By Nathan Joyce
MaxPreps.com
The Metro League, which encompasses Class 3A schools in the Seattle area, has long been known as a tremendous basketball league.
The league has claimed eight of the last 10 boys basketball state titles, including five-straight, and it has sent countless players to major college basketball programs and several into the NBA.
And the Metro League dominated the state basketball news on Friday night.
The league boasts the top four teams in the Associated Press rankings. Friday night, No. 1 Bainbridge traveled to No. 4 Chief Sealth and No. 2 O'Dea traveled to No. 3 Rainier Beach.
It was a great night of basketball.
Bainbridge (10-1) took a big lead early, fell behind by 10 points in the third quarter and rallied to force overtime in a 77-68 win over previously undefeated Chief Sealth (9-1).
Bainbridge's 6-foot-9 forward Coby Gibler had 28 points, 18 rebounds and nine blocks in the win and hit a long bucket with 10 seconds remaining to face overtime. In OT, Gonzaga-bound Steven Gray scored 10 of his 23 points, including 6-for-6 from the free throw line.
"It really showed me a lot about my team," Bainbridge coach Scott Orness said. "There was a moment there where I was a little scared. I saw our heads drop a little bit, but they didn't drop long."
O'Dea (10-1) won their showdown against Rainier Beach (7-4) at the line. The Fighting Irish hit 20 of 25 from the free throw stripe - including 12 of 15 in the fourth quarter - to win 83-80. It was the first in-state loss for the Vikings, who lost their previous three at the Nike Academy National Invitational in Houston.
The loss capped a tough week for Beach. On practice Thursday, 6-6, 290-pound big man Emeka Iweka, who is headed to Washington on a football scholarship, was lost for the season with a tear in his Achilles tendon. Iweka was averaging 11.4 points and 11 rebounds.
Josh Scott, O'Dea's 6-7 forward, took advantage with a career-high 26 points.
The Metro showdowns continue on Tuesday as Chief Sealth is at O'Dea and Rainier Beach is at Bainbridge.
Basketball: Successful Coach Calling it Quits
Terry Wilkinson, who has a 392-163 record, including back-to-back state titles in 1995-96, has decided to retire after 21 seasons at Bishop Blanchet in Seattle.
Wilkinson, who has guided the Braves to state 12 times, said the move has been coming for awhile, but he wanted to wait as his daughter Elise is a senior on his team.
"The other factor - I tell kids all the time, if it's not fun for you, you shouldn't be there - in the last couple of years, it's not as much fun as it used to be," Wilkinson told the Seattle Times.
The Braves are having a tough season at 2-9.
Wrestling: All-Girls Wrestling Dual a First
In what is believed to be a first in Washington, an all-girls dual meet was held last week at Emerald Ridge High in Puyallup. Over 50 wrestlers from 11 teams competed.
Kelso won with 64 points in a tight race. Fife (56), White River (50) and Kentwood (45) were all in the hunt.
This is the first year an official state tournament will be held for girls. There has been an invitational since 2004. The tourney will be part of Mat Classic, the all-classification state tournament held at the Tacoma Dome. According to the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association, there are 375 female wrestlers in the state, more than twice as many as last year.
Short Hops
Andy Hendricks, who has coached girls soccer at Seattle Prep for 17 years, was named Far West Region coach by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America. The Panthers finished second at state last year.Selah's Allyson Powell was named the Gatorade State Volleyball Player of the year after leading her team to the Class 2A state title.Tennessee-bound Angie Bjorklund, one of the top girls players in the nation, of University High in the Spokane Valley, broke the Greater Spokane League record for points in a season with 378 - with five games remaining.