Everyone contributed, everyone played with their game faces on from the start, and that meant an easy victory for the Federal Way Eagles boys basketball team, pounding Puyallup, 69-48, in a South Puget Sound League North-South crossover seeding game at Bethel High School in Graham.

"I was pleased with our focus and our intensity," said head coach Jerome Collins, whose team took fourth place in the SPSL North this season and played, and pummeled, the SPSL South No.4, Puyallup.

"Puyallup is a good scrappy team that you need to play hard against and you need to play focused," said Eagles head coach Jerome Collins.

The Eagles were focused in this one, jumping to a 20-12 lead after the first quarter over the Vikings. Eagles 6-5 senior captain Aaron Broussard framed good things early, leading the way, scoring eight points.

In the second quarter however, things were not so picture-perfect for the Eagles, who allowed the Vikings to close in a little. The Vikings went on a 5-0 run to start the second quarter to trail just 20-19 two minutes into the period. That was before junior Jeff Forbes hit a three-pointer that unfroze the Eagles' scoring woes. The Eagles actually then, in still the second quarter, took a lead as big as 33-23 as 6-0 point guard Isiah Umipig's bucket inside made the score that. But the Eagles focus lapsed a short bit perhaps, as the final two minutes were all Vikings in the second frame. The foe went on another 5-0 run to close things and trailed, 33-28, after the second quarter.

It was a five-point game but it wouldn't be for long once the third quarter started as the Eagles removed all doubt of who would win this one, thanks in part to 6-2 junior swingman Andre Barrington, who made several nice passes in this game in addition to athletic moves to the basket. He scored to open the quarter, again giving the Eagles confidence that was needed like at the time that Forbes in the second focused in on that three aforementioned. Barrington, then, after a trip to the free throw line for the Vikings, stole the ball and scored and it was 35-29, Eagles.

Umipig scored a little, six points for the game, but his passing was his biggest contribution to the Eagles' victory in this one.

"The difference is that we have Isiah Umipig, our floor general, back," said Collins. "We have been playing without him since Jan. 4. Now, he's not a 100 percent yet playing, but 70 percent of Isiah is better than no Isiah."

Umipig not only scored, he dished out 12 assists, getting the ball to players like Barrington, Broussard and Forbes (13 points) for open looks at the basket from close in or short-range jumpers.

The Eagles, too, just took this game far away from the Vikings' control, in the third quarter. They shot lights out, 10-for-13 from two-point range while the Vikings shot 2-for-5. Give the Eagles a lot of credit for a low-shot count for the Vikings as their defense tightened. The Vikings, who had a couple turnovers in each of the first two quarters, had six in the third to the Eagles' two. The score, after the defensive intensity had reaped it's rewards, favored the Eagles, 55-38. In translation, the Eagles outscored the Vikings in the third quarter, 22-10.

Speaking of turnovers, a lot of credit for a team doing well in that category usually goes to the point guard who brings the ball down the court. In the Eagles' case, it is sophomore Isiah Umipig doing that chore. He's just returning to assume that role that he involuntarily left, thanks to injury, back in the beginning of January.

The Eagles last year for the state tournament were out of it in two games. It is still early to be talking about that, but Broussard likes this team better than last year's team because this year's team has learned things from last year's teams' mistakes.

"We took Redmond too lightly from watching the film we saw on them," said Broussard. "We learned last year and we had a couple games this season where we were thinking our opponent was not that good and the game ended up being a little closer than it should have been."

What is different from last year's Eagles boys basketball team that lost to Redmond and Kentwood?

"As a team, we play a lot better. Everyone understands each other individually and when we step on the court we play together. We know who to get the ball when and where."

Goal for this season?

"Our goal is to win each game as it comes, to keep focused and keep rolling all the way to state."

Aaron Broussard led all scorers with 21 points to go with his muscling inside of eight rebounds.

But it was well rounded distribution as sophomore wing Cole Dickerson scored 10, as did junior Andre Barrington. The assists were led by Umipig with 12. Dickerson also had six rebounds and don't forget his presence in the paint, keeping the Vikings from getting the ball even to the basket. He had seven blocks!

And he's just a sophomore, a lanky 6-7 athletic sophomore, following in the lines of cousin and former NBA and Arizona - and Federal Way Eagles great - Michael Dickerson.