Prep boys basketball: Warriors remain undefeated after one-point win over West Seattle

Edmonds-Woodway’s Will Alseth (upper right) pressures West Seattle’s Alex Pierce (center) into a tough shot at the final buzzer of the Warriors-Wildcats game Saturday at West Seattle High School. Alseth partially blocked the shot attempt to preserve E-W’s 52-51 victory over West Seattle.

A dream year almost turned nightmarish for the Edmonds-Woodway Warriors on Saturday but a big team effort and a stout defensive play by junior Will Alseth preserved E-W’s quest for a rarity: regular-season perfection.

Alseth partially blocked a potential game-winning shot by West Seattle’s Alex Pierce at the final buzzer on Saturday and the Warriors escaped with a 52-51 victory over the Wildcats in a tense non-conference contest played at West Seattle High School.

West Seattle’s Wes Armstrong (left) tries to slow down E-W’s Julian Gray during the Wildcats-Warriors game.

The win lifted E-W’s overall mark to 17-0 with four games remaining in their 2024-2025 regular season slate.

Saturday’s victory wasn’t secured until Alseth pressured Pierce into taking an unbalanced short jumper at the final horn as the West Seattle senior was looking to win it for the Wildcats with a buzzer-beater.

“He went up, his knee went into mine,” Alseth said of Pierce’s effort driving down the left-side of the Wildcats’ lane in search of a path to the hoop. “He also just, like, shot it backwards.”

Pierce’s awkward shot attempt was partially impeded by a fingertip or two from Alseth. The shot clanked off the bottom of the Wildcat hoop, the game’s final horn blew and the Warriors were able to walk away with the one-point victory.

E-W’s DJ Karl (right) drives over West Seattle’s Wes Armstrong during the Warriors-Wildcats matchup.

Saturday’s win was significant for E-W not only because it keeps them undefeated this season, but because it came against a Metro League team. Seattle’s 3A Metro League is widely considered the strongest in the state and has produced 11 of the past 12 3A state champions.

Alseth acknowledged that Saturday’s win was a little more special than the other 16 that the team has earned so far this season. “It’s against a Metro (League) team, so that’s of some value,” he said. “We got to compete against them and show them who we are. We’re just the kids from Edmonds, Washington.”

E-W Coach Tyler Geving (center) draws up a play on a whiteboard during a timeout in game.

Edmonds-Woodway Coach Tyler Geving also said that the victory was noteworthy because of the level of talent his team was challenged by on Saturday.

“I think Metro doesn’t give other leagues respect, so you’ve got to earn a little respect,” Geving said. “So we scheduled Blanchet and West Seattle and tried to schedule a couple others. But I’m glad we did – West Seattle is a really good team, well-coached and they play in a good league. If they played in our league they would be right up there at the top.”

Alseth led all scorers in the game on Saturday with 20 points, 18 coming in the first half when the Warriors were able to build up a 31-19 halftime advantage. But some sharp shooting by the Wildcats in the third quarter – including three long range 3-pointers from sophomore Gabe Kearney – tightened the contest and set up the game’s last-second drama.

E-W’s Grant Williams (left center) looks to score despite the defensive pressure applied by West Seattle’s Lukas Cheha (right center) as Tyce Sayles (left) and Wes Armstrong watch.

E-W’s leading scorer this season, senior Cam Hiaitt, was saddled with three fouls in the game’s first 3:18 and saw more time on the bench than in action on Saturday. Hiatt scored just two points and played a lesser role in the Warrior win.

“We’ve got to learn to play without Cam (Hiatt); we can’t depend on Cam all the time,” Geving noted. “And we’ve got other good players and they stepped up.”

“DJ (Karl) stepped up tonight and Dre (Simonsen) has been giving us good minutes off the bench,” Geving continued. “Luke Boland plays hard. Julian (Gray) had some big time rebounds down the stretch.”

E-W’s Luke Boland (left) leads the break in front of teammate William Alseth (center) as West Seattle’s Peyton Duong (right) watches and Gabe Kearney trails the play.

Karl scored 14 points for the Warriors on Saturday, 12 in the second half when the Wildcats clamped down on Alseth and Hiatt was hindered by his three fouls — and then a fourth near the midpoint of the third quarter.

West Seattle (2-8 in 3A Metro League, 6-10 overall) was led by the 18 points of sophomore Wes Armstrong and the 16 points of Kearney. The Wildcats were also without two regular starters for the contest, senior Duncan Monnin and junior Sully Pond, both slowed by injuries.

E-W’s Dre Simonsen came off the bench and played significant minutes during the Warriors-Wildcats game.

While happy to see his team pick up the win, Geving was also pleased with how they did it: playing strong physically and mentally in a tight contest.

“We haven’t had a lot of adversity this year – that’s good and bad,” Geving said. “You’re winning by a lot but you don’t get put in tough positions. I told the kids, that last play, do what we’ve been doing all year: Stick to your principles, get one stop and you win. We did that, so it was exciting.”

“It was a fun one; I’m glad we won,” Geving said.

The Warriors will next face perhaps their biggest remaining challenge in their run for a perfect 21-0 regular season, the 16-2 Shorecrest Scots on Tuesday, Jan. 28. The Scots are ranked no. 5 in the WIAA 3A state RPI rankings (E-W is ranked no. 2) and will be looking to avenge a 53-45 home loss suffered to the Warriors on Jan. 7. 

The Warriors-Scots rematch on Tuesday is scheduled to tipoff at 7:15 p.m. at Edmonds-Woodway High School.

Prep Boys Basketball: Edmonds-Woodway at West Seattle, Jan. 25

Edmonds-Woodway 13 18   9 12 52

West Seattle 13   6 19 13 51

Edmonds-Woodway individual scoring: Will Alseth 20, DJ Karl 14, Julian Gray 7, Grant Williams 5, Cam Hiatt 2, Dre Simonsen 2, Luke Boland 2

West Seattle individual scoring: Wes Armstrong 18, Gabe Kearney 16, Brittin Joyner 8, Alex Pierce 7, Tatum Joyner 2, Peyton Duong, Tyce Sayles, Lukas Cheha, Jesse Dabbs, Esayas Brigham

Records: Edmonds-Woodway 8-0 in 2A/3A Wesco League South Conference, 17-0 overall; West Seattle 2-8 in 3A Metro League, 6-10 overall

Edmonds-Woodway next game: versus Shorecrest; Tuesday, Jan. 28; 7:15 p.m. at Edmonds-Woodway High School

West Seattle next game: versus Roosevelt; Monday, Jan. 27; 7:30 p.m. at West Seattle High School

— Story and photos by Doug Petrowski

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