Curtis players watch as Devin Witten makes a three-point attempt during the Vikings’ state semifinal game against the Federal Way Eagles at the WIAA State Basketball Tournament at the Tacoma Dome in Tacoma, Wash., Friday, March 3, 2023. Curtis won the game, 56-43.
toverman@theolympian.com
Federal Way threw everything it could at defending state champion Curtis in a 4A semifinal game at the Tacoma Dome on Friday night: a full-court press, trap, man-to-man, 2-3 zone.
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But Curtis is the defending 4A state champion for a reason, and for every look the Eagles gave them, the Vikings had an answer.
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The best answer, perhaps — the immense talent of five-star junior guard Zoom Diallo, who dazzled with an array of spin moves, floaters, around-the-back dribbles, crossovers and virtually unguardable midrange jumpers and fadeaways.
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Complemented by a constantly disruptive defense, Curtis pulled away for a 56-43 win to advance to Saturday’s 4A state championship game, where the Vikings will look to defend their title.
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It was close early. Federal Way held a 10-9 lead after the first quarter, before Curtis ripped off 19 second-quarter points.
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“I knew that I was just missing easy stuff,” Diallo said. “They were giving me easy stuff. I knew I just had to dial in and stay with it, just keep it with my form, keep it with my touches.”
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Diallo had plenty of 1-on-1 opportunities against Federal Way, which boasts one of the state’s top defenses. He made the most of his chances, scoring a game-high 25 points on 9-of-14 shooting from the floor.
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“When they give me that 1-on-1, that’s something I’m good at,” Diallo said. “I’m able to get to the paint and not only score for myself but find others. They were giving me that paint right there, so I knew I could just hit floaters and hit midrange shots.”
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Curtis played lockdown defense, too, particularly in the third quarter, limiting the Eagles to just six points. Federal Way shot just 28.3 percent from the field and 13.3 percent from 3-point range. Vaughn Weems, the 4A North Puget Sound League MVP, still scored 20 points and pulled down 10 rebounds, but Curtis made things difficult for the rest of Federal Way’s talented cast, including senior Dace Pleasant, who was held to 11 points.
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“We knew we had to lock in on Vaughn Weems,” said Curtis guard Tyce Paulsen. “He killed us tonight, really. But we had to make sure we got rebounds and that’s what we did.
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“We wanted them to take contested shots and when they turned around, we wanted to have dudes on them. That’s what we did.”
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Paulsen added 15 points for Curtis, including a pair of 3-pointers, and guard Cinque Maxwell scored 11.
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Curtis will face the winner of Olympia vs. Mount Si in the 4A state championship game at 9 p.m. on Saturday. Either way, it’ll be a familiar opponent. Curtis plays in the 4A South Puget Sound League with Olympia; the Vikings took two out of three from the Bears this season. If it’s Mount Si, it’ll be a rematch of last year’s state championship game, which Curtis won in an overtime thriller.
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“Both of them are good programs,” Diallo said “I’m excited to see who wins it. We know it’ll be a good title run, a good game tomorrow, so we’re excited.”
