Mount Si’s Next Chapter: New Leaders, Same Championship Aspirations
With young talent stepping into leadership roles, the Wildcats are navigating growing pains while finding ways to win close games.
SNOQUALMIE, Wash. – When a team has two seniors who’ve been playing together since childhood, and is chasing its second state title in four years, there’s a strong chance that championship dreams will come true.
That’s exactly what happened for Mount Si last season, with Blake Forrest (now a freshman at Colgate) and Trevor Hennig (now at Utah State) leading the Wildcats to the 4A crown. Adding to their success was up-and-coming talent, including Hennig’s younger brother, Brady, and high-flying sophomore Latt Ford.
This season, Brady Hennig and Ford were eager to step into leadership roles. It hasn’t been without challenges.
“There’s a learning curve,” Mount Si coach Jason Griffith explained. “People look at us, see we have two highly rated juniors, and think we should automatically be good. But that’s not how high school basketball works. We’ve got to get kids to buy into their roles and play the right way. We’re still figuring that out.”
That was Griffith’s message to his team after a narrow 62-60 win over Woodinville (6-5) on Tuesday night.
Brady echoed his coach’s sentiments:
“Leadership takes time,” he said. “It’s on us to step into these roles, get better, and start making improvements.”
For Mount Si, the primary struggle has been on defense.
“Brady did a great job offensively,” Griffith said. “But we have a lot to clean up on defense. The guys need to take more pride on the defensive end, including Brady. I didn’t think he was good defensively at all.”
Once again, Brady agreed with his coach’s critique.
“My defense was a step slow,” he admitted. “I need to take ownership of that. I’ve got to lead by example, talk more on defense, and help on the ball.”
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Despite their defensive struggles, the Wildcats (8-2) continue to find ways to win games, largely thanks to their offense. Against the Falcons, it was Brady who took over, scoring 27 points, including a fourth-quarter flurry.
Woodinville, however, stayed hot throughout the game, with senior Liam Kelly hitting six of the team’s 12 three-pointers, while fellow senior Neil Chaudhari added four.
The game was tight from start to finish, and the Falcons came heartbreakingly close to either tying or winning on two buzzer-beaters, both courtesy of Kelly.
Kelly hit a shot from beyond half court to end the first half, which was ruled to have come after the buzzer. Then, he nailed a floater at the end of the game that would have tied it at 62 but didn’t get it off in time.
Reflecting on those moments, Brady was candid.
“God blessed us on that one,” he said. “I think the first shot should have counted, but the second one didn’t beat the clock.”
Close games like these in December and January are key to preparing teams for the postseason. The Wildcats have already been tested in several thrilling finishes, including December’s dramatic win over Liberty (read more).
For Brady, these are the types of games he wanted this season. He’s embraced his leadership role, guiding Mount Si to victories while acknowledging there’s still plenty of work to do.
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