4A SPSL rivals Curtis and Olympia meet in state title game: 5 things we’re watching

Jon Manley, Lauren Smith

For the fourth time this season, the Curtis and Olympia boys basketball teams will face off against each other.

This time, it’s for the Class 4A state title, with the defending state champion and top-seeded Vikings and No. 3 Bears set to tip off at 9 p.m. Saturday at the Tacoma Dome.

Curtis leads the season series, 2-1.

Olympia won the first meeting in Class 4A South Puget Sound League play in January on Curtis’ home floor, 78-69. Curtis returned the favor later, beating Olympia 63-48 in early February in the 4A SPSL tournament championship game at Tacoma Community College. The Vikings also won the third meeting in the 4A West Central/Southwest district title game a couple weeks later, 52-50, on a last-second Tyce Paulsen layup.

The Tacoma Dome will be rocking Saturday night, with two fan bases that always show up in droves for big games.

Here are five things we’re watching for in the season’s final matchup between these South Sound rivals:

Olympia’s Parker Gerrits squares off against Curtis’ Zoom Dialo during Saturday night’s 4A SPSL boys basketball tournament championship game at Tacoma Community College in Tacoma, Washington, on Feb. 4, 2023.
Olympia’s Parker Gerrits squares off against Curtis’ Zoom Dialo during Saturday night’s 4A SPSL boys basketball tournament championship game at Tacoma Community College in Tacoma, Washington, on Feb. 4, 2023.

1. Zoom Diallo vs. Parker Gerrits — which star will shine the brightest?

If you haven’t watched Curtis junior guard Zoom Diallo (19.9 points per game) or Olympia senior guard Parker Gerrits (19.3 ppg), do yourself a favor and buy a ticket for Saturday night’s championship game. Diallo, considered a five-star recruit, is a three-level scorer who can stop direction on a dime and finish acrobatic shots with ease. WSU-bound Gerrits, meanwhile, is one of the state’s best knockdown shooters, a high-level ball handler and crafty scorer.

Both players have been phenomenal this year for their respective teams — Diallo won 4A SPSL North MVP honors for a second consecutive season, and Gerrits earned back-to-back MVP nods in the 4A SPSL South — undoubtedly two of the best guards in the state. In what figures to be a close game, a signature performance from either player — or perhaps just a moment — could tip the scales.

Olympia’s forward Andreas Engholm (2) shoves Curtis’s forward Josiah Johnson (4) while driving to the basket during a basketball game at Curtis High School in University Place, Wash. on Jan. 7, 2023. Olympia defeated Curtis 72-60.
Olympia’s forward Andreas Engholm (2) shoves Curtis’s forward Josiah Johnson (4) while driving to the basket during a basketball game at Curtis High School in University Place, Wash. on Jan. 7, 2023. Olympia defeated Curtis 72-60.

2. Will Curtis struggle against Olympia center Andreas Engholm?

For as good as the defending state champion Vikings have been, there’s one thing that jumps out when looking over Curtis’ roster — there’s not a ton of height. While Curtis has been able to mitigate its absence of a true center with disruptive defense and team quickness — last year’s championship game against Mount Si comes to mind — it’s still an area of concern. Engholm (12.3 ppg, 6.7 rpg) has put together a strong season and has given Curtis trouble at times. In Olympia’s win over Curtis this season, he scored 18. In the Bears’ semifinals upset of No. 2 Mount Si on Friday night, he scored a game-high 23. If Curtis loses track of the big man, he can fill up the score sheet quickly.

Curtis’ Tyce Paulsen flies to the hoop in front of Federal Way defender Dace Pleasant during their state semifinal game at the WIAA state basketball tournament in the Tacoma Dome in Tacoma, Washington, on Friday, March 3, 2023. Curtis won the game, 56-43.
Curtis’ Tyce Paulsen flies to the hoop in front of Federal Way defender Dace Pleasant during their state semifinal game at the WIAA state basketball tournament in the Tacoma Dome in Tacoma, Washington, on Friday, March 3, 2023. Curtis won the game, 56-43.

3. Can Tyce Paulsen find his shot early?

Curtis is at their best when Paulsen (15.3 ppg, 2.3 stl) is actively looking for his shot, and when the 6-foot-4 Point Loma-bound shooting guard is in the zone and hitting 3-pointers, the Vikings have been close to unstoppable. Paulsen’s shot-making ability opens everything up for Curtis’ offense and if Diallo has more space to operate, watch out. Paulsen has been one of the 4A state tournament’s top scorers, scoring 20 points in the team’s quarterfinals win against No. 10 Camas and 15 points in the Vikings’ semifinals win over No. 4 Federal Way.

Olympia’s Mason Juergens pushes the ball up court in front of teammates Matt Lindblom (4) and Andreas Engholm during their state semifinal game against the Mount Si Wildcats at the WIAA state basketball tournament in the Tacoma Dome in Tacoma, Washington, on Friday, March 3, 2023.
Olympia’s Mason Juergens pushes the ball up court in front of teammates Matt Lindblom (4) and Andreas Engholm during their state semifinal game against the Mount Si Wildcats at the WIAA state basketball tournament in the Tacoma Dome in Tacoma, Washington, on Friday, March 3, 2023.

4. Who could be the X-factor?

There’s always an unsung hero. Olympia’s Mason Juergens has a knack for knocking down clutch shots in big moments and is an athletic, active defender and rebounder. Olympia guards Drew Carlson and Matt Lindblom don’t get the recognition Gerrits and Engholm receive, but both players are consistent scorers for the Bears. For Curtis, guard Cinque Maxwell averages double figures alongside Diallo and Paulsen, always finds himself in the right position and is a high-level defender, shot blocker and rebounder. When Curtis guard Devin Whitten gets hot from the perimeter, he’s shown the ability to take over a game.

Curtis head coach Tim Kelly talks to one of his players during the second quarter of a Class 4A semifinal game against Federal Way on Friday, March 3, 2023, in Tacoma, Wash.
Curtis head coach Tim Kelly talks to one of his players during the second quarter of a Class 4A semifinal game against Federal Way on Friday, March 3, 2023, in Tacoma, Wash.

5. Will Curtis’ Tim Kelly win his fifth state title or will Olympia’s John Kiley win his first?

Two longtime South Sound coaches also meet in Saturday’s title game. Kelly won his second state championship with Curtis — and fourth overall as a head coach — when the Vikings beat top-seeded Mount Si in overtime in last season’s 4A state title game. Kelly also coached Curtis to a championship in 2013. He won a pair of 4A state titles earlier in his coaching career at Lincoln, guiding the program to back-to-back titles in 2001 and 2002. He is the only boys coach in state history to guide programs at multiple schools to more than one title, and one of 14 coaches in history to win four championships. Kiley is looking to win his first championship as a coach, leading the Bears to a title game for the first time since 1998. He was a player for Olympia the last time the Bears won a championship in 1986.

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