Eagles pummel Bell Prep, head to Tacoma Dome | SLIDESHOW

The Eagles boys basketball team is headed to the state quarterfinal game at the Tacoma Dome on Thursday, Feb. 28, after beating Bellarmine Prep, 58-47, on Saturday, Feb. 23.

By Lauren Salcedo • February 27, 2013 1:07 pm
The Eagles’ Terry Dawn had 29 points in the Feb. 23 boys regional game against Bellarmine Prep at Puyallup High School.
The Eagles’ Terry Dawn had 29 points in the Feb. 23 boys regional game against Bellarmine Prep at Puyallup High School.

PUYALLUP — The Eagles boys basketball team is headed to the state quarterfinal game at the Tacoma Dome on Thursday, Feb. 28, after beating Bellarmine Prep, 58-47, on Saturday, Feb. 23.

“This is absolutely wonderful,” said head coach Nick Brown. “We have some players on the team whose parents were state champions back in the ‘60s and ‘70s, and it’s great that their kids have made it this far.”

This will be the first time in more than 40 years that the Arlington boys basketball team competes in the state quarterfinals.

“No team has made it to the Tacoma Dome, because the last time one of our teams got this far, the Tacoma Dome hadn’t been built yet,” said Brown.

The game against Bellermine Prep proved that the Eagles can play competitively with top teams. They started out with a lead, scoring 19 points in the first quarter to Bell Prep’s 12, and outscored them by that much in the second quarter, giving them a 39-20 advantage going into halftime.

The third quarter was a little shock as Bellermine Prep scored 15 points to Arlington’s six, cutting their lead in half. But the Eagles held on in the fourth quarter to outpace them again and finish the game 11 points ahead with a 58-47 score, sending them on to the Tacoma Dome.

“We didn’t know if we could do this at the start of the year,” said Brown. “It’s surreal to say the least.”

Terry Dawn led the team with 29 points and 11 rebounds.

“Pretty much Terry Dawn kept making his shots. He had six 3-pointers in the first half. He played phenomenally,” said Brown. “We played incredible defense and the coaching staff did a wonderful job of getting a game plan in place.”

Kaleb Bryson scored 14 points, Bradey Brummel scored six points, Noah Jones scored five points, AJ Passalaqua scored three points and Gavin Smoke scored one point.

“It was a really good game, really fun,” said Brown. “We’re feeling confident and happy. This is a great group of boys and it’s great that the girls made it too. We are representing Arlington in a positive way.”

The Eagles face Richland at the Tacoma Dome on Thursday, Feb. 28, at 12:15 p.m.