4A Boys State Hoops | Federal Way captures its first championship with 62-54 win over Garfield

TACOMA — This was the kind of night when young men could cry in public. The kind of night when one senior, Andre Barrington, could stare another, Jeff Forbes, in the eye and boldly say, "I love you." The kind of night when a coach, after 25 years, could finally feel what the top of the ladder feels like.

"This," Federal Way coach Jerome Collins said, "was our year."

This was 371 days in the making, from the night Federal Way lost last year's state championship until Saturday night, when the Eagles won the first state championship in their school's history. And they had to beat the state's most accomplished basketball school, Garfield, to do it, winning the Class 4A title game 62-54 in front of a raucous Tacoma Dome crowd.

"I don't even have a big enough vocabulary to explain what I'm feeling right now," exclaimed Barrington, a starting forward. "I'll have to make up a word or something."

In the storied school history that includes former NBA players Donny Marshall and Michael Dickerson, this was the first Federal Way team to win a state championship. All week, former Federal Way players flew into town or called coach Collins.

During Federal Way's pregame practice Saturday, Dickerson and former Eagles star Jeremy Sloane gave the players speeches.

"It's just a rich tradition," Collins said. "Like I told our kids, this didn't start with you, and it won't end with you."

This Federal Way team won the championship because of its remarkable balance, with four players averaging at least 10 points and eight or nine players constantly in a rotation.

And so it figured that Saturday, the Eagles' fifth-leading scorer, Isaiah Umipig, was the star of the championship game. Umipig, who averages less than eight points, led all scorers with 19 points on 5-of-9 shooting.

"We don't have fourth and fifth options," point guard Michael Hale said. "We have whoever's open, and we get them the ball."

As the team celebrated on the championship court, Hale wore one of the nets over his head, and cradled the massive trophy in his 5-foot-10, 150-pound frame.

Hale might have been the missing piece that turned Federal Way (28-2) from Class 4A's runner-up to the tournament champion. A year ago, Hale was playing point guard for Decatur when Federal Way beat the Gators in the semifinals. But in the offseason, he transferred to the rival Eagles.

The Eagles already had options in the post, especially Cole Dickerson, who scored 18 points in the championship. They had a Division I shooter in Forbes. They had glue guys in Umipig and Barrington. In Hale, they found their floor leader.

And once Hale joined the team, the Eagles became the 4A favorite.

"Michael anchored us," Collins said.

But Hale, like almost every Eagle other than Umipig, struggled in the first half. But so did Tony Wroten Jr., Garfield's star sophomore, who scored just two of his eight points in the first half.

Federal Way led 24-23 at halftime, and the teams were tied at 32 late in the third quarter. But then it was all Eagles, who took a 47-37 lead early in the fourth.

And this late run in the title game was what this balanced, deep Eagles team was built for. A year ago, when they lost to Ferris of Spokane, Federal Way ran out of gas in the title game.

The Eagles vowed to not let it happen again.

"We redeemed ourselves," Forbes said.

FEDERAL WAY — Isiah Umipig 5-9 8-9 19, Andre Barrington 5-10 4-7 14, Michael Hale 1-10 1-4 4, Robert Christopher 0-0 0-0 0, George Williams 1-2 0-0 2, Jaleel Williams 0-1 0-0 0, Cole Dickerson 9-13 0-0 18, Jeffrey Forbes 1-3 3-4 5. Totals 22-48 16-24 62.

GARFIELD — De'Andre Taylor 4-16 2-4 12, Glen Brooks 3-6 3-4 10, Tony Wroten Jr. 2-11 4-8 8, DesJuan Newton 1-2 1-2 3, Jaron Cox 1-5 0-0 2, Christian Blanks 3-7 0-0 6, Kellen Landry 1-1 0-0 2, Salim Gloyd 3-7 3-4 9, Wilson Platt 1-1 0-0 2. Totals 19-56 13-22 54.

Three-point shooting — Federal Way 2-12 (Umipig 1-3, Hale 1-5, Barrington 0-2, Forbes 0-2); Garfield 3-22 (Taylor 2-10, Brooks 1-3, Wroten 0-3, Cox 0-4, Blanks 0-1, Gloyd 0-1). Rebounds — Federal Way 41 (Dickerson 8); Garfield 40 (Gloyd 9). Assists — Federal Way 15 (Hale 4, Barrington 4); Garfield 6 (Brooks 2). Steals — Federal Way 9 (Barrington 4); Garfield 6 (Wroten 3). Blocked shots — Federal Way 2 (Dickerson 2); Garfield 2 (Wroten 1, Gloyd 1).