4a State Tournament: Federal Way dumps Decatur

Broussard scores 29 to lead Eagles into title game vs. Ferris

By MICHAEL MCLAUGHLIN
P-I REPORTER

TACOMA -- Forgive Federal Way boys' basketball coach Jerome Collins if he's a little hoarse. Collins had plenty to yell about as his team experienced the highs and lows of pressure basketball in front of a packed house at the Tacoma Dome.

For the third consecutive game at the Class 4A state basketball tournament, Federal Way trailed late in the third quarter. And for the third time, Collins and his Eagles regrouped and battled back, earning a 69-60 overtime win against crosstown rival Decatur to advance to the championship game against Ferris at 7 p.m. on Saturday.

Decatur will meet Bellarmine Prep (24-4) at 3:30 p.m. for third and sixth place.

"At times our inexperience and youth showed a little too much," Collins said, his voice barely audible at times. "We squandered leads and made our share of mistakes, but the kids never hung their heads and stayed strong mentally. Like I've said for three days now, I couldn't be more proud of these kids."

Federal Way was led by Seattle U-bound senior Aaron Broussard with 29 points, 14 rebounds and three steals. The 6-foot-5 senior was unstoppable at times, connecting on 9 of 18 shots and 11 of 14 free throws.

As dominant as Broussard was offensively, junior Andre Barrington seemed to show up every time a big play was needed for the Eagles. Barrington had 14 points, seven rebounds, three assists, three steals and played shutdown defense.

"Andre's stats don't necessarily show up in the box score," Broussard said. "He's all about hustle and heart."

It was the fourth meeting between the teams this season. Decatur held a 2-1 advantage before Friday, but the Eagles earned the most important win of the four.

It was a back-and-forth battle that featured 14 lead changes in the first three quarters. Considering the familiarity between the programs, overtime seemed fitting.

"That was one of the gutsiest efforts I've ever seen," Decatur coach Kevin Olson said.

Decatur took an early 10-6 lead, only to watch the Eagles rally and take a 14-10 advantage after one quarter.

Decatur senior Marcus Tibbs got things going for the Gators in the second quarter, scoring 13 of his team-high 22 points in the period. After trailing 22-16, Decatur went on a 12-2 run to take a 28-24 lead at the half.

The teams traded leads throughout the third quarter and Federal Way nursed a 38-35 lead into the fourth.

The Eagles led 52-42 with 2:48 left. Decatur looked to little-used senior K.J. Hong, who came off the bench and hit a 3-pointer, then connected on another while being fouled, scoring seven Decatur points in 29 seconds to close the gap to 52-49.

Decatur's pressure defense forced three turnovers in the final two minutes, allowing the Gators to tie the game at 54-54 with a minute left. After Broussard was called for a five-second-possession turnover, the Gators had the last shot. Junior Michael Hale III launched an open 3-pointer as time expired, but the shot went in and out.

"I thought the shot was in and thought we were playing Saturday night," Olson said.

"It was so close. Broussard was unbelievable for them tonight. He had a look on his face before the game like he was going to do everything, and he did."

The Eagles won the overtime tip and dominated the extra period, outscoring Decatur 9-2 in the final 1:11 of the game.

It's hard to imagine a rivalry being any more intense than the one between these teams, but Friday's semifinal will likely raise the intensity even more when the teams meet again next season.

"I hope it does," Olson said. "I hope it inspires us to get that look that Broussard had. We need that."