TACOMA — Cam Hiatt was a man possessed.
The Edmonds-Woodway boys basketball team trailed 28-23 with less than 3:30 left in the third quarter of the Boys 3A State semifinals against Mt. Spokane at the Tacoma Dome on Friday. The Warriors scrapped and clawed for two offensive rebounds before kicking it up top to Hiatt, who swished a 3-pointer to cut the deficit to two.
After a Mt. Spokane missed 3, Hiatt grabbed the rebound and took it coast-to-coast to tie it 28-28. On the ensuing Mt. Spokane possession, Hiatt broke up a pass at half court and took it to the hole, seizing the 30-28 lead with 1:12 left in the quarter.
It was a lead the No. 5 Warriors (26-2) would not relinquish. Thanks to Hiatt’s 28-point effort and a committed team defense that held the No. 2 Wildcats (19-9) to just nine points in the second half, Edmonds-Woodway punched its ticket to their first-ever state championship game with a 41-34 win.
Final: E-W wins 41-34
Off the back of Cam Hiatt’s 28p and a strong team defense that limited Mt. Spokane’s shots down the stretch, Edmonds-Woodway is headed to the 3A State Championship for the first time.
E-W allowed only 9p in the 2nd half from the Wildcats@HeraldNetPreps— Joe Pohoryles (@Joe_Poho) March 8, 2025
“Obviously, it stands out as a big moment in the game,” Hiatt said of his third-quarter run. “As a turning point, you roll with that momentum, but you also got to highlight the fact that you just stick with it. You get a couple opportunities, you make a couple good reads, and good things can happen.”
Edmonds-Woodway coach Tyler Geving was happy with his team holding No. 6 Lincoln to just six points in the third quarter of Thursday’s quarterfinal win. The Warriors one-upped themselves by holding Mt. Spokane to four points in the third quarter, then five points in the fourth.
“The kids have bought into (defending hard),” Geving said. “We do a good job of preparation. I think we prepare our kids well with the scouting reports and tendencies of what other teams want to do, and our kids have bought into it all year. If you can take away two or three things through a scout and execute that stuff, then it (makes) a difference.”
The Wildcats jumped out to a 13-4 lead to open the game, riding a 7-0 run lasting 1:35, but the Warriors followed it up with six straight points to cut it within three. Mt. Spokane senior Nalu Vargas hit a 3 with under a minute to go to make it 16-10 entering the second quarter.
Mt. Spokane surged ahead again in the second, stretching the lead to eight as Edmonds-Woodway’s outside shooting couldn’t connect — the Warriors went 1-for-9 from 3 in the first half — but Hiatt asserted himself in the paint, absorbing contact while picking up points to pull Edmonds-Woodway within four by the halftime break.
Edmonds-Woodway’s Julian Gray and William Alseth celebrate winning the 3A boys semifinal game against Mt. Spokane to advance to the state championship on Friday, March 7, 2025 in Tacoma, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
After Hiatt pulled the Warriors ahead in the third, he notched another steal and fast break 1:20 into the fourth to make it 34-29. From there, the rest of the Warriors filled in the gaps. Junior Julian Gray (four points, five rebounds) had two key blocks in the fourth quarter, with the second followed up by a putback layup from junior William Alseth (six points, five rebounds) to go up by five again.
On the next possession, junior Dre Simonsen tipped a pass away to force a turnover, and at the other end, Hiatt dribbled the ball between his legs and swished a 3 to make it 39-31 with 3:33 to go. Simonsen, the sixth man, played 25 minutes in a larger role than he’s used to. Geving said Simonsen was “dialed in,” and the coach wanted to lean more on his ball-handling.
“I just know my role,” Simonsen said. “I know I do it for the team. Sometimes I got to pass, make the right play, that’s really what I just try to do.”
Hiatt’s 3 would be Edmonds-Woodway’s final made field goal, but their stout defense down the stretch made that a non-issue.
As time ran out, with the student section chanting the school’s name, Hiatt ran towards the sideline to face them, waving his arms and jumping up and down, taking in the atmosphere as his team started to celebrate behind him.
After starting his high school career at King’s before spending his junior year at Western Reserve Academy in Hudson, Ohio, Hiatt wanted to spend one more year playing in his hometown before going back across the country to play at Dartmouth College next year, calling the decision “bigger than basketball.”
“(Coming) back here for my senior year, this is something that I almost thought I could only imagine in dreams,” Hiatt said. “Bringing Edmonds-Woodway all the way to the state championship in 3A is no joke. I’m really excited about it. … The (fan) turnout today was incredible for us. I can only hope that we can just keep it rolling and stay confident, and keep what we got — which is a really good thing— going.”
The Warriors have less than 24 hours before Saturday’s championship game against No. 1 Rainier Beach at 5 p.m. They’ll enjoy the night, then prepare for a chance at history.
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