Boys 3A: No. 2 seed O’Dea eliminates Mt. Spokane

Russell Whealdon scored 19 points – including three consecutive 3-pointers in the third quarter – to help No. 2 seed O’Dea (24-3) pull away from No. 15 seed Mt. Spokane (17-7) 68-48 in a state 3A first-round elimination game at the Tacoma Dome on Wednesday.

O’Dea faces No. 1 seed Garfield in a quarterfinal showdown on Thursday at 10:30 a.m.

Whealdon went 5 of 7 from beyond the arc. Noah Williams scored 15 points, Cal Hansen had 12 points with 10 rebounds and Joshua Mosley added 10.

“Hats off to (O’Dea),” said Mt. Spokane coach David Wagenblast. “They play tough defensively. We struggled to score.”

Mt. Spokane was led by freshman Tyson Degenhart with 16 points and seven rebounds, while JT Smith and Jerry Twenge added 11 piece.

“Tyson plays unafraid,” Wagenblast said. “In an environment like this you can’t doubt yourself for a second and Tyson doesn’t. He’s a special player and a special kid.”

Whealdon’s jumper midway through the first quarter put O’Dea up 10-4. Mt. Spokane chipped away and took its first lead late in the first quarter on a fastbreak layup by Cole Hattenburg.

O’Dea closed the second quarter on a 10-2 run though and the Fightin’ Irish led 29-19 at the break.

The Irish led 39-30 midway through the third quarter when the scoreboard went dark. After a 10-minute delay, Whealdon lit it back up, drilling three straight 3s and a floater to open up a 16-point advantage.

O’Dea ended the game on a 12-2 run.