which led by double-digits late and lost by two in early December.

FIELD

Union coach Blake Conley is knocking on the door for his first state title / Photo Andy Buhler

Tahoma is on its deepest postseason run since 1981, and after a mid-season skid through a challenging schedule, is riding high into the Dome after beating No. 4 Kamiakin in the regional round. Carson Talbert is any opponent's key focus, and the Bears have shooters — and length — around him ... Any team facing Kamiakin, sixth place finishers in 2020, must slow down Oregon State commit Tyler Bilodeau and 1,000-point scorer Trey Aarland ... No. 3 Union isn't the hot-shooting Blake Conley teams of years past, its something different — and just as dangerous Led by one-man-press-break point guard Bryson Metz, the Titans go six or seven deep, sit in a 2-3 zone controlled from the middle by big man Yanni Fassilis  ... No. 2 Curtis is riding 4A SPSL and bi-district titles and has the state's top backcourt in Tyce Paulsen and standout sophomore Zoom Diallo — both Division I prospects. ... Gonzaga Prep won its district title on a half court buzzer beater, played top-ranked Mount Si tough and is arguably the biggest wild card in the field.

7 PLAYERS TO WATCH

Gonzaga Prep's Jayden Stevens, a first-team all-GSL selection and recent Oregon State commit, drives against an O'Dea defender during the Hardwood Invite / Photo by Vince Miller

F Tyler Bilodeau, Kamiakin, sr.

G Dylan Darling, Central Valley, sr.

G Zoom Diallo, Curtis, spot.

G Parker Gerrits, Olympia, jr.

G Bryson Metz, Union, sr.

F Jayden Stevens, Gonzaga Prep, sr.

F Carson Talbert, Tahoma, sr.

FINAL FOUR PREDICTION

Tahoma, Mount Si, Union, Curtis

CHAMPIONSHIP PICK

Mount Si 72, Curtis 65

TICKET INFO

Four-day tournament pass is $50 for adults, $38 for students and senior citizens. Three-day tournament pass is $38/$30. Non-championship (Wed.-Fri.) single-day tickets are $15/$12. Championship (Sat.) single-day tickets are $16/$13.

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