Prep Basketball | West Central 4A Boys: Kentridge KO's Kentwood, Beamer trips Bellarmine Prep

AUBURN — Dave Jamison tried it his way.

But with a berth in the Class 4A state boys basketball tournament on the line, the Kentridge High School coach wasn't too proud to change tactics against Kentwood's mammoth Joshua Smith. He had seen opponents double- and triple-team the 6-foot-9, 270-pound junior more and more, sending him to the free-throw line whenever he got the ball, if possible.

"I decided to join the party," Jamison said.

And now the ninth-ranked Chargers are celebrating after Friday's 51-41 victory over No. 7 Kentwood in a loser-out game of the West Central 4A District tournament in front of a packed house at Auburn High School.

Kentridge (17-8) returns to state despite returning only one starter from last year's team.

The 41 points were a season-low for the Conquerors (19-7) and two fewer points than Smith scored by himself when the teams last met, a 62-60 Kentwood victory.

"I may not be the smartest guy, but I know when Josh touches the ball, Josh scores," Jamison said. "I didn't want to take any chances."

So he had 6-6 Colin Williamson and 6-4 Dylan Zylstra sandwich Smith, who still finished with 18 points (including 5 of 9 free throws), 13 rebounds and three blocks. No other Kentwood player scored more than eight.

Kentridge, meanwhile, got 20 points from Shaquille McKissic and 15 from Gary Bell.

Smith emerged from the locker room with tears in his eyes.

"This is a different feeling from last year," said Smith, whose team finished one win short of state for a second straight year.

While McKissic and Bell were ecstatic, both expressed empathy for Smith and his teammates.

"This feels real good, but it's really a heartbreaker that we had to play them," McKissic said. "I feel bad for Josh and Tre [Tyler], two years in a row."

The Chargers led 23-19 at halftime and held Kentwood to five points in the third quarter. They were up 42-39 before Kentwood made a run, cutting it to 42-38 on a bucket by Smith with 2:36 to play. But Williamson, who had nine points. Scored off a feed from Laron Daniels as Kentridge finished on a 9-3 run.

Other game

Beamer 78, Bellarmine Prep 68 (winner 5th to state, loser out)

Napa Mefi is a big Abdul Gaddy fan. But the Beamer sophomore felt he had something to prove when the two took the court with a state berth on the line.

"I look up to Gaddy a lot," Mefi said. "But I think I belong on the same floor as Abdul."

Mefi showed why, scoring a career-high 28 points, burying 5 of 11 three-point attempts as the Titans from Federal Way stunned Bellarmine Prep of Tacoma and ended Gaddy's illustrious prep career.

Beamer (14-11), a sixth-year school enjoying its first winning season, advances to state for the first time as the No. 5 seed from the West Central District. Kevin Davis, a 6-8 senior, had 25 points — 14 in the final 12 minutes — and 11 rebounds for Beamer. Chase Hildebrandt had 12 points and six assists.

Bellarmine Prep (15-11) beat the Titans in last year's district tournament.

Gaddy, a McDonald's All-American headed for Washington, scored 24 points before fouling out with 32.4 seconds to play.

"Time to move on," he said.

Beamer, which barely qualified for the playoffs after finishing fifth in the SPSL South, won a third straight loser-out game after falling in the opening round of the district tournament to fifth-ranked Foss of Tacoma.

The Titans trailed by nine late in the second quarter, but rallied in the third behind Mefi's 11 third-quarter points. They scored the first 12 points of the fourth period to open a 64-49 lead and Bellarmine never got closer than nine the rest of the way.