Brown’s 40 points propel Pullman boys basketball to dominate senior night win

All four seniors score in final regular season home game, Greyhounds remain undefeated

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Pullman point guard Jaedyn Brown high-fives shooting guard Champ Powaukee after an alley-oop dunk during a high school basketball game against Rogers, Feb. 7, 2023, in Pullman, Wash.

SAM TAYLOR, Evergreen sports co-editor

No one could stop Jaedyn Brown.

The senior Pullman point guard who transferred to Pullman High School his sophomore year celebrated senior night by putting on a SportsCenter-worthy show in which he scored 40 points and directed a dynamic 81-point Pullman attack to keep the Greyhounds undefeated.

The Pullman Greyhounds boys basketball team (19-0, 9-0 2A/3A/4A Greater Spokane District) defeated the Rogers High School Pirates (8-10, 2-9 2A/3A/4A Greater Spokane District) 81-42 on senior night Tuesday at Pullman High School.

Pullman recognized boys basketball seniors Brown, Dane Sykes, Tanner Barbour and Lucian Pendry prior to Tuesday’s game.

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Pullman High School recognizes senior point guard Jaedyn Brown during senior night before a basketball game against Rogers High School, Feb. 7, 2023, in Pullman, Wash.

Each senior got the chance to put points on the board. With Brown providing nearly half of the team’s scoring, the seniors collectively provided over 80%. Barbour scored 14, Sykes scored 9 with a preference for the paint and Pendry shot a successful 3-point shot to keep the good vibrations going.

“Just a great team win. It was good to come out here on senior night and everyone really wanted to get everyone involved and so we started off a little slow, but it was good to get things going with some fast breaks and defense and then just kept rolling from there,” Brown said.

Brown celebrated senior night alongside his three fellow seniors by scoring 40 points and shooting six successful 3-point shots, at one point making three threes in the span of about two minutes.

“He’s really, really good I mean one of the best shooters in the United States,” said Craig Brantner, Pullman HS varsity boys’ basketball head coach. “[He is] shooting 60% from the 3-point line. He’s got almost 90 [3-pointers this season].”

Last season, Brown set the school record for 3-pointers in a single season with 106. With one regular season game and ideally a host of postseason games ahead, Brown could break his own record.

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Pullman point guard Jaedyn Brown shoots a free throw during a high school basketball game against Rogers, Feb. 7, 2023, in Pullman, Wash.

The previous Pullman High School record was 68, made by one of the best shooters on the school’s state championship team.

Brown is talented but he is far from alone on an extremely deep Pullman team.

“Oh, they’ve meant a lot,” Brown said about his fellow seniors. “I mean, getting in the gym outside of practice is a lot but also the time off the court is special and so I think that brings a lot to our chemistry on the court and just being a family.”

The Greyhounds started the game a bit slow on offense scoring just 13 points in the first quarter. However, they played lights-out defense and trailed for no more than several minutes before swiftly retaking the lead and holding onto it for good. After one quarter, the Greyhounds led 13-6.

The first quarter may have been indicative of a closer game than their prior matchup–an 83-53 blowout win over Rogers Jan. 20 in Spokane–but the Greyhounds should not fool fans that easily as another blowout was brewing.

Brown’s confidence grew with every make as the Pullman offense thrived off of his nationally revered 3-point shot.

Brown humbly expressed how his teammates help him score from beyond the arc.

“It’s good teammates giving me the ball and knowing when to give me the ball,” Brown said.

The seniors were not the only ones showing off on the court as junior Champ Powaukee put on quite the show of his own.

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Pullman shooting guard Champ Powaukee jumps for a layup during a high school basketball game against Rogers, Feb. 7, 2023, in Pullman, Wash.

Although he started the game much slower than usual, Powaukee made an incredible difference in the paint as he grabbed a slew of rebounds and spent a lot of time sprinting down the court setting up fastbreak scores.

In the third quarter, Brown flung the ball in Powaukee’s direction but toward the left side of the basket. Mid-leap, Powaukee reached behind his body and slammed it in for an alley-oop that was anything but traditional. The gym erupted as no one could quite believe what they saw.

“Nice catch because I didn’t think there was no way he was gonna get it from behind him, you know, not very many guys can reach back that far and still get to the basket. So great, great leap,” Brantner said.

Powaukee has been one rebound short of a triple-double the last several games and averages 18 points, six assists per game and is second in rebounding.

Although he had a slow start to Tuesday’s game, his playmaking ability made up for any missed shots as he scored 9 points off of some highlight-reel-worthy plays.

In the fourth quarter, when Rogers had about given up, Powaukee seemingly strolled to the basket in an epic parting of the Rogers sea for the open dunk.

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Pullman shooting guard Champ Powaukee dunks the ball during a high school basketball game against Rogers, Feb. 7, 2023, in Pullman, Wash.

Over the course of the final 24 minutes of basketball, Rogers saw their deficit grow and it was a party in Pullman.

Caleb Northcroft and Logan Thompson each added 2 points off the bench.

The Greyhounds beat Rogers 81-42 in front of a boisterous Pullman student section, proud parents and a passionate pep band and cheer squad.

After their regular-season finale Friday in Spokane, the Greyhounds will play two loser-out games, one in Pullman and one away to clinch their path to the state championships.

“Those are loser-out games and if you don’t show up that night you could be out real quick. We could be something and one,” Brantner said.

Pullman fans, whether they have followed the team for multiple seasons, all 19 wins in 2022–23 or just Tuesday night, know what this team is made of.

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Pullman boys basketball head coach Craig Brantner speaks with his team during a high school basketball game against Rogers, Feb. 7, 2023, in Pullman, Wash.

Brantner said that the Greyhounds are taller, faster, and have stronger perimeter shooting than in previous years.

Junior Austin Hunt is the tallest player on the team at 6-foot-11 and provides excellent rebounding and a hot hand for passing to the team.

“Tiny makes a big difference. 6-11 kid Austin [Hunt] makes a big difference around the basket,” Brantner said.

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Rogers forward Treshon Green boxes out Pullman center Austin Hunt during a high school basketball game, Feb. 7, 2023, in Pullman, Wash.

The parking lot was full for both the girls’ and boys’ senior nights which occurred back to back.

The Pullman Greyhounds girls’ basketball team beat Rogers 55-28 to earn their seventh win of the year. The school honored its five girls’ basketball seniors including Meg Limburg, Lacie Sines, Marissa Carper, Suhailey Reyes and Sehra Singh.

Pullman girls and boys basketball wrap up their regular seasons against West Valley High School Friday in Spokane.