By Jason Hickman
MaxPreps.com
Four of Washington’s top programs – Bellevue, Federal Way, Franklin and Garfield – helped put the state’s basketball strength to the test over the holiday season by taking their acts out-of-state.
In all four cases, the road trips were a smashing success and set the stage for an incredible day of basketball at the King Holiday Hoopfest at the University of Washington on Jan. 19.
Bellevue (9-1) made the biggest statement by taking the National Division title at the MaxPreps Holiday Classic in Torrey Pines, Calif. The field featured defending national champion St. Anthony of Jersey City, N.J., and a host of talented California squads.
The Wolverines, led by tournament MVP Aaron Bright (5-11, 165, Jr.), knocked off Eisenhower of Rialto, Calif., in the final 58-54.
“As great as this is we can’t be satisfied,” Bright told MaxPreps.com’s Mitch Stephens. “This will hopefully carry over so we’ll be totally prepared for February.”
Federal Way (6-1), a team still finding its identity due to a number of talented transfers, swept three games at the Arizona Basketball Challenge. The final victory was a 34-point thrashing of Estrella Foothills (Goodyear, Ariz.), a team led by major Division I recruit Corey Hawkins, the son of former NBA standout Hersey Hawkins.
Franklin (8-0), ranked No. 21 nationally by MaxPreps.com’s Dave Krider this week, overcame travel nightmares to take the title at the King of the Bluegrass Holiday Classic in Fairdale, Ky.
Peyton Siva was his usual spectacular self in the final two games of the event, scoring 32 in a semifinal win over Coral Reef of Miami, Fla., then 29 more in the championship victory over Jeffersontown of Louisville.
A name to remember for Jason Kerr’s Quakers is 6-foot-3 freshman guard Anrio Adams. On a team stocked with talented backcourt players, Adams has reached double figures in the scoring column three times in Franklin’s last four games.
Finally, Garfield (4-1) not only notched an impressive win over Texas power Duncanville at the T-Mobile Invitational in Muncie, Ind., but also got its superstar Tony Wroten Jr. back – at least for now.
All this adds to the build-up to the Jan. 19 King Holiday Hoopfest at Bank of America Arena. We’ll talk about this event more in the next two weeks, so for now, check out the lineup;
King Holiday Hoopfest – Jan. 19 at University of Washington
9:30 a.m. Boys – Bellevue Christian vs. King’s
11 a.m. Girls – Kentwood vs. Bellarmine Prep
12:30 p.m. Boys – Kentwood vs. Bothell
2:30 p.m. Boys – Decatur vs. Federal Way
4 p.m. Boys – Rainier Beach vs. Dominguez (Calif.)
6 p.m. Boys – Bellevue vs. Bellarmine Prep
7:30 p.m. Boys – Franklin vs. Garfield
Watch Out For Westview
California power Dominguez – also a participant in the aforementioned King Holiday Hoopfest – bested the always-loaded field at the Les Schwab Invitational in Hillsboro to become the fifth-straight out-of-state team to capture the event.
But an emerging story from the 16 teams involved may have been the potentially bright future of Portland’s Westview High School. The Wildcats reached the semifinals with wins over Tigard and Sunset before being overwhelmed by Fairfax (Los Angeles) and Mt. Vernon (N.Y.).
Westview (6-2) was led by 6-6 junior wing Garrett Jackson and 6-10 sophomore post Austin Kuemper. Jackson averaged 16.5 points per game over the event’s four-game slate, while Kuemper tacked on another 11.5. The pair also combined for over 10 rebounds per game.
The program is accustomed to producing Division I talent. Last year, 6-11 center Andy Poling headed to Gonzaga after averaging 17.5 points per game and leading Westview to the Class 6A state tournament.
