Mount Si was the No. 1 seed in the 4A state tournament, but it felt like No. 7 Emerald Ridge wasn’t clued in to that fact. Considering how fast the Jaguars came out of the gate on Thursday, the energy felt as carefree and loose as a January game in South Hill.

Emerald Ridge wasn’t afraid or intimated by the number next to Mount Si’s name. The Jaguars started fast, leading 36-31 at half and controlling the action for most of the game. When Mount Si finally rallied in the fourth quarter, it was too little, too late.

Emerald Ridge hung to win, 67-62, stunning the top-seeded Wildcats.

“It’s a huge win,” said guard Jordan Bennett, who scored 15 points. “Nobody believed in us coming into this and we just knocked off the No. 1 seed. That shows how much we’ve built as a program and built as a team.”

The fast start was key, according to Jaguars coach Pat Mullen.

“We wanted to make sure that we were the first ones — we didn’t want to react to them, we wanted to make sure we were the ones making them react to us,” Mullen said. “We didn’t want to play on our heels, we wanted to make sure we were playing downhill. Our guys did a good job of that.”

Emerald Ridge 6-foot-7 forward Jamaize McGriff, the team’s heartbeat, went to the bench early in the second quarter after picking up his second foul, but Emerald Ridge never skipped a beat.

“Next man up, basically,” Bennett said. “We know we can’t play the whole season. Maybe an injury happens. So we know we can’t play that game, just next man up.”

Bouncy Mount Si forward Latt Ford had his moments and scored 23 points, but Emerald Ridge’s guards kept pace. Bennett scored 15, Ellis Mosley scored a team-high 19, Mychal Turner scored 13 and Darius Alexander scored seven. McGriff added nine.

Even before Thursday’s game tipped off, Emerald Ridge had already made history. Wednesday’s win over Redmond was the first state tournament win for the program. Now, new heights, again.

An entirely different challenge awaits: Defensive-minded No. 5 Gonzaga Prep, the defending state champion, which defeated Puyallup in double overtime in the game before Emerald Ridge’s game.

“Probably one of the top three programs in the state in the last 10 years,” Mullen said. “They’re solid, they do things the right way, they make you work for every possession. So it’s another great challenge for us. We’ve just gotta get ourselves down to earth and come out the way we play.”

Emerald Ridge faces Gonzaga Prep at 7:15 p.m. on Thursday in the semifinals at the Tacoma Dome.

Emerald Ridge was cruising comfortably most of the game, but Redmond closed the gap in the fourth quarter and was threatening to spoil the party.

Mychal Turner had an answer: a tough, contested shot on the low block off the glass and on the next possession, a 3-pointer. Nothing but net.

The plays gave Emerald Ridge a 48-39 lead with under four minutes to play and ended any hopes of a comeback from the opposition.

“I knew they went on a run so we just had to stay locked in,” Turner said. “I ended up hitting a big shot. Any of our guys could’ve hit that same shot, so we’ve just gotta trust in one another. One of us is gonna hit it.”

Emerald Ridge coach Pat Mullen is thrilled to have Turner back on the court after he missed the past few games (academics).

“It’s nice to have him back,” Mullen said, smiling. “We’ve missed him for five games and he’s done a lot of work, he hasn’t pouted, hasn’t complained. He’s done a great job on our scout team. … Those are the type of plays he can make.”

Emerald Ridge forward Jamaize McGriff scored a game-high 16 points, Jordan Bennett added 14 and Turner had 13. Matthew Grabarski scored a team-high 14 points for Redmond.

“Some teams have one or two scorers, so when you have three or four, it’s always great to share the ball,” Turner said.

Mullen said his team’s unselfish play makes them difficult for teams to match up against. While McGriff is usually the best player on the floor, it’s not a one-man show.

“I think that’s sometimes overlooked with our team,” Mullen said. “Jamaize is averaging only 14 a game. You think he should be averaging more. But we have four guys who are almost in double figures. So that’s pretty big for a high school team to have that opportunity to have guys that can step up and score for you like that.”

Up next: No. 1 Mount Si in Thursday’s quarterfinal round.

“We fear nobody,” Turner said. “We’re gonna go out there and play like we play everybody.”

Prior to Wednesday’s win, Emerald Ridge had never reached the quarterfinal round in its program history.

“We’re gonna come out, play hard and see what happens,” Mullen said.