O'Dea finishes off superb week by clinching top 3A Metro boys basketball seed, 3 takeaways

Ninth-ranked Irish storm back in second half to swamp No. 5 Eastside Catholic, 66-60, to win upper 3A Metro division by two games

SAMMAMISH, Wash. - Even facing a 15-point deficit just moments into the third quarter, O’Dea wasn’t about to let a week that began so well devolve into a disappointment.

Instead, the Irish constructed a huge third quarter against Eastside Catholic, turning the big deficit into a 66-60 Metro League victory on the final night of the regular season.

With the win, O’Dea earned the top seed to the league tournament that begins Monday and concludes with the championship games Feb. 9 at Seattle Pacific University.

“It was a real pride thing,” O'Dea senior Malcolm Clark said. “Of course, we had to come here and ruin their 'senior night' - just like they did to us.”

Clark, even at 6-foot-7, is slightly undersized for a big man. Still, he drew the difficult defensive assignment against Virginia-bound Jacob Cofie. And while Cofie still finished with 24 points, 14 rebounds and three blocks, Clark and company made the 6-10 big man work for everything he got before he fouled out with 38.9 seconds to play.

In addition to his defensive effort, Clark added a 10-point night offensively. The Irish were led by sophomore scorer Brian Webster, who made five 3-pointers and finished tied with Cofie for game-high honors with 24 points.

Here are three takeaways from the O'Dea-Eastside Catholic game:

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TOP SEEDS AND BYES

The Irish finished their Metro schedule at 12-2, two games clear of Eastside Catholic and Garfield, for the regular-season title and secured one of two first-round byes. O’Dea had started the final week of the regular season with a big 59-58 victory over the reigning state champions.

“What we talked to the boys about is it has to be important to them,” O’Dea coach Jason Kerr said. “They’ve taken a lot of ownership and a lot leadership with their team together. They run walk-throughs after practice that empower them to make those decisions."

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TIEBREAKER BECOMES NECESSARY

The second thing the Irish victory did was create a longer path within the 3A Metro tournament for the Crusaders and Bulldogs. Those teams both finished the season at 10-4 in the league.

Because those teams also split their two meetings during the season, they will play a preliminary game Saturday to determine the Nos. 2 and 3 seeds to the tournament. That distinction is important.

“The No. 2 gets a bye,” Kerr said. “The No. 3 has to come back basically with no rest and play the No. 6 on Monday.”

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WHAT ABOUT LOWER SEEDS?

Only the top six teams from the Metro’s upper division can earn a league title. The Nos. 7 and 8 teams from the upper division play the entirety of the lower division, including Roosevelt, which went 15-0 in its Metro League games, for the remaining Metro seeds to the District 2 tournament that will be played the week beginning Feb. 12.

That turns the six-team Metro tournament into a tough go as those programs try to even get to the league championship game on Feb. 9.

“It’s a gauntlet,” Kerr said. “It’s a gauntlet.”

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