'Don't have to go home': Mt. Spokane bounces back after quarterfinal loss to stay alive, down Bellevue 73-58 | State 3A boys

After a rough shooting day in its quarterfinal loss, Mt. Spokane was determined to get its seniors to a Saturday game at state. That meant facing a tough Bellevue team on Friday in a State 3A fourth-place bracket loser-out game.

“Our kids came out and they wanted to play for the jersey, and they wanted to play for their brothers,” Mt. Spokane coach David Wagenblast said. “And that was basically what it was – seniors playing for one another, one more day together, and that’s what we’ve giving them.”

Led by senior Jaden Ghoreishi, who is headed to Colorado State in the fall, the Wildcats got the job done, allowing the team a chance to trophy after all – even if it isn’t the one they hoped for. 

Ghoreishi scored 20 points with nine rebounds and the third-seeded Wildcats pulled away in the second quarter, beating the eighth-seeded Bellevue Wolverines 73-58 at Tacoma Dome. 

Mt. Spokane (19-7) faces 11th-seeded Edmonds-Woodway in the fourth-place game on Saturday at 8 a.m. It’s a rematch of last year’s state semifinal, won by Edmonds-Woodway 41-34.

“The goal is to play until the very last day,” Wagenblast said. “There’s only so many teams that get a chance to do that. You know, there’s a lot of kids who never get a chance to experience what this is like, and to continue to play over a month since the end of the season.”

Senior Jaceten Reijonen scored 11 points and sophomore Kelan Moore added nine points and seven boards.

Bellevue (20-10) was led by Tayten Jones with 15 points and five boards; Jackson Skaggs added 12 points. 

“We came down here wanting to make it to the championship, but things didn’t go our way,” Ghoreishi said. “We didn’t make a couple shots (on Thursday). But that doesn’t mean we just quit and go home. We want that fourth-place trophy.”

“I’m just happy our team stepped up to give us seniors another day to play, and I’m just glad it’s not over and we don’t have to go home today,” senior guard Rock Franklin said.

Mt. Spokane shot 53% as a team, and 7 of 18 (39%) on 3-pointers – in stark contrast with Thursday’s 37-point effort.

“Yesterday was just – the wasn’t shooting that great,” Ghoreishi said. “But today, we had the confidence. Second day, you always bring that confidence. I didn’t want to lose – I don’t want to go home. So, I’m just doing whatever I can to keep my team going for the next day.”

“The goal is to always to try and maximize your potential and we fell short yesterday,” Wagenblast said. “But that doesn’t mean that that defines who are, who our kids are. And I think, we came out and showed our true character in a game where it wasn’t all on the line.”

Reijonen scored a quick five points as Mt. Spokane built a 7-2 lead, but a 6-0 spurt by Bellevue tied it up. Ghoreishi checked in with about four minutes left in the first and immediately knocked down a 3. Sophomore Kelan Moore hit a corner 3 late and Mt. Spokane led 21-15 after one.

Franklin (seven points) hit a pair of free throws, then drove the lane and scored through traffic to put the Wildcats up 27-21 midway through the second.

Sophomore backup forward Cash Durgan scored on a put-back with 30 seconds to go for a 10-point lead. Fellow sophomore Mason Dietzen drilled a 3 with five seconds, then Moore stole the inbounds pass for a layup at the horn and Mt. Spokane led 38-23 at the intermission.

It was a 13-2 run to close the half. 

“It was a stretch where at the end of the first half it was four sophomores and a senior, and that’s when we had a great run,” Wagenblast said. “And those guys are really talented basketball players, so we’re very excited about our future. … You can’t replicate state basketball in any kind of summer game.”

Franklin hit a 3, then Ghoreishi scored on a finger roll early in the third to make it a 20-point lead. Dietzen hit his second 3 of the game with three minutes left in the period, then Ghoreishi was good from distance the next time down and the lead reached 26.

“(Shots) weren’t falling yesterday, so we had to watch film to figure out what was wrong and we fixed it today,” Franklin said.

The Wildcats led 63-41 entering the fourth. Bellevue chipped away at the deficit and got it down to 15 with about two minutes left, but Dietzen fed Ghoreishi with an alley-oop to make it 69-52.

Freshman Ryan Lunzer came off the bench late and added a bucket – just his sixth make of the season – and the Wildcats closed out the victory. 

“It’s like (Wagenblast) says, ‘Everybody get ready.’ ” Ghoreishi said. “You never know what could happen. Ryan got in, got a bucket, and that was great for everybody.”