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With a front line that measures 6-foot-5 (senior Ben Heisel), 6-foot-6 (sophomore Luke Heisel) and 6-foot-6 (senior Birk Johnston), the Bellarmine Prep Lions can strike fear into any opposition team lining up across from them. And while challengers may bravely attempt to take on the three Goliaths, David doesn’t always come out as the victor.
So it was for Edmonds-Woodway on Thursday as the Lions’ trio was able to hold down the Warriors just long enough to walk out of the battle triumphantly.
Johnston and the two Heisel brothers combined for six blocks in the game and helped No. 5 seed Bellarmine Prep prevail over No. 11 seed E-W 60-48 in a WIAA 3A Boys State High School Basketball Tournament quarterfinal showdown at the Tacoma Dome.
After a tight first half that featured eight lead changes and five ties, Bellarmine Prep clung to a slim one-point advantage, 30-29, at halftime.
But the Lions came out roaring in the second half, slowing the usually aggressive offensive attack of E-W.
“I just thought in the third quarter, I thought we looked a little sluggish,” Warriors’ Coach Tyler Geving said. “We just weren’t moving the ball, we weren’t cutting hard. I felt like we were standing around a little bit; hence, we only scored three points that quarter. Credit to them, their length bothered us at the rim.”
Bellarmine Prep outscored E-W 13-3 in the third quarter – the Warriors’ only points were a twisting Will Alseth lay-in at the 4:50 mark and an Alseth free throw just over three minutes later.
The ability of the Lions’ front line to block or alter shot attempts led the Warriors to hesitate with drives to the hoop and instead settle for long-range jump shots. The E-W shot selection, along with the Bellarmine’s consistent scoring attack, doomed his squad, Geving said.
“We took a couple questionable shots there in the third and they made a run,” he said.
Then early in the fourth quarter, the Lions took their largest lead of the game at 48-35 after a Elliott Stevenson 3-pointer. The Warriors were able to whittle the Bellarmine advantage down to four points, 51-47, with 3:19 to go, but could get no closer as the Lions converted six of eight free-throw attempts — and picked up another Stevenson 3-pointer — down the stretch to seal the victory.
Guard Ronnie Wiggins led Bellarmine Prep in scoring with 18 points. The junior, at 6-foot-3, added to the formidability of the Lions around the hoop with nine rebounds and a blocked shot.
Johnston scored 14 points for the Lions while Stevenson tallied 12 points, all from shots made from beyond the 3-point arc.
Edmonds-Woodway was led in scoring by the 17 points of DJ Karl; Alseth scored 15 points in the loss.
Bellarmine Prep enjoyed a 21-12 scoring advantage over E-W in 3-point shooting and a 15-10 scoring bump from the free-throw line to complement their work on the defensive end of the court.
Although disappointed, Geving wasn’t downcast after the defeat. “We competed today,” he said. “I think we gave it everything we had; I can live with that. It’s a good team that we just played. They’re well-coached, well-organized. They gave us fits at the rim with their length and size. I’m not disappointed in our team at all.”
With Thursday’s result, Bellarmine Prep will move on to a 3A Boys State tourney semifinal game to face No. 1 seed Rainier Beach while the Warriors will drop to the consolation bracket with no chance of repeating a trip to the tournament’s title contest on Saturday, a game E-W played in last year.
The Warriors will take on No. 2 seed O’Dea Friday morning in a loser-out matchup. The winner of that contest will play in the tourney’s 4th/6th place game Saturday morning.
“We can get to Saturday and bring home a trophy,” Geving said. “We still have a goal in this thing.”
No matter the outcome of Friday’s tough game with No. 2 O’Dea, Geving stressed that this Warrior squad should be proud of their play in the State tourney this year.
“We’re top eight in the state regardless, which is something pretty cool — and I don’t think a lot of people thought we would do, losing Cam (Hiatt, 2025 graduate now playing Division 1 collegiate basketball at Dartmouth College). Without Cam it kind of validates that these other guys are good players too,” Geving said.
To view the entire WIAA 3A Boys State Basketball Tournament bracket, click www.wpanetwork.com/m2/tourn.php?act=vt&tid=4955.
Prep Boys Basketball: Edmonds-Woodway vs. Bellarmine Prep, Mar. 5 (WIAA 3A Boys State Basketball Tournament quarterfinal game)
Edmonds-Woodway 16 13 3 16 – 48
Bellarmine Prep 19 11 13 17 – 60
Edmonds-Woodway individual scoring: DJ Karl 17, Will Alseth 15, Grant Williams 7, Dre Simonsen 6, Julian Gray 3, Shayaan Shah, Harris Dobson, Cruz Escandon
Bellarmine Prep individual scoring: Ronnie Wiggins 18, Birk Johnston 14, Elliott Stevenson 12, Luke Heisel 9, Ben Heisel 7,Donovyn Frazier, Ca’ron Dotson, Hudson Bronder
Records: Edmonds-Woodway 24-4 overall; Bellarmine Prep 23-3 overall
Edmonds-Woodway next game: versus O’Dea; Friday, March 6; 9 a.m. at the Tacoma Dome (WIAA 3A Boys State Basketball Tournament loser-out game)
Bellarmine Prep next game: versus Rainier Beach; Friday, March 6; 3:45 p.m., at the Tacoma Dome (WIAA 3A Boys State Basketball Tournament semifinal game)
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