Eastside Catholic had the No. 2 seat in the Metro League, and now with Auburn, the No. 1 seat, beat by Lincoln, they are feeling confident for their next bracket. No matter what team they face, they feel they can beat them. But could Mt. Spokane put them in their place?
Eastside Catholic will be playing against Mt. Spokane at the Tacoma Dome at 5:30pm on Friday, and with just beating Lincoln High School on Thursday, they are feeling confident in their team and key players. Jacob Cofie (#5), the 60th best player in the nation according to ESPN, checked in with 19 points and 12 rebounds, as the 6’10” senior led his team to victory.
This power senior stays composed, making plays out of the low and high posts and his combination of size and hand-dexterity gives him the potential to develop not just inside the paint but eventually as a floor spacer as well as he heads to college next year at Virginia.
EC also has some strong freshman blood as Achilles Reyna (#14) has got the skills to play in Varsity as a first year. Coming in at 6’6”, his young skill can help herald a winning season once this year’s seniors move on from Eastside and continue to carry their legacy. Yabi (Yeabsera) Aklog (#15) is another promising young player, standing at 6’11” and being a sophomore, he has a bright future with this team and farther. With Aklog and Cofie in the paint EC presents a formidable challenge to any team seeking to do damage inside.
Despite Eastside’s strong talent, Mt. Spokane should not be overlooked. Even with their tallest player being 6’5”, they are proving that teams can be successful without having luck in genetic roulette. In the quarterfinals, they beat Mountlake Terrace 82-58. Star point guard Ryan Lafferty had a terrific performance, pouring in 27 points on 12-13 shooting, along with 6 assists and 5 rebounds. The Wildcats will need Lafferty to lead them once again as they seek to crest the Washington basketball mountaintop.
The winner of tonight’s game will head to the 3A State Championship at 7PM on Saturday, March 2nd. They will play the winner of tonight’s O’Dea vs. Rainier Beach. Having defeated the #3 seed and being hungry for blood, will the Wildcats continue their run, or will EC bring them to defeat?
