State 3A Boys: Jaden Ghoreishi has ‘welcome to the Dome’ moment, Mt. Spokane eliminates Monroe 48-39

TACOMA – The Mt. Spokane boys basketball team has qualified for state eight consecutive seasons and played in a state semifinal game the past three, finishing with a pair of third-place trophies and a fifth.

But the Wildcats haven’t been accustomed to playing an elimination game on Wednesday.

It wasn’t the prettiest game they’ve played this season, but Jaden Ghoreishi wasn’t going to let them go home.

Ghoreishi scored 24 points with 18 rebounds, two blocks and a steal and the second-seeded Wildcats eliminated the 10th-seeded Monroe Bearcats 48-39 in a State 3A Round of 12 game at Tacoma Dome.

Mt. Spokane (18-8) advances to face eighth-seeded Bellarmine Prep (23-7) in a quarterfinal Thursday at 5:30 p.m.

Ghoreishi was the only Wildcat in double figures and with more than four rebounds.

“Jaden really stepped up and was phenomenal. It was one of those, ‘Welcome to the Dome’ moments,” Mt. Spokane coach David Wagenblast said.

Caleb Campbell led Monroe (22-4) with 11 points. It was the Bearcats’ first trip to state, and just second overall, since 1994 – a 31-year span. Mt. Spokane limited Monroe’s 6-foot-7 post Chayce Waite-Kellar to seven points and seven boards.

“They got that big kid. He’s tough to guard,” Ghoreishi said. “But we had a defensive strategy to double him whenever he started dribbling, and that opened up a lot of things.”

“Giving up 39 points in a game at this point, that’s how you advance,” Wagenblast said. “And our guys, I thought they came out and attacked defensively, and they were dialed into the scouting report 100% and we were able to take away what (Monroe) does.”

The Wildcats have started a different lineup almost every game and are working with their fourth point guard this season due to injury.

“We’re still a work in progress. I would say we still haven’t peaked,” Wagenblast said. “You know, anytime you get a chance to play on Thursday in the dome, you’re grateful. We didn’t look great at times on offense, but they did that to us. We found a way. We did enough.”

Mt. Spokane was in the unenviable position of playing in the Wednesday elimination game due to its 61-47 opening-round loss to seventh-seeded Seattle Prep at West Valley High on Saturday. The Wildcats didn’t score in the first 4½ minutes of that contest and gave up an 18-0 run in the third quarter.

Ghoreishi, the Greater Spokane League MVP this season, didn’t have his best game with just nine points in the loss – but neither did the team as a whole, which scored 21 points less than its season average.

“That last game I didn’t have the best game,” Ghoreishi said. “But we’re here at state. I wanted to have my team go on, and I just had to do everything I could.”

“He wanted to come out and show who he is,” Wagenblast said.

Ghoreishi dunked on a follow-up, hit a 3-pointer and converted a three-point play to put Mt. Spokane up 11-5. He banked one in with about 40 seconds left in the firs quarter to end a three-minute drought, added a tip-in and Mt. Spokane led 15-12.

Freshman Tysen Lewis found Ghoreishi for a lob as Mt. Spokane took an eight-point lead. The Wildcats held Monroe to just five points in the second quarter on one field goal and led 25-17 at halftime.

“Everyone was just hustling,” Ghoreishi said. “We had people diving on the floor and that’s just the winning plays that get us to win.”

Ghoreishi had 16 points and nine rebounds at the break.

Mt. Spokane went scoreless the first three minutes of the third quarter and didn’t get its first bucket until there were three minutes left. Monroe wasn’t much better as the teams combined for five field goals and Mt. Spokane led 32-25 entering the fourth quarter.

Vargas hit a 3-pointer to start the final quarter. Ghoreishi stepped back for his second 3-pointer , and a 7-0 run gave Mt. Spokane a 44-29 lead.

“They tried to get on a run,” Ghoreishi said. “I was like, ‘No, that’s not gonna happen.’ So I had to pull that (3).”

The Wildcats didn’t do much at the line in the fourth, going 6 of 14 in the quarter, but it was plenty to hold off Monroe and advance.

“There’s so many other teams at home, and we still have a chance,” Wagenblast said. “We survive for another day. And, who knows?”