Since giving up 74 points to Shorecrest on Jan. 28, the Edmonds-Woodway Warriors have put a renewed emphasis on defense in their quest to finish off their 2024-2025 prep basketball season with noteworthy victories and goals achieved. That effort has so far paid off for the Warriors with four straight wins, all in part by keeping their opponents to under 55 points per game.

Now entering postseason play, E-W has doubled-down on its defensive push, with coaches accentuating the need to clamp down further on opponents.

If Saturday’s performance is indicative, the Warriors have gotten the message loud and clear.

Edmonds-Woodway held the visiting Ferndale Golden Eagles to their second-lowest scoring production of the season and turned that defensive effort into a decisive 62-42 victory in a District 1 3A Boys Basketball Tournament quarterfinal game played at Edmonds-Woodway High School.

It was the third game in a row that the Warriors have held their opponent to 43 points or less.

With the win, the no. 1-seeded Warriors move into a District 1 tourney semifinal game against the no. 4-seeded Shorewood Stormrays to be played on Wednesday, Feb. 19, at Marysville-Pilchuck High School. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.

The revitalized Edmonds-Woodway defense was on full display throughout their matchup with the no. 8-seeded Golden Eagles on Saturday, especially in the second quarter when the visitors were pressured, pestered and held to just six points.

E-W junior DJ Karl liked the way his teammates stepped up to the defensive challenge issued by their coaches this week.

“I thought that we played really good as a team,” Karl said. “The thing we were trying to work on this game was pressuring the ball. I think we worked on that well.”

The crackdown at the Ferndale end of the court led to a number of easy scoring opportunities for the Warriors at their end, including a breakaway two-handed jam by senior Cam Hiatt at the 2:52 mark of the second quarter. The dunk was part of a 17-2 scoring run that gave E-W a big early lead and seemed to deflate the hopes of the overmatched Golden Eagles.

As point guard for the Warriors, Karl was a big part of that offensive explosion in the second quarter. After the game, Karl admitted that running point for a team that includes so many talented scorers isn’t all that complicated — during scoring runs or anytime.

“I know if I give the ball to someone, they’re going to score no matter what,” Karl said. “They’re going to get an open look; they’re going to create for themselves. So it’s really easy on me.”

Hiatt led the E-W offensive with 21 points in the game — eight in that critical second quarter. William Alseth added 17 points for the Warriors (11-1 in 2A/3A Wesco League South Conference play, 22-1 overall).

Karl got into the scoring act too, tallying 10 points and draining a pair of long-range shots from beyond the 3-point arc. The junior credited a full recovery from an ankle injury suffered on Jan. 28 for his strong play on Saturday.

“I felt good today,” Karl said. “I had a sprained ankle a few weeks ago against Shorecrest — this is the first game I felt like 100%”

After their big second quarter, the Warriors continued their scoring barrage in the third, outscoring Ferndale 23-17 to put the game away early.

The Golden Eagles (8-6 in 1A/2A/3A Northwest Conference play, 11-10 overall) were paced by the 11 points of senior Jonah Brillowsky. Junior Mantaj Singh contributed 10 points in the loss.

Saturday’s win put the Warriors one step closer to earning one of four berths to the regional round of the 3A state tournament that will be awarded to the top four finishers of the District 1 tournament. A trip to the Tacoma Dome awaits winners and highly seeded teams from regional round competition — a trip that Karl and his E-W teammates have been talking about making since November.

“The first thing this season, that’s what we talked about (playing at the Tacoma Dome),” Karl said.

You can view the entire District 1 3A Boys Basketball Tournament bracket here. 

Prep Boys Basketball: Ferndale at Edmonds-Woodway, Feb. 15 (District 1 3A Boys Basketball Tournament quarterfinal game

Ferndale 13 6 17 6 – 42

Edmonds-Woodway 18 17 23 4 – 62

Edmonds-Woodway individual scoring: Cam Hiatt 21, William Alseth 17, DJ Karl 10, Grant Williams 9, Dre Simonsen 3, Julian Gray 2, Luke Boland, Dre Lloyd, Cavan Schillinger, Harris Dobson

Ferndale individual scoring: Jonah Brillowsky 11, Mantai Singh 10, Lincoln Thomas 9, Tommy Mack 7, Hunter Wills 5, Cooper Vincent, Kaveer Dhillon, Levi Terry, Tushraj Grewal

Records: Edmonds-Woodway 11-1 in 2A/3A Wesco League South Conference, 22-1 overall; Ferndale 8-6 in 1A/2A/3A Northwest Conference, 11-10 overall

Edmonds-Woodway next game: versus Shorewood; Wednesday, Feb. 19; 7 p.m. at Marysville-Pilchuck High School (District 1 3A Boys Basketball Tournament semifinal game)

Ferndale next game: versus Marysville-Getchell; Wednesday, Feb. 19; 7 p.m. at Marysville-Getchell High School (District 1 3A Boys Basketball Tournament loser-out game)