黑料福利社

Another back-and-forth matchup between two new league rivals with a third place trophy on the line ultimately came down to one simple factor.

Zillah had Dekker Van De Graaf. Royal didn鈥檛.

The SCAC player of the year took over after halftime, willing the No. 4 seed Leopards to a 75-70 overtime win over a team they lost to in two of their first three meetings this season. Van De Graaf鈥檚 eye-popping stat line of 36 points with 6 of 7 shooting from 3-point range, 12 rebounds and two blocks only told part of the story for a player coach Mario Mengarelli said 鈥渓iterally does everything鈥� for Zillah.

鈥淗e鈥檚 a special player and he鈥檚 the greatest Zillah scorer of all time,鈥� Mengarelli said. 鈥淧robably the greatest Zillah player of all time and it showed today.鈥�

That鈥檚 high praise at one of the Valley鈥檚 top programs and it鈥檚 hard to argue after Van De Graaf reached 1,483 points Saturday, surpassing Trey Delp鈥檚 school record with a full season left to play. Van De Graaf once again showed he鈥檚 at his best in the most important moments a year after he scored the last nine points and the game-winning basket of the Leopards鈥� 47-45 state championship win over Annie Wright.

This game didn鈥檛 quite have those same high stakes, but it still meant more than just a better trophy to the Leopards after they gave up a 27-point lead and lost 73-59 to Royal in the district title game at Wenatchee two weeks ago. Van De Graaf and Castilleja both said they drew significant motivation from that disappointment, and Mengarelli said it鈥檚 great to have another rival thanks to the elimination of the SCAC鈥檚 old East and West divisions.

鈥淭hey鈥檙e good and I think they鈥檙e going to be good for a while,鈥� Mengarelli said of the school traditionally known as 1A鈥檚 football powerhouse. 鈥淲e had Toppenish for a while and now they went 2A, they鈥檙e not as relevant, but yeah, it鈥檚 good for us.鈥�

The Knights鈥� depth showed as Dax Jenks came off the bench and recorded a double-double of 20 points and 10 rebounds, including 10 points in the second quarter to help his team take a 31-27 halftime lead. Zillah relied on defense and free throws to weather a field goal drought of more than four and a half minutes to end the first quarter and Memphis Jones scored 11 of his 15 points before the Leopards headed to the locker room.

When they returned, Van De Graaf found his range with three third-quarter 3-pointers, capped off by a stepback jumper just before the buzzer to tie the game at 50. Royal tried to counter by pressing up to guard his shot, so he attacked and rose above defenders to finish at the rim.

鈥�(Assistant coach Erick Delp) told me, 鈥榶ou鈥檙e a junior, you need to take over now, time鈥檚 ticking,鈥欌�� Van De Graaf said. 鈥淪o I got in my bag. He told me to put the backpack on and I did.鈥�

Five more points from Van De Graaf to start the fourth quarter gave Zillah a small cushion, and Mengarelli said the Leopards showed better poise playing with a lead than in the last two days, when they saw a 20-point lead evaporate before beating Seton Catholic and then watched a four-point halftime advantage turn into a 55-37 loss to No. 1 Annie Wright. Van De Graaf praised point guard Xavier Castilleja鈥檚 ability to take care of the ball, and the 5-foot-9 sophomore also proved effective on the drive to score 14 points.

He emphasized the importance of avoiding turnovers and getting the Leopards into their offensive sets rather than worrying too much about running out the clock. Royal still eventually tied the game thanks to four straight points by Grant Wardenaar to end regulation, but Castilleja knew to turn to Van De Graaf in overtime.

鈥渨e鈥檝e been playing since we鈥檝e been little kids, third grade,鈥� Castilleja said. 鈥淪o we鈥檝e always had a connection.鈥�

Van De Graaf knocked down a pair of field goals, including a 3-pointer, before making all four of his free throws in the last 20 seconds to seal Zillah鈥檚 third straight top four finish. Mengarelli said Van De Graaf鈥檚 visit to the nearest trash can while the clock ran out came not from sickness, but from overwhelming exhaustion and how hard he played for nearly 34 minutes.

He returned as the lone starter this season and said that unfamiliarity contributed to an 0-2 start against a tough nonleague schedule before the Leopards rebounded to win 19 of 20 games and posted a 21-5 record. Only one starter will graduate, so Castilleja and Van De Graaf both expect to return with high expectations.

鈥淎s we got on, we started figuring out each other鈥檚 strengths and learned how to play off each other,鈥� said Van De Graaf, who plans to go to Seattle Sunday for a tryout with the Nike EYBL鈥檚 Seattle Rotary AAU team. 鈥淲e鈥檙e hungry and we鈥檙e going to be back for what鈥檚 ours.鈥�

ZILLAH 鈥� Dekker Van De Graaf 36, Memphis Jones 15, Xavier Castilleja 11, Buck 6, Saenz 0, Calzada 0, Mamizuka 0, Curfman 0, McCullough 0, Maras 0. 24-54 20-29 75.

ROYAL 鈥� Grant Wardenaar 18, Lance Allred 12, Jensen 9, E. Jenks 2, Larsen 2, Dax Jenks 20, Livingston 4, Luna 3, Ruvalcaba 0. 25-68 10-15 70.

Zillah 12 15 23 14 11 鈥� 75

Royal 13 18 19 14 6 鈥� 70

3-point field goals: Zillah 7-19 (Van De Graaf 6-7, Jones 1-4), Royal 10-30 (Allred 4-5, Wardenaar 2-5, D. Jenks 2-9, Livingston 1-1, Jensen 1-2). Rebounds: Zillah 35 (Van De Graaf 11), Royal 45 (D. Jennks 10). Assists: Zillah 3, Royal 10. Steals: Zillah 4, Royal 5. Turnovers: Zillah 8, Royal 10. Fouls: Zillah 13, Royal 20. Fouled out 鈥� Allred.