The current No. 1 Washington state ranked Federal Way Eagles boys basketball team -- and the defending 4A state champs -- continued their glorious run toward repeat greatness, quarter by quarter further destroying the visiting Bethel Braves, 82-37, in the first round of the West Central District tourney Thursday.

The Eagles, to note, had just beat Curtis, the South Puget Sound League South Division champ, a few days earlier, 59-52, in a North versus South finale showdown, and, despite that win, head coach Jerome Collins spoke knowing his team could have done more.

"We weren't pleased with our game against Curtis and I just thought we came into this game against Bethel with a focus, a deep focus, and we wanted to establish ourselves early," said Collins, whose team finished 16-0 in the regular SPSL North season and sit at 21-1 overall, the loss to out-of-state defending 5A Oregon champ Jefferson of Portland.

The Eagles did what to salve their displeasure of themselves.

"We hit the practice floor hard," said Collins.

For all their hard work this season, the results speak for themselves, and should be a few more good endings to go as the Eagles now face Bellarmine Prep at 8 p.m. Friday in the second round of the WCD tournament. Win that one, and state qualification happens.

But what happened in the Eagles' only loss of the year, a loss that did not budge the Eagles from being No. 22 ranked in the nation in high school boys basketball because high school voting writers knew a key fact: The Eagles' big-man post, Cole Dickerson, played with an ache in his belly.

The Eagles played Jefferson in a Martin Luther King Day special "Hoopfest" game at Hec Edmundson Pavillion in the U-District of North Seattle last January. But let's give credit where credit is due and, in this case, discredit where discredit is due.

In that game versus Jefferson, it's important to note that the Eagles' leading scorer, and, just-announced SPSL North MVP Cole Dickerson was playing sick (stomach flu) that game and the 6-8 smooth-working, paint warrior was not his usual self. He scored about the same number of points as his league-leading (North and South) 20 points per game average (18), but just wasn't involved in the Eagles' offense like normal.

Dickerson, if he was his ole regular great self would have taken over as necessary, and the 62-58, Eagles' loss would have been different in the end.

Collins mentioned Dickerson's ill-health for that game versus Jefferson but what he liked in that game, drawing forth positives, was that his team played all the way through with character and heart.

"We still had a chance to win it in the end," said Collins. "We learned that we wanted to improve our execution."

This game versus Bethel was a nice game before it even started as former big man, Donny Marshall, who played in the NBA a few years back in the late 1980s, showed up.

"Donny talked to the guys before the game, and Michael Dickerson (former Arizona player with a national championship ring and then a Houston Rockets and Vancouver Grizzlies player in the NBA several years) talked to them, too, in a game before that," said Collins of Cole's older brother.

That speaks of the "tradition" and "history," of this great Federal Way basketball school with as much lore as any 4A program in the state.
Coach Collins, your teams are approaching greatness, with a repeat state championship in its sights.

"Glory be to God," said Collins.