12/14/2022

(University Place, WA) High School basketball is officially in full swing as Eli Sports Network and NFHS will be at Curtis High School in University Place for the Curtis Winter Holiday Classic this weekend. The tournament features some of the best teams and players not only in Washington State but the entire Northwest.  8 high schools representing Washington State, Oregon and Idaho will battle over the 3-day tournament starting on Thursday afternoon and ending with the championship game on Saturday night. There will be 4 games on each day, with the winners on Thursday moving on to the semi-finals on Friday, the losers moving the consolation bracket. The semi-final winners will play in the Championship game on Saturday with the other 6 teams to play for places 3rd through 8.  Each of the 12 games will be broadcasted live on Eli Sports Network and NFHS, and each game can be found using the following link.  Eli Sports Network (nfhsnetwork.com)

Now let’s take a look at the opening matchups on Thursday and the teams and players in the Curtis Winter Holiday Classic.

Head Coach: Jim Winger

The Lake City Timberwolves from Coeur d’Alene (ID) are one of the top boys’ basketball programs in Idaho and are one of the contenders to take home the title this weekend. Lake City had a great season last winter winning a district championship over rival Coeur d’Alene en route to a 5A Consolation title, but after being upset in the 1st round of State last season, their goal is to bring home a state championship in March. The Timberwolves are off to another great start, as they are 3-0 on the young season, coming off a massive win over 5A defending state champs Wyhee 80-60 on Saturday. Idaho State commit Kolton Mitchell scored a school-record 39 points and will look to keep his strong play going in University Place. Lake City also has the #1 rated player in Idaho in Blake Buchannon who committed to the University of Virginia last summer. the 6’10 Senior is a matchup nightmare for opponents, and along with Mitchell and Sophomore sharpshooter Reese Strawn give the Timberwolves a strong scoring punch for Lake City.

Head Coach: Joe Degrazia

Kamiak of Mukilteo, WA had a tough season last year going 9-8 overall and finishing in last place in the 4A WESCO with a 2-6 league record, but don’t let that fool you, Kamiak could be a threat this season in 4A and a positive showing this weekend could give Kamiak the confidence that a special year is in store. Kamiak returns 3 starters including 6’5 Josiah Pierre who averaged a little over 18 points per game last season. The Knights are 1-1 overall going into the tournament, but both games were decided by 1 point, a 52-51 loss to Stanwood to start the season and a 59-58 win over Everrett on Saturday. Pierre hit a game winning shot in that game against Everrett, and if he can have a big tournament the Knights could win some games in University Place.

Head Coach: David Blue

From top to bottom, Central Catholic of Portland has some of the most successful athletic programs in the Northwest, as proven by the multiple state titles from the Rams football program. The boys’ basketball team is no slouch either posting over 20 wins last season in a deep postseason run. The Rams lose plenty of talent from last season’s squad, but they do bring back University of Portland recruit Isaac Carr who is one of the top shooting guards in the Portland area and averaged 11 points a game as a Junior last season. The Ram’s have started the season 2-0 after defeating South Medford 48-42 in their season opener and then rival Jesuit of Portland 63-48.

Head Coach: Allen Thomas

The Blazers are a team to watch for in 3A Basketball this season as Timberline returns 3 starters from a team that made the State tournament a year ago, including UNLV commit Brookyln Hicks. Timberline has already faced two of the top teams in 3A, losing to state power O’Dea in the season opener 78-53 and then getting a nice win over a talented Gig Harbor squad 70-56 last Saturday. Despite losing a top player from last season in Miles Gurske who transferred to another state power in Ranier Beach, this is a talented team that gives most teams a lot of issues.

Head Coach: Tim Kelly

The home team in this tournament is as confident as ever, ranked #2 in the 1st 4A AP poll this week and are coming off their first 4A State Championship since 2013. The Vikings bringing back most of that squad, including one of the top recruits in the country in Junior point guard Zoom Diallo who has offers from Gonzaga, Kansas, Washington, Arizona among 21 others. The defending state champions are off to a great start as the Vikings have an undefeated record coming into the Curtis Winter Holiday Classic. After defeating 4A SPSL rival Puyallup 75-50 on Wednesday night, none of their games have been close so far, but that could change in this tournament with some quality opponents in the bracket. It’s hard to find a team in entire state of Washington more talented than Curtis, obviously there is Diallo who is capable of scoring over 20 points in any game he plays in, but there is also Tyce Paulsen who is committed to Point Loma Nazarene University, who is undoubtedly one of the best players in Washington State as well. For those who followed the Curtis football team, Rocco Koch and Xavier Ahrens are both on this Vikings team, and both their competitiveness and athleticism to the hardwood. It will be interesting to see who if anyone can give Curtis a tough game in this tournament, if so, it should come in the Semi-final or championship game.

Head Coach: David Wagenblast

The Wildcats have been one the most consistent and respected teams in 3A Washington State and are one of the undefeated teams in the tournament coming in at 4-0 overall. The Wildcats are tied for 3rd in the 3A AP poll this week and are coming off a 50-43 win on Tuesday over North Central behind 18 points from Senior Maverick Sanders, a St. Martins University recruit. This is a Wildcats team that returns 3 starters from the team that made the State Semifinals last season and fell to Rainier Beach in that game. Ryan Lafferty is a leader as well at the point guard position and is an Idaho State University recruit who is one of the top shooters in the 3A GSL. Drew Rayment is a baseball star for the Wildcats but in the winter brings great athleticism for the basketball team.

Head Coach: Dave Jamison

The Chargers are 3-1 on the season and are the 10th ranked team in the 4A AP poll and are looking to improve on their 10-8 record last season. Kentridge has scored over 70 points in their last two games and look to keep that going in this tournament. The Chargers may be the most experienced team in 4A with 11 Seniors and will look to use their experience as an advantage. Jalon Blackwell is the top scorer for the Chargers, he had a game high 22 points in a 74-67 win over Mariner last Saturday, Elijah Cain, a transfer from Graham Kapowsin is a top scorer as well. Jamari Harris is another athletic player to watch as is Dorian Thomas, who was the 4A NPSL Football Player of the year, and the Oregon State commit is a leader on this Chargers basketball team as well.

Eli Sports will be at the Curtis Holiday Classic for all 12 games if you cannot attend, but we highly encourage you to get to the games when possible. You can watch or listen live through the subscription NFHS network and the cost is just $11.99 for 30-days of full access.  This is NOT a pay-per-view and you may cancel at any time. To get to the NFHS landing page to watch live go to our broadcast schedule page where you can see our full line-up of games and start times and there is a link to click to watch live to take you to the correct page to watch or subscribe.