State 4A Boys: ‘Unheralded’ Jackson Mott helps Gonzaga Prep secure overtime win over Auburn in quarterfinal

TACOMA – One of the unfortunate realities of the way the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association conducts the state basketball tournaments is that, fairly regularly, some of the best matchups don’t happen at the best times.

Since the top eight seeds face each other in protected games during the regional round, when upsets happen – such as when boys 4A No. 2 seed Auburn fell to seventh-seeded Mount Si on Saturday – we’re left with a battle of top seeds on a Thursday, instead of later in the week.

And that’s why top-seeded Gonzaga Prep played second-seeded Auburn on the second day of the tournament at 10:30 a.m. instead of in a potential state title game during prime time on Saturday.

Befitting of such a matchup, it was close the whole way – and required an extra period to decide the outcome.

Junior Jackson Mott banked in a contested leaner with less than 20 seconds left in overtime and Gonzaga Prep edged Auburn 53-50 in a State 4A quarterfinal on Thursday at Tacoma Dome.

The Bullpups (24-2) advanced to a semifinal against third-seeded Glacier Peak (23-3) at 3:45 p.m. on Friday. Glacier Peak needed overtime as well to beat Camas 44-42.

“I just thank my coaches for believing in me, giving me the ball (in overtime),” Mott said. “(Auburn) is a good team, you know – one versus two in the first round. It was a tough five quarters with the overtime. Thankful we were able to pull it out at the end.”

“I’m just very proud of the way the kids hung in there today against some real adversity,” Gonzaga Prep coach Matty McIntyre said.

Mott finished with 13 points, 10 rebounds and three assists – including a back-door pass to Brogan Howell for the go-ahead bucket in overtime. Carter Nilson led G-Prep with 15 points and Howell finished with 14.

Daniel Johnson led Auburn (24-3) with 26 points.

“We were really just trying to be ultra-aggressive (in overtime),” McIntyre said. “We just were not able to make outside shots consistently in the course of the game, especially in the first half. Just had faith that eventually they would fall, and we made a couple of big ones at the end.”

Gonzaga Prep went 2 of 14 from beyond the arc and 7 of 15 at the free-throw line.

Howell, the Greater Spokane League Defensive Player of the Year, played with a heavily wrapped knee.

“He’s a warrior. It doesn’t matter if he scores zero or 30, the job he does on the other team’s best player makes up for whatever he scores,” McIntyre said. “I don’t even worry about that part of it, but the job he did on the MVP of their league was absolutely tough as nails.”

The Bullpups don’t have a starter taller than 6-foot-4, but McIntyre called the 6-4 Mott and Nilson “unheralded.”

“Very underrated players, and it’s about time people start taking notice of what these guys do,” he said. “There’s too much emphasis on points and numbers, but these guys are gritty, tough workhorses, and we wouldn’t be where we are without those two guys.”

“I just, you know, play my role,” Mott said. “I might not be the biggest, but I’m just doing what I can do to help this team.”

McIntyre was philosophical about the low-seed matchup so early in the tourney.

“We just knew that it was going to be eight really good teams at this point. I wasn’t too worried about the (seeds),” he said. “I think over the course of the day, all the scores are going to be super close, as we saw (Wednesday). So that part doesn’t matter.

“I know that every day will bring a new challenge, and we’ll be up for it.”

Tied at 42 late in regulation, Johnson drove for a layup with 1:15 to go, but Howell tied it with a layup moments later.

Neither team scored in the remaining time, and it headed for overtime.

Johnson hit a runner at the start of the extra period, then Howell scored on a fastbreak to tie it. Auburn’s Elijah Jones went to the line and made 1 of 2 with 1:47 to go.

Nilson hit a 3-pointer from the wing to put G-Prep up by one, but Carter Hanson (10 points) answered in kind, and Auburn led 50-49 with 1:17 left.

Howell scored on a backdoor cut from Mott, then G-Prep got a stop. Mott’s falling bank shot through traffic put the Bullpups up by three and Auburn asked for timeout with 16.2 seconds left.

Hansen’s last-second shot from the corner was short, and G-Prep survived.

“I think all of our close games from the beginning of the year have prepared us well for moments like this in the postseason,” Mott said.

“It’s a lot of fun when you come out on top,” McIntyre said.