Top-ranked basketball teams highlight MLK Hoopfest in Seattle

This week's happenings on the Washington prep sports scene:

TOP-RANKED TEAMS HIGHLIGHT KING HOOPFEST
Garfield (Seattle), the No. 1 Class 4A team in the state, versus Rainier Beach (Seattle), the No. 1 3A team, is the main event at the King Holiday Hoopfest on Monday at the University of Washington. The two Seattle powers will collide at 8 p.m. The game features Garfield's Tony Wroten Jr. and Rainier Beach's Hikeem Stewart. Both are Washington commits.

Before Garfield plays Beach, it will fly to the Spalding Hoophall Classic in Springfield, Mass. on Saturday. Garfield will play Morgan Park, which is ranked No. 10 in the Chicago Tribune's top 20.

Also, Oregon signee Brett Kingma and Class 4A No. 5 Jackson (Mill Creek, Wash.) has a showdown with Class 3A Lincoln (Tacoma) at 2:30 p.m.



There are several big 3A games on tap. No. 2 O'Dea (Seattle) takes on Portland, Ore., power Jefferson at 4 p.m., No. 3 Lakes (Lakewood) battles Seattle Prep at 12:30 p.m. and No. 5 Franklin (Seattle) faces Federal Way at 6 p.m.

Other games on the undercard include Bothell vs. Decatur (Federal Way) at 9:30 a.m.and Chief Sealth (Seattle) vs. Bellevue at 11 a.m.

SHELTON PICKS WASHINGTON
Defensive lineman Danny Shelton of Auburn decided to stay close to home and will play at Washington. He announced his pick at the Offense-Defense Bowl in Myrtle Beach, S.C. His mom told the Seattle Times he was also considering Oregon. Shelton was considered one of the top five prospects in the state.

ALL-AMERICANS HIT THE FIELD
Skyline receiver Kasen Williams and Gig Harbor tight end Austin Seferian-Jenkins played in the U.S. Army All-American Bowl in San Antonio on Saturday. Both are Washington commits. The pair combined for three catches for 19 yards.

FIRST ALL-POLYNESIAN BOWL GAME HELD
The first all-star game for Polynesian players was played at Auburn on Jan. 1. The game featured the Washington vs. Alaska all-stars. The game was called the Tanoa Bowl.

WOODINVILLE PITCHER COMMITS TO STANFORD
Woodinville sophomore pitcher Madi Schreyer has committed to Stanford, the Seattle Times reports. As a freshman, Schreyer was 5-0 in league play, struck out 50 of 100 batters and carried a 0.76 ERA. The Times said that Schreyer, who has dual citizenship, is on the short list for the Canadian national team.



TOP 5 PERFORMANCES
* Jerron Smith, Decatur boys basketball: The senior had 29 points and 10 rebounds in a 74-54 win over Bonney Lake. Smith became the school's all-time leading scorer with 1,223 points.

* Zach Cooper, Arlington boys basketball: Cooper scored 30 points in a 70-59 win over Mariner.

* Lauren Herseth, Olympia girls basketball: The senior had a career-high 34 points in a 61-53 win over Chehalis.

* Mitch Brewe, Seattle Prep boys basketball: The junior was named Slalom Slam MVP as he scored 63 points in the three-day tournament.

* Alli Madison, Kennedy girls basketball: The senior was named MVP of the Les Schwab Christmas Classic after recording 50 points, 14 rebounds and six assists in two games.

RECRUITING NEWS
Woodinville's 6-foot-1 senior basketball player Melissa Gilkey has committed to Washington University in St. Louis.

NATE'S NOTES
Many of you anxiously awaited Monday's BCS National Championship game in which Auburn beat Oregon. In case football fans in Washington missed it, the state crowned a national champion last week as Eastern Washington won the FCS title, beating Delaware.

My Eastern Washington Eagles.



What does this have to do with a state high school notebook? Plenty.

If you looked at the Eagles' roster you'd see more than 60 players from the state on it. And these aren't the big recruits going to Pac-10 schools. These are the rest of the state's players. It shows the depth of football talent in the state.

Congrats, Eagles.

Nathan Joyce has covered high school sports in Washington for 13 years. He works at the Kitsap Sun in Bremerton.