4A Boys Basketball | Ferris Saxons perfect champs for 2nd year in a row

TACOMA -- When a team already has the most experience, the most talent, the most poise, the most athleticism, and it already has the state's longest winning streak and a championship, does it really need luck, too?

With three seconds left in the second quarter of Ferris' 68-44 win over Federal Way in Saturday night's Class 4A state boys basketball championship game, Saxons guard Erick Cheadle bolted down the court. Just before the buzzer went off, the senior launched a shot from half court.

It went right in.

"It looked good from the moment I let go of it," Cheadle said.

Or was it luck?

"Oh, you can ask them, we shoot half-court shots every day," Ferris coach Don Van Lierop said.

"I make them a lot of the time," Cheadle added. "At least one of us makes one each practice."

One more reason the Saxons of Spokane might just be the most dominant big-school team in state history: you can't even defend them at half court.

As if the state of Washington needed one more reason. With its win against Federal Way, which was essentially over before it got started, Ferris became the first 4A team to go undefeated in back-to-back seasons.

A year ago, they were an unknown, this team from East of the mountains that had to prove it against Seattle's best. This time, the Saxons were the favorites. Both trips to Tacoma ended with a state championship.

Ferris left with its 58th straight win, having gone 29-0 in consecutive years. Only Brewster, which won 82 games consecutive games in Class B between 1973 and 1977, has had a longer winning streak in state history.

On their way to the Greater Spokane League title, the Eastern Regional championship and another state championship, the Saxons won all but five of their games by 10 or more points.

The debate already began Saturday night: Is this the best team in state history?

The 1996 Sehome of Bellingham championship team immediately sprang to Van Lierop's mind.

"But they didn't win it two years in a row," he said. "We did it twice. They did it once."

And the Saxons did it with a group of five senior starters who proved early on to Federal Way that the Eagles were about to have their hands full. All five scored in boosting Ferris to a 17-6 first-quarter lead.

"On any given night, someone can go off," senior Jared Karstetter said. "We just have so many weapons."

Karstetter, who has signed with Washington State to play football, was named the tournament's most valuable player after scoring 17 points per game -- 15 in the championship game.

Karstetter silently killed teams all week with his strong moves to the basket. He let all the highlights go to 6-foot-8 DeAngelo Casto, who made the all-tournament first team. With eight blocks in the championship game, Casto tied the 4A tournament record set by Garfield's Anthony Washington in 2001. Casto's 25 blocks in the tournament also set a record, breaking Washington's mark of 21 in '01.

"My coach calls me the goalie," Casto said.

Casto also scored 18 points, including a dunk in the fourth quarter that was so forceful it actually moved the basket. By that point, the Saxons didn't have to worry where the hoop was -- they were ahead by 24 points.

After winning three close, high-intensity games to get to the championship game, the 10th-ranked Eagles appeared out of gas in their fourth game in as many days. The Eagles knew they would have to shoot well to stay with Ferris, but the Saxons' matchup zone caused problems. The Eagles (21-7) shot 29 percent and made six of their 29 three-point attempts.

Cheadle, Ferris' lock-down defender and three-point shooter, had a perfect night and silenced the pack of Federal Way fans early. He made all five of his three-pointers, four in the first half, and finished with 17 points.

"I was just putting them up," he said.

Cheadle's prayer at the first-half buzzer put the Saxons ahead 37-14, with victory pretty much assured as they went into their locker room.

"That was a nice way to go into the half," Van Lierop said.

They never relented, even late, and the team stormed the court at the final horn. Seniors guards Jeff Minnerly and Shawn Stockton made the all-tournament second team.

In a long postgame celebration in the locker room, each of these oh-so-valuable seniors was allowed to reflect on a historic season.

"All we wanted to do was get back to the state championship and win it again," Casto said. "Oh man, it feels good."

Tom Wyrwich: 206-515-5653 or twyrwich@seattletimes.com

FEDERAL WAY -- Isiah Umipig 4-9 0-0 9, Jermini Davis 0-0 0-0 0, Andre Barrington 3-4 1-2 9, Rian Miller 0-1 0-0 0, Jerry Duckworth 0-0 0-0 0, Montrel Walton 1-2 1-1 3, Robert Christopher 0-0 0-0 0, George Williams 0-0 0-0 0, Aaron Broussard 5-21 0-0 12, Cole Dickerson 3-8 0-0 6, Jeff Forbes 2-11 0-0 5, Daniel Young 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 18-62 2-3 44.

FERRIS -- Evan Ewing 0-1 0-0 0, Jeff Minnerly 4-7 3-3 12, Erick Cheadle 5-7 2-2 17, Russell Hart 1-2 0-0 2, Shawn Stockton 0-3 4-4 4, Jared Karstetter 5-8 5-6 15, Pat Maher 0-0 0-0 0, DeAngelo Casto 6-13 6-10 18, Jordan Tonani 0-0 0-0 0, Jason Bates 0-0 0-0 0, Justin Stewart 0-1 0-0 0, Beau Brett 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 21-42 20-25 68.

Three-point shooting -- Federal Way 6-29 (Umipig 1-6, Barrington 2-4, Walton 0-1, Broussard 2-10, Forbes 1-8); Ferris 6-8 (Ewing 0-1, Minnerly 1-1, Cheadle 5-5, Hart 0-1). Rebounds -- Federal Way 27 (Broussard 7); Ferris 39 (Minnerly 9). Assists -- Federal Way 9 (Umipig 6); Ferris 11 (Stockton 4). Steals -- Federal Way 8 (Umipig 2, Barrington 2, Broussard 2); Ferris 3 (Stockton 1). Blocked shots -- Federal Way 4 (Broussard 1); Ferris 8 (Casto 8). Fouled out -- Forbes, Federal Way. Technicals -- None.