Four players scored in double figures for Federal Way as the Eagles won the 4A state championship over Davis, 65-46.
A short lull in the offense for Federal Way in the second quarter allowed Davis to tie the game at 20. But then the Eagles responded, going on a 17-3 run and essentially shutting down Davis’ offense. The Pirates didn’t make a field goal for the last six minutes of the second quarter, and that drought carried into the first three minutes of the third.
The lead hit 20 in the third before Davis began to find its way offensively. But at that point, all the Pirates could do was try to make it respectable – the closest it got from that point on was 12 points.
Throughout the state tournament, Federal Way guard Viont’E Daniels has been a consistent source of scoring. He had 27 on Friday and 22 Thursday, but finished with just eight in the title.
Luckily, Federal Way has plenty of pieces around Daniels.
Ferron Flavors and D’Jimon Jones each hit three 3-pointers and Christian Jones went to work in the paint, scoring 12 points and grabbing 13 rebounds.
The successful shooting from the perimeter helped open things up inside.
“We just kept hitting them and they kept stepping out,” Jones said. “So then we just dish it in to the strong guys like Christian or the tall guys like Jalen and they just get it done.”
Jones is 6-foot-3 but he plays bigger. He also had help inside with the 6-foot-9 McDaniels, who had 16 points and eight rebounds.
“It’s been that way all year,” Federal Way head coach Jerome Collins said. “We’ve had a number of guys that step up. Some nights it’s Ferron, some nights it’s D’Jimon, some nights it’s Jalen. And we spread the wealth around, but I think that’s the strength of our ball club. It’s not just one guy.”
Collins said after Friday’s semifinal win that playing with a big lead doesn’t detract from the Eagles’ game plan. That was clear in the championship when they continued to work a press in defensively – even when up by as many as 20 in the third quarter.
Jones said that’s because the Eagles “just have one speed and it’s fast.” Keeping the Pirates on their toes on offense kept them out of the game.
Last year’s leading scorer for Federal Way, Malik Montoya, tore his ACL days before the start of the season. That left room for Daniels to bud into a star and a number of other Eagles to grow into bigger roles.
“The way everybody responded [to Montoya’s injury], Viont’E leading us … each guy stepped up into their roles to make the difference,” Collins said. “It’s very gratifying what they’ve accomplished and I’m just proud of them for it.”
This is the first state title for Collins and Federal Way since 2009.
