By: Patrick Galvin
SEATTLE - With only a week left in the season, the O’Dea Fighting Irish look to achieve greatness this March as they make a final push towards the end of their season. But this isn’t an unfamiliar feeling for the Irish, as they have made it to the state tournament the last three years in a row.
After a long two to three weeks of the Metro League and district playoffs, the Irish look forward to their first state playoff game on Friday against a solid Mountlake Terrace team.
The O’Dea Fighting Irish head into this matchup with an overall record of 17-9, while Mountlake Terrace goes into this match-up holding a 21-2 record. This will be the first meeting between the two schools this year and a rematch of last year’s second round of the 2023 WIAA 3A state playoffs.
As the Irish head into this final stretch of the season, they look toward seniors Bj Shannon and Malcom Clark to lead them to the end.
Bj Shannon was awarded this year’s Metro League Defensive Player of the Year but also averaged 7.1 points, 2.6 assists, and 1.9 steals for the Irish. Also, Shannon had the opportunity to play in last year’s 3A state championship, which he will be using as experience for this year’s go-around of the state tournament.
Also, Senior Malcom Clark, who was named the 2023-24 Metro League co-defensive player of the year and first-team all-metro selection, averaged 14.0 points and 10.0 rebounds this year, will also be making his third state tournament appearance.
With that, the Irish have players who have experienced the state tournament and will look to utilize the guys who as leaders for the younger guys who have not yet played in the state tournament.
The journey to the state playoffs has been filled with challenges for the O'Dea Fighting Irish. Their path through the Metro League and district playoffs again, has been marked by intense competition and hard-fought victories, which shows the year-around work they put in.
Now, as they prepare to face Mountlake Terrace in their first state playoff game, the Irish are now in the end game.
And yes, they look towards Seniors Bj Shannon and Malcom Clark, who bring their experience and leadership to the team to create a winning environment.
With the stakes higher than ever, the Irish are ready to leave it all on the court and bring that gold ball back to 802 Terry Ave.
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