Most of the players have changed, but the approach remains the same.

A year after reaching the boys basketball state finals, Curtis High is again winning with defense.

“The one consistent thing should be effort on the defensive end,” Vikings coach Tim Kelly said after his team dispatched second-ranked Bellarmine Prep 48-41 in the semifinals of the Class 4A West Central/Southwest Bi-District tournament at Auburn High.

For the eighth time in 10 games, the Vikings held their opponent to fewer than 50 points.

“Our coach emphasizes defense,” said senior forward Darius Johnson-Wilson, one of two returning starters from last season. “We’ve got to have energy on defense.”

Curtis has had plenty of energy lately.

Since a disappointing loss to Kentwood in the South Puget Sound League championship last week, the Vikings have reeled off three straight wins, knocking off two ranked teams – they toppled No. 5 Union in the quarterfinals.
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Dominick Francks shot and shot and shot and shot and shot and shot and shot.

Bellarmine Prep’s boys basketball team had no answer for the Olympia High guard as they watched Francks rain down 3-pointers in the Narrows League 4A tiebreaker Friday at Foss High.

Francks drilled seven first-half treys, including six in a row in a six-minute, second-quarter stretch that turned Bellarmine Prep’s eight-point lead into a six-point deficit.

“What can you say?” Lions coach Bernie Salazar said. “Francks was tremendous.”

Fortunately for the Lions, Francks hot hand cooled in the second half – thanks largely to a ratcheted-up defense – and second-ranked Bellarmine Prep emerged with a 68-51 victory over No. 7 Olympia.

“We didn’t change anything, we just did a better job getting in Francks’ face, taking away open looks,” Salazar said. “We just got after it in the second half.”
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It might have been the worst-kept secret around Bellarmine Prep the past week, but Michael Rector tried to play it as one.

Except for:

* He wore a Cardinal red shirt Wednesday morning.

* His father, Tony, donned a T-shirt and hat of the same color.

At about 7:40 a.m., Rector made the decision official – he was going to sign his national letter of intent with Stanford after being committed to Washington for much of the past seven months.

“It was extremely hard. I’ve grown up wanting to be a Husky,” Rector said. “But it came down to the education for me. Both schools have great programs … but my parents have sacrificed so much for me to have the top education possible, and I wanted to continue that trend.”
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We’re gearing up for our annual football recruiting packages — Northwest Nuggets and Western 100 — and I’ve been laying the groundwork for those pieces by talking to some local players and coaches the past couple days. I wanted to pass along some timely recruiting tidbits and other football-related information:

GARNETT LEAVES PLAN UP TO TWIN SISTER
As Washington fans no doubt know, the Puyallup High offensive tackle is considering three schools: Stanford, Michigan and Notre Dame. Garnett said he won’t make a decision until after his official visit to Stanford on Jan. 14.

Garnett will play in the Under Armour All-American Game next week in Florida. He had planned to take an official visit to Miami after the game, but recently nixed that.

Garnett said he’ll make his announcement at the end of January at Puyallup High School. He’ll leave how his school of choice is revealed up to his twin sister, Rachel.

“My sister will be my planner,” he said. “She’s good at those kind of things.”
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Click here to view Narrows League 4A boys and girls basketball preview capsules.

If you’ve read this story, you know major changes could be coming to the high school sports landscape in the South Sound.

As the story says, Bellarmine Prep, Central Kitsap, Gig Harbor, Olympia and South Kitsap are expected to apply for admission to the South Puget Sound League by Monday.

So, will they be accepted?

From the conversations I’ve had the past couple days with more than a dozen athletic directors, coaches and administrators, I can say with certainty that I don’t know for sure. From the SPSL’s perspective, there are positives and negatives to expanding. However, schools that go so far as submitting an application rarely get turned down for admission.
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VANCOUVER – Bellarmine Prep knows the exhilaration the Skyview High football team felt as the final seconds ticked off the clock at Kiggins Bowl.

Last year, it was the underestimated Lions that punched a ticket to the Class 4A football state semifinals. On Saturday, the ninth-ranked Storm stunned top-ranked Bellarmine Prep 42-17 in the state quarterfinals, securing a trip to football’s final four at the Tacoma Dome.

“You’ve got to be perfect,” Lions coach Tom Larsen said. “Opening the second half, kids were hungry, kids were fired up. So were they. They kind of turned the tables, got the momentum.”

Skyview turned to running back Parker Henry, the leading rusher in Class 4A, after halftime. Behind an offensive line that dwarfed the Lions’ defensive front, Henry rushed for 184 yards and four touchdowns on 26 carries.

“First and foremost, it’s not me, it’s my offensive line,” said Henry, who totaled a season-high 33 rushes for 230 yards. “I can’t say enough about those five, six guys. They’re amazing.”
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Skyview ended Bellarmine Prep’s season, winning the Class 4A football state quarterinal 42-17 at Kiggins Bowl in Vancouver.