Curtis pulls away in second half to beat Olympia in 4A SPSL championship game, 73-58
The rematch has been on the minds of the Curtis players since last June, when Olympia beat Curtis in the Class 4A South Puget Sound League championship game. That was the final game of the covid-shortened spring season and the closest thing to a state tournament. The players were despondent after the game, a few even in tears.
So yes, Saturday night’s 73-58 Curtis win over Olympia in the 4A SPSL league tournament championship game was nice payback.
“We’ve been talking about this ever since we lost,” said sophomore guard Zoom Diallo, who scored 16 points in the win. “Even (coach Tim Kelly) said we were going to be back. He was right. We came back with fire. We knew what we wanted to do.”
Of course, life’s made easier without having to slow down 6-foot-10 McDonald’s All-American Jackson Grant, now a freshman at the UW. So Saturday’s win may not have been perfect revenge, but it was a convincing display nonetheless and was further evidence of just how much this Curtis team has grown up this winter. The Vikings were maybe a year ahead of schedule last spring, with most of the team’s starting five underclassmen.
“We’ve grown up so much,” said Tyce Paulsen, who scored 19 points in the win. “Leaders like Zoom have grown up, matured a lot. His body, mind, everything.”
That maturation process is evident in the standings: Curtis went undefeated in the 4A SPSL this year, posting an 15-0 record in league play.
“We had a goal: Our goal was to be undefeated in league,” Diallo said. “So that was our mindset in practice, we worked hard every day. We just tried to meet that goal in league and we did.”
Olympia came out swinging in the first quarter and the teams went back and forth, exchanging leads early on. Curtis led by just seven at half, but once the Vikings found their groove, Olympia’s search for answers turned up few results. Curtis outscored Olympia 19-10 in the third quarter and 38-30 in the second half.
Paulsen was lights out for the Vikings, hitting four 3-pointers as part of his 19 total points. He’s been playing more assertively as of late, which Curtis is going to need if it hopes to make a run in the state tournament at the Tacoma Dome next month.
“He’s 100 percent confident,” Diallo said of his sharp-shooting teammate. “That’s what we need, we need him to be confident because he’s one of the best shooters in the state of Washington.”
Paulsen agreed that he’s playing with confidence.
“Once I make a couple, I know it’s going to fall,” he said. “I don’t even have to look at it. I know If it’s coming off my hands, I know I’m going to make it.”
Olympia junior guard Parker Gerrits, once again, showed why he’s one of the area’s top players this year, even in a losing effort. He scored a game-high 24 points, 13 of which came in the second half. Sophomore guard Drew Carlson scored 10 points for the Bears.
Curtis takes the league’s No. 1 seed into districts and the win just happened to come on Paulsen’s birthday. Safe to say, the win was at the top of his wishlist.
“It’s the best birthday gift,” he said.
This story was originally published February 5, 2022 at 9:34 PM with the headline "Curtis pulls away in second half to beat Olympia in 4A SPSL championship game, 73-58."
