The West Seattle High School boys’ basketball team were already guaranteed a spot in state competition before tonight’s district semifinal game against Rainier Beach – but their hard-fought 57-51 victory puts them in contention for another prize, the district championship.

WSHS #13, senior Nathan Schiavo, led the Wildcats’ scoring with 15 points. Right behind was #23, senior Pawlose Aschalew, with 14:

And #3, senior Bo Gionet, contributed 12:

The Wildcats took a while to get in the groove – after the first quarter, they were down by 9. But in the second quarter, they took up residence under their opponents’ basket and held Rainier Beach to just five points.

The second and third quarters both ended in a tie – but aggressive rebounding and a late scoring run put WSHS aheadin the late going and secured the win. Head coach Dan Kriley and the Wildcats will play Eastside Catholic for the district title at 6:30 pm Saturday, also at Bellevue College. (The Wildcats won their last matchup with ECHS three weeks ago and have won eight of their last nine games.)