O’Dea Squeaks Out A Close Victory Against Mt. Spokane To Advance to the State Championship

TACOMA – If there’s ever a time to pull out close wins in the season, the state tournament is definitely the place to do it. That is exactly what the Irish did in their semifinal victory against Mt. Spokane.

The Wildcats came into the state tournament boasting a 24-1 record and the #1 seed in the tournament, even over dominant forces in the Metro League like Garfield, Eastside Catholic, and the Irish themselves. With that being said, none of that worried the Irish going into the matchup.

“They’re a great team who can move the ball effectively, and some guys with a great shot which made them a tough matchup,” senior Miles Clark said.

In the first quarter the Irish found themselves behind eight points and letting up an uncharacteristic 22 points. After the rough first quarter though, the Irish figured it out on defense and went on 16-6 run to make it tied 30-30 going into the half.

During the halftime break, the adjustments made in the locker room were shown out on the court by a dominating 16 points in the 3rd quarter, putting them up by 8 points to start the fourth quarter. All the Irish had to do now was hold on to the lead which they did en route to a 56-52 victory over the Wildcats.

“At this point in the tournament, it’s all about surviving and advancing and that’s what we accomplished tonight,” Clark said.

The Irish’s leading scorers were Mason Williams and Clark both with 14 points each. For the Wildcats, the two leading scorers were junior Ryan Lafferty who had 26 points and senior Maverick Sanders who had 18 points.