From the first few possessions of the Southwest Washington Boys Senior All-Star Game, it was clear that the offenses were in for a big night.
Tumwater’s Jake Dillon drilled a three to open the scoring for the A’s, and Napavine’s Karsen Denault responded with a layup on the other end and connected on a three of his own to get the B’s on the board.
It was Denault and the B’s that ended up on top, as they rolled past the A’s 112-88 on Sunday at Centralia College.
Denault finished the game with a game-high 26 points, and he also tallied nine rebounds and seven steals on his way to being named the game’s Most Valuable Player.
“It’s the best time,” Denault said. “To end on a good note, it feels great.”
The threes were falling early and often for both teams. By the end of the first half, the two sides had combined for 19, including four from Tumwater’s Sahara Anthony and four from Rainier’s Josh Meldrum.
Turnovers made a big difference in the late stages of the first half and the early part of the second, and the B’s took full advantage by extending their lead to 33 just past the midway point of the second half.
Morton-White Pass’ Judah Kelly finished with 21 points, six rebounds, four assists, and three steals, while Toutle Lake’s Caleb Webber posted a 17-point, 12-rebound double-double.
Meldrum finished with 16 points, and Mossyrock’s Easton Kolb and Onalaska’s Case McGraw both hit double-figures with 10. Blaze Underhill just missed that mark with nine, and Rainier’s Jimmy Meldrum added three.
“It’s always good beating up on the big schools,” Napavine coach Eric Hersman, the B’s coach, joked after the game. “I got a lot of small town pride. I had a lot of fun.”
Anthony finished with 18 points to lead the A’s, and Tenino’s Austin Gonia wasn’t far behind with 16. Gonia also grabbed 13 rebounds for a double-double.
Centralia’s Terrell Sanders and Tenino’s Will Feltus scored 13 and 12 points, respectively, while Tenino’s Jack Burkhardt and W.F. West’s Carlos Vallejo both scored nine and came down with nine rebounds.
Dillon finished with six, and W.F. West’s Weston Potter logged five while adding eight rebounds and two steals.
Black Hills’ Jeff Gallagher coached the A’s, and for a short time, he wasn’t even aware of how much the B’s were in control.
“I don’t think I actually even looked at the score until we were down 30,” Gallagher said with a laugh.
Gallagher didn’t have any of his players at his disposal, as Tristan Deville was unable to make it. That didn’t deter him, though, as he took the opportunity to coach several players he’s gone against over the last few years.
“It’s a blast,” Gallagher said. “I told them ‘I probably know more about them than they think I do’, because we’ve coached against them for two, three years. So being able to interact with them is a lot of fun.”
Hersman shared a similar sentiment, saying that these types of games showcase some of the best parts about sports as a whole.
“You compete and wanna beat everyone really bad,” Hersman said. “And then the season’s over and your careers are done, everybody’s buddies and you respect each other for how you play.”
While Hersman said that, several B squad players, including Denault and Kelly, were chatting and taking photos together postgame.
“I loved my teammates today,” Denault said. “It was great being on the same team as them.”
