2022 All-Star Results
Once upon a time, the West Sound Senior All-Star Basketball gathering put on by Bremerton native Rick Walker and his Sports Beyond organization featured a slam dunk contest prior to the boys’ game.
Eventually, the dunking exhibition went away in favor of the current pre-game skills competitions: the hot-shot contest and 3-point contest.
On Tuesday during the 20th playing of the all-star games at Bremerton High School, some of the top boys in West Sound put dunking back in the program — unofficially.
“It was just spur of the moment,” Bremerton senior Ruppe Wilson said. “It was great.”
The boys’ game featured Team Puget Sound (North Kitsap, Crosspoint, Olympic and Kingston players) against Team Cascade (Bremerton, Central Kitsap, Bainbridge and Port Angeles). With Team Puget Sound leading 96-81 with five minutes left in the game and both teams preparing to make substitutions, Team Puget Sound allowed Wilson a free path to the net. He bounced the ball off the floor and caught it in the air before sending in a two-hand slam, marking his final bucket of the night in his home gymnasium.
That gave the players substituting into the game an idea: bring on the dunks.
“As the final five were checking in, we were like, ‘We’re going half-speed on D because we’re trying to show out,” North Kitsap senior Jonas La Tour said. “We’re just going to go crazy now.”
Players from both teams got into the high-flying artistry, including Kingston’s Zach Mead, Bremerton’s Kayne Taylor, Bainbridge’s Everett Moore and North Kitsap’s Johny Olmstead.
It was La Tour, however, who brought the crowd of 250 spectators to their feet, with a between-the-legs dunk — the same dunk that J.R. Rider used to win the NBA Slam Dunk Contest back in 1994. The Seattle Pacific University commit said it’s only the fifth time he successfully made that dunk.
“I actually got one in warmups, but nobody saw it so I had to pull it out in the game,” he said.
Taylor almost matched La Tour with the same dunk, but the ball caromed off the back of the rim. Wilson added one last dunk before the final buzzer as Team Puget Sound claimed a 114-94 victory that made for a memorable competition for all involved.
“It’s really fun to play against all these guys,” Olmsted said.
On the boys’ side, Wilson won the hot-shot contest, while Port Angeles’ Wyatt Dunning won the 3-point contest.
Team Puget Sound also claimed victory, 56-43, in the girls’ game as players from Bremerton, Kingston and Port Angeles battled a Team Cascade comprised of players from Klahowya, Central Kitsap, Olympic and North Kitsap. Bremerton’s Brooklyn Irvine won the 3-point contest and Port Angeles’ Bailee Larson won the hot-shot contest.
Several West Sound players will be competing in upcoming all-star events around the region. The Washington State Girls Basketball Coaches Association Senior All-State Games are Saturday at King’s High School in Seattle. In the 1A-2A game at 4 p.m., Klahowya’s Ella Koebelin will suit up for the 1As, while Kingston’s Ellee Brockman will play for the 2As.
La Tour and Olmsted will compete for the 2A squad against the 1A squad on Friday at 2 p.m. at Curtis High School in University Place at the Washington Interscholastic Basketball Coaches Association All-State Games.
https://www.kitsapsun.com/story/sports/2022/03/16/west-sound-basketball-all-star-game-2022-boys-and-girls/7063141001/
