Gerrits, Olympia deliver convincing win over Federal Way in district hoops semifinal

Federal Way had cut Olympia’s lead to two points in the third quarter of Thursday night’s Class 4A District 3/4 semifinal game at Curtis High School, the latest surge in a game full of them.

Enter senior Mason Juergens, who put a halt to the Eagles’ comeback bid, drilling back-to-back 3-pointers to give the Bears some breathing room. Every time Federal Way closed the gap, Olympia had answers, pulling away for a 77-68 win to advance to Saturday’s district championship game.

“We’re just battling all the time, no matter, we trust each other, we’re going after them no matter what,” said Juergens, who scored 17 points in the win.

Olympia’s experience and poise was on full display in the win.

“I think not only that, from our experience in the past, but our connectedness off the court and on the court,” said senior guard and WSU commit Parker Gerrits, who scored a game-high 31 points. “We hang out with each other all the time after games, go and get food after practice. Just creating those bonds, it’s just something special you create over time. It really translates to the court, when you get in sticky situations and can really just rely on your brothers.”

And on the court, that trust shows up with Juergens, who seems to have a knack for showing up in clutch moments, dating back to last year’s state tournament at the Tacoma Dome.

“You watch him in football the last two years, 85 catches, 1,300 yards, 20 TDs,” Olympia coach John Kiley said. “He’s a dawg out there. He just competes in whatever he does. In the state tournament last year, no situation is too big for him. He just loves it, he relishes it. And he’s so connected as a teammate. These guys have grown up together.”

Olympia had already secured a spot in the state tournament after blasting Tahoma in the district tournament opening round, meaning Thursday and Saturday’s games are played for seeding purposes. Still, that doesn’t lessen the appeal of potentially hoisting a district championship trophy on Saturday, if the Bears can beat the winner of Thursday night’s other semifinal game between Curtis and Camas.

“That’s a loaded district, man,” Kiley said. “That’s a big deal. Curtis is a great team and they beat us for the league championship. We wanted that one, we wanted this one and then we wanted the next one. It means a lot to these guys.”

Olympia has passed a couple major tests as the Tacoma Dome looms, splitting a pair of games with Curtis and beating Federal Way on Thursday, giving Olympia wins over the two best local 4A teams on their schedule.

“We’re going for it,” Juergens said. “We’re competing. We’re shooting for all of them. That definitely helps our confidence.”

Dace Pleasant poured in a team-high 20 points for Federal Way in the loss. Vaugh Weems scored 17. Andreas Engholm added 13 points for the Bears.