黑料福利社

Something about going up against Royal at the 黑料福利社 SunDome appears to bring out the best in Zillah's Dekker Van De Graaf.

The senior took over Friday night's first 1A semifinal from the start, leading the No. 1 seed Leopards to a 74-64 win and their second championship berth in three years. Van De Graaf said he brought a scoring mindset and it showed as he put up 11 of Zillah's first 18 points on his way to a game-high 34, nearly matching his 36-point outburst to beat the No. 3 Knights for third place a year ago, a game that included overtime.

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"That's what my coaches want me to do," Van De Graaf said. "They just said 'you've got to play a little selfish.'"

Mengarelli said the Leopards' all-time leading scorer spent much of the season more content to distribute to his capable teammates, and they still stepped up in some big moments for a fifth straight win against the Knights dating back to last March. Van De Graaf passed up an open look from three to let Julian Calzada sink one that capped off a 9-0 fourth-quarter run, and Xavier Castilleja's three with less than four minutes left put the Leopards up nine not long after he airballed a three from the top of the key.

Castilleja finished with 12 points and Budda Aranda added 10 on a night when eight different Zillah players saw the floor and all of them made at least one field goal. That depth allowed Mengarelli to give Van De Graaf some short breaks when he needed them, a luxury the ninth-year coach said he didn't have with the 6-foot-5 guard's crucial role the past two seasons.

"I would have called a timeout the last couple years," Mengarelli said. "Now we turn and go send someone out."

But especially now that's he's fully recovered from a couple of ankle injuries that limited him this season, Van De Graaf's showing he's still just as capable of carrying the scoring load for Zillah. Extra muscle he added over the offseason provides a significant edge once he turns the corner and enters the paint, where his athleticism and finishing ability combine for a lethal efficiency.

Van De Graaf converted 11 of 17 two-point attempts and 9 of 12 free throws, and his eight points during a 10-2 run near the end of the first half opened up an 11-point lead. He also matched Memphis Jones' game-high 12 rebounds and came up with two blocks while sagging off players the Leopards felt they could leave alone and mostly protecting the middle against the dribble-drive.

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PHOTOS: Zillah defeats Royal 74-64 in 1A boys state basketball semifinals

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Royal still managed to stay close thanks to better than 50% shooting from 3-point range and 25 points from Grant Wardenaar, the senior guard league coaches chose as the SCAC player of the year over Van De Graaf. He said some trash talking from the Knights and familiarity borne from eight hotly contested matchups over the last two seasons offered plenty of fuel for his competitive fire.

Mengarelli said Van De Graaf's improved considerably as a teammate over the years, helping create strong bonds on a group with four other seniors. Van De Graaf said he's grown to fully trust everyone and enjoy the journey without focusing so much on the results.

"My sophomore year I had guys that would keep me in check, guys that I looked up to, guys that would discipline me if i wasn't doing that stuff," Van De Graaf said. "Now I'm kind of that guy that has to be the leader and when I leave the program it'll leave an imprint here."

His game-winner lifted Zillah to a 1A title two years ago and Van De Graaf could make history again by becoming part of the first senior class in Leopards' history with two unbeaten season. Only No. 2 Lynden Christian stands in the way of the Leopards and perfection after the Lyncs rallied to beat King's 63-54 in Friday's other semifinal.

窜滨尝尝础贬听鈥� Dekker Van De Graaf 34, Xavier Castilleja 12, Budda Aranda 10, Jones 4, Saenz 2, Calzada 7, Curfman 3, Maras 2. 29-56 12-15 74.

搁翱驰础尝听鈥� Grant Wardenaar 25, Graham Palmer 15, Dax Jenks 13, Livingston 5, Ruvalcaba 4, A. Brown 2, Andra 0, H. Brown 0, Fielding 0. 24-55 4-6 64.

Zillah=23=18=16=17=鈥�=74

Royal=20=13=14=17=鈥�=64

3-point goals:听Zillah 4-16 (Curfman 1-1, Calzada 1-1, Van De Graaf 1-5, Castilleja 1-6), Royal 12-23 (Wardenaar 5-10, Palmer 3-3, Jenks 3-4, Livingston 1-3).听Rebounds: Zillah 37 (Van De Graaf 12, Jones 12), Royal 24 (Wardenaar 8).听Steals: Zillah 2, Royal 1.听Turnovers: Zillah 6, Royal 5.听Fouls: Zillah 9, Royal 19.听Fouled out听鈥� None.