Game recaps, highlights from the opening round of the 4A and 3A state basketball tournaments
Between the Class 4A and 3A boys and girls state tournaments, 60 high school basketball games will be played in the Tacoma Dome this weekend. The News Tribune will be at all of them, providing game recaps, highlights, interviews, stats and more.
Follow along for live updates from Wednesday’s opening round winner-to-quarterfinals, loser-out games.
CLASS 4A BOYS
NO. 6 SKYLINE 60, NO. 11 DAVIS 59 (OT)
All of the defensive focus went to Nahmier Robinson — the son of former UW and NBA star Nate Robinson — on Skyline’s final in-bounds pass.
But, the ball went to Trey Crandall, who hit the game-winning shot over the outstretched arms of a Davis defender to seal the overtime win for Skyline, sending the Spartans through to Thursday’s quarterfinals.
“Our coach drew up Nahmier to go to the corner as a decoy, have a screen for me, have me roll around to get a little floater,” Crandall said. “I knew that I could make the shot. I’d been having a good game. I was ready to shoot no matter what. I had a few guys on me but I was shooting that no matter what and knew it was going in.”
Trey Crandall gives Skyline a 60-59 lead with 1.1 seconds left in OT pic.twitter.com/Gp6TbHuxe2
— Jon Manley (@manley_tnt) March 1, 2023
Skyline was without leading scorer Dylan Reilly (17 points per game) in the opening round win.
“We miss him a lot,” Crandall said. “He’s one of our best guys. But, we know that as long as we play defense, we’ll win our games.
“We feel we have the best five on the court no matter who’s on the court for our team.”
Crandall led the Spartans with 17 points. The Colorado State football signee also scored the first basket on the boys court in the Tacoma Dome this year, on a driving layup early in the first quarter.
Robinson added 15 and Willy Heise added 10. Davis guard Cesar Hernandez scored a game-high 25 points in the loss.
Skyline will face No. 4 Federal Way at 9 a.m. Thursday in the quarterfinals.
NO. 10 CAMAS 62, NO. 7 TAHOMA 57
The Papermakers, playing at a state tournament site for the first time since 1964 on Wednesday morning at the Tacoma Dome, will be back tomorrow.
Camas (19-4) scored early and often, and held off Tahoma late in the program’s first state win since 1962 as a 1A program, securing a spot in Thursday’s quarterfinals.
“This year our goal was to make it as far as we can,” Papermakers guard Theo McMillan said. “And every time we drove past the Dome, ‘That’s where we want to go, that’s where we want to go.’
“So, getting our first win here, it’s a pretty cool experience.”
Camas led at each quarter break, but the Bears (19-7) rallied to take a lead with 6:17 to play in the fourth on a Kevin Williams 3-pointer.
There were five lead changes and two ties after that point, until the Papermakers took the game’s final lead on a basket from McMillan with 2:40 to go.
McMillan, guard Beckett Currie and guard Jace VanVoorhis each added buckets inside the final two minutes to close out the win for Camas.
“It was a full team effort,” McMillan said. “It was people on the bench, coaches, our fans that came down, our band — everybody brought the energy today and everybody brought it, so we won.”
McMillan scored a game-high 24 points for the Papermakers, and added a team-leading six rebounds and three assists. Currie scored 18 for Camas.
Tahoma forward Adam Davis had a team-high 23 points, eight boards and four assists in the loss, while forward Dalton Brown added 14 points.
NO. 5 GONZAGA PREP 79, NO. 12 MARINER 69
The Bullpups led by as many as 19 points in the second half, held a double-digit lead most of the way and rolled to the 4A quarterfinals.
The plan for Gonzaga Prep on the first day in the Tacoma Dome this season?
“Just come out and compete,” guard Henry Sandberg said. “We worked our tail off the whole year to get to this spot. Come out, play good hard defense, shoot the ball when we’re open, play good team basketball.”
Gonzaga Prep (22-4) shot an efficient 31-of-55 (56.4 percent) from the floor in the contest — including 13-of-20 (65 percent) in the second half — and finished with four scorers in double figures.
Sandberg led the way with 19 points, while guard Ryan Jackson added 16 and four assists, guard Jayce Swanson had 15 and guard Jamil Miller completed a double-double with 13 points and 10 boards.
The Bullpups consistently kept Mariner (19-9) out of reach despite a game-high 27 points — including six 3-pointers — from Marauders forward Makai Bloomfield. Guard Jailin Johnson added 16 points for Mariner.
Gonzaga Prep (22-4) advances to play No. 3 Olympia at 12:15 p.m. Thursday in the quarterfinals.
NO. 8 RICHLAND 55, NO. 9 UNION 43
Good defense and a balanced offensive scoring attack — that’s generally a good recipe for success.
Such was the case for the Bombers (22-4) in their over Union (19-7) on Wednesday afternoon. Richland held Union to just 17 second-half points and held Titans standout Yanni Fassilis to 3-of-10 shooting from the field.
“In the first half, we were a little sloppy on the defensive rebounds and stuff, so at halftime our coach emphasized that,” Richland guard Josh Woodard said. “So we tried to come out in the second half and rebound the ball a lot better in the second half.”
Woodard led the Bombers with a team-high 15 points, while Jordan Valencia-Alvarado and Lucas Westerfield added 12 apiece.
“Everyone on the score can shoot the ball and that’s how we play — fast, run-and-gun type team,” Woodard said.
Union forward Josiah Baldassare led the Titans with a game-high 16 points. Fassilis scored 13.
Richland will face No. 2 Mount Si in the quarterfinals at 2 p.m. Thursday.
“We’re very excited,” Woodard said. “Good competition, we get to compete on the big stage, so it’s going to be fun.”
CLASS 4A GIRLS
NO. 11 BELLARMINE PREP 63, NO. 6 DAVIS 53
Bellarmine Prep has added another double-digit win to this 4A state playoffs run.
Last weekend, the No. 11 Lions posted a convincing 30-point victory against No. 14 Mount Si in the regional round.
Wednesday afternoon in the Tacoma Dome, just a few miles away from their school campus, the Lions rolled past another opponent, upending Davis to advance to Thursday’s quarterfinals.
Statement made.
Again.
“We knew coming in we were going to be the underdogs being No. 11, and we knew that … in our hearts, we’re not 11,” Bellarmine guard Kiara Stone said. “So, we just were coming to make a statement to everybody here and ourselves to know that we’re still in the competition with everybody else.”
Bellarmine never trailed during the contest, and led by as many as 12 points in the second half.
Davis went on an 11-3 run in the fourth to cut the lead as close as 53-49 on a Tia Campbell 3-pointer with 3:10 to play, but the Lions responded quickly.
Curtis added another bucket on Bellarmine’s next trip up the floor, and Stone scored the Lions’ final seven points — on a 3-pointer and four consecutive free throws following a foul and technical foul — to put the game out of reach.
Stone turned in a career-best 34 points to lead all scorers, and added five rebounds, a pair of assists and four of the Lions’ 11 combined steals. Curtis finished with 10 points, three assists and three steals.
Esmeralda Gaindo scored a team-high 14 points for Davis, while Shaela Allen-Greggs had 12 points and nine rebounds. The Pirates’ season ends at 19-4.
The Lions (22-7) move on to play No. 4 Eastlake at 3:45 p.m. Thursday in the quarterfinals.
They have already faced Eastlake once before this season, midway through a no-loss January at the 2023 King Showcase at the ShoWare Center in Kent, and posted a 49-45 win.
NO. 7 KAMIAKIN 62, NO. 10 BOTHELL 52
Camia Howard put together a big second half and Kamiakin turned a halftime deficit into an opening-round victory in the 4A state tournament Wednesday at the Tacoma Dome.
Trailing 25-24 after two quarters, Howard scored nine of her game-high 19 points in the third as the Braves (21-4) earned a spot in Thursday’s quarterfinals round against No. 8 Emerald Ridge with a double-digit victory over Bothell.
“We knew we had to play a strong third quarter,” said Howard, who added 13 rebounds to complete a double-double. “The third is the most important quarter, and I knew I had a role.”
Nikole Thomas also reached double figures scoring for Kamiakin with 10 points.
Ella Kaleta and McKylee Hawkins each scored 14 points to pace Bothell (20-7).
NO. 12 GONZAGA PREP 64, NO. 5 SUMNER 55
At least one 4A girls title participant will be different from a year ago.
Gonzaga Prep saw to that Wednesday, defeating last season’s 4A state runner-up Sumner in an opening-round, loser-out game at the Tacoma Dome.
The Bullpups used a big third quarter to pull away from a close game at the half and earn a spot opposite Tahoma in a 7:15 p.m. quarterfinal on Thursday.
Gonzaga Prep (19-7) outscored the Spartans (21-7) by eight over the eight minutes after the break to turn a three-point lead into an 11-point margin heading into the final quarter.
Sumner tried to keep it interesting with a pair of 3-pointers midway into the fourth quarter. But, the Spartans couldn’t get the necessary defensive stops against a Bullpups team with nearly as much quickness as Sumner at the guard positions and a much bigger front line in Gillian Bears and Tallah Lee.
“We just knew we had to bring that energy this game,” Gonzaga Prep guard Lucy Lynn said. “Obviously they are very good defenders, they’re very quick, we had to do it.”
That made things difficult for the Spartans, who had difficulty stopping the Bullpups transition and whose penchant to slash toward the rim was met with plenty of height.
Lee scored 19 points to lead three Bullpups in double figures. Bears added a double-double with 18 points and 10 rebounds, and Lynn scored 17.
Olivia Collins scored a game-high 20 for Sumner and just missed a double-double herself with nine rebounds.
NO. 1 WOODINVILLE 55, NO. 9 RICHLAND 46
The matchup everyone thought could happen, if not looked forward to, will happen at the 4A state tournament. It will just take place two days earlier than expected.
Woodinville made the pairing happen with a victory over Richland in Wednesday’s finale at the Tacoma Dome. The win propelled the defending champs into Thursday’s quarterfinals against No. 2 Camas, with the tipoff set for 9 p.m.
Most thought the Falcons and Papermakers were destined for a Saturday night championship showdown. That all changed when the top-seeded Falcons fell to Emerald Ridge in a regional game last Saturday, shifting Woodinville onto the Papermakers’ side of the bracket.
Against the Bombers (19-6), Woodinville got off to a slow start. The Falcons (25-2) missed numerous layups and other short shots, but still managed to build a 23-12 lead by the half.
“I felt like we just had to get going,” forward Jaecy Eggers said.
And the junior finally did. Eggers scored the final five points of the first quarter to get a lead, then made a 3-pointer with 15 seconds left in the third quarter to extend the lead back to six, 40-34. She finished with a game-high 17 points to go with nine rebounds.
Eggers’ teammate, Lyla Kahrimanovic added 13 points and 12 rebounds, making it six out of eight girls games Wednesday that produced a double-double.
Kylee Fox scored 14, and Mackenzie Schulz also had a double-double (13 points, 11 rebounds) for Richland.
CLASS 3A BOYS
NO. 6 MOUNTLAKE TERRACE 58, NO. 14 NORTH THURSTON 53
Every time North Thurston made a run in its opening round game against Mountlake Terrace on Wednesday, Mountlake Terrace had an answer. With under four minutes to go, North Thurston had pulled within a point, but Mountlake Terrace closed the game on an 8-4 run and came away with a 58-53 win.
Guard Rayshaun Connor came up with several clutch shots, scoring all 12 of his points in the second half, converting 4-of-5 of his 3-point attempts. Connor said North Thurston couldn’t stop the play that sprung him for open looks.
“It’s always open,” he said. “They didn’t really expect it.”
Mountlake Terrace fed the ball inside early on to posts Zaveon Jones and Svayjeet Singh, creating open looks on the perimeter in the second half. Guard Chris Meegan led the Hawks with a team-high 15 points, while Connor and Jaxon Dubiel added 12 apiece.
North Thurston was paced by forward Thad TenKley, who scored a game-high 25 points and made four 3-pointers in the loss. Guard Jackson Lusk added 10 points. Ray Adams scored seven points and pulled down a game-high 14 rebounds.
No. 10 Bellevue 52, No. 7 Timberline 49 (OT)
When nothing was working for Bellevue (23-4) in the opening round against Timberline — Bellevue had just 14 points on the scoreboard at halftime — the Wolverines didn’t try a rah-rah, rousing halftime speech. They went silent.
“At Bellevue, we do meditation,” senior guard Brady Kageyama said. “We meditated for the first minute in the locker room. That really kind of mellowed us down, made us really calm. It enabled us to come out how we did, aggressive and focused.”
It sure did the trick. Bellevue outscored Timberline, 31-18, in the second half, forcing overtime and eventually securing a spot in Thursday’s 3A quarterfinals.
“Just the overall environment, that’s really what killed us in the first half of the game,” Kageyama said. “We haven’t been to the Tacoma Dome since 2016. This is the first time I’ve ever been here. A lot of it was nerves for our team.
“I definitely feel like we were the better team. Just overall, simplifying the game. We were rushing a lot on offense, letting guys get past us on defense. Just simplifying the game on both sides of the floor.”
Kageyama paced the Wolverines with 12 points. In total, 10 Bellevue players scored in the win.
For Timberline, UNLV commit Brooklyn Hicks scored a game-high 17 points and Darrell Gipson added 15 points. Hicks’ 17 points was below his season average of 32. Bellevue’s defensive gameplan? Not giving Hicks space to get to the rim.
“Mainly just to pack in it,” Kageyama said. “We knew the majority of his other teammates aren’t the best shooters outside. They have a couple guys, but we’re not going to be too focused on them as offensive threats. Just helping on all his drives, trying to keep them off the free throw line.”
Timberline ends the season at 18-7.
Bellevue advances to play top seed Mount Spokane at 5:30 p.m. Thursday in the quarterfinals.
NO. 4 AUBURN 52, NO. 12 ARLINGTON 41
Through three quarters, Auburn was in serious danger of being knocked out in the opening round, struggling to put points on the board against Arlington on Wednesday night at the Tacoma Dome.
But, the defending 3A state champions had other ideas. Auburn (20-6) turned it on in the fourth quarter, outscoring Arlington, 23-7, to pull away for a double-digit win.
“We just had to talk together, play together,” guard Lateibreon Chandler said. “We play better as a team. It was kind of going hard in the beginning. We were gonna pull it out. We just had to stay out of our heads.”
Luvens Valcin led the Trojans with 17 points, Tyrell Nichols scored 15, Jaylen Petty scored 12 and Chandler added four. Since the bulk of Auburn’s title-winning team graduated last spring, this year’s team wanted to make its own statement.
“I just feel like it’s big because coming in, we’re coming with that dawg mentality, we know to stay focused” Valcin said. “Last year was fun and all, but we’re onto a new year. We plan on just bringing it and defending it again, trying to get it.”
Arlington center David Zachman led the Eagles with 17 points, and guard Leyton Martin chipped in 14. For as good as Auburn’s offense was in the fourth quarter, the defense was just as impressive.
Arlington’s season ends at 19-5.
Auburn will face No. 3 Eastside Catholic at 7:15 p.m. in Thursday’s quarterfinals.
NO. 16 SHORECREST 69, NO. 8 RAINIER BEACH 44
CLASS 3A GIRLS
NO. 6 STANWOOD 74, NO. 11 LYNNWOOD 69
The adage for teams coming to the Tacoma Dome is simple. The cavernous confines wreak havoc on players’ depth perception, and shooting suffers.
Lynnwood and Stanwood were having none of that in the first game of the opening round Wednesday. The Lions and Spartans came out firing from all around the 3-point arc as the 3A Wesco foes battled for a spot in the quarterfinals against No. 4 Mead on Thursday morning.
Just over two minutes into the second quarter, each team had made six from behind the line and each had made seven by the end of the first half. They combined for 10 3-pointers in the first quarter alone.
The teams ultimately combined for 22 made 3-pointers, 11 from each team. Both fell one made triple shy of the state tournament single-game record of 12.
The long-range accuracy opened up the inside, especially for Stanwood forward Vivienne Berrett and company. Eventually, the Spartans earned the 74-69 victory and the 9 a.m. spot opposite the Panthers in the quarters, ending Lynnwood’s first state appearance since 2017 after a single game.
“Warming up, none of us could make anything,” Stanwood guard Grace Walker said. “Viv (Berrett) is our main player. But us guards, we’re all shooters. And we just really wanted to win.”
Berrett led four Stanwood players in double figures with 16 points, and she finished with a double-double adding 10 rebounds. Aniya Hooker led all scorers for Lynnwood with 26 points.
NO. 7 LAKESIDE OF SEATTLE 47, NO. 15 AUBURN MOUNTAINVIEW 27
The last time Auburn Mountainview played in the Tacoma Dome in March, coach Caitlin Doherty was in uniform and her dad, Chris Carr, was calling the shots.
On Wednesday morning, Carr had a spot on the bench, but this time as an assistant to Doherty 12 years after the last time the Lions (17-7) were here.
That was Doherty’s junior year at Mountainview in 2011, and the Lions finished sixth that year. This year’s stay was much shorter.
Lakeside (18-4) clamped down defensively, giving Auburn Mountainview fits with its three-quarter court pressure, and cruised into the 3A quarterfinals with a 20-point victory in the loser-out contest. The victory propels Lakeside into a 10:30 a.m. quarterfinals matchup Thursday against 3A Metro League rival, two-time defending state champion and top-seeded Garfield.
“Definitely that experience comes in handy,” Lakeside forward Claire O’Connor said. “We’re excited (about Garfield). We love a competitive game. It will be fun.”
O’Connor had a huge effort with a game-high 21 points and 13 rebounds. Forward Iliayah Wallis-Caw led Auburn Mountainview with 11 points.
NO. 5 LINCOLN OF TACOMA 45, NO. 13 EVERETT 43
Clinging to a one-point lead late in the fourth quarter of its opening-round game Wednesday afternoon at the Tacoma Dome, a Lincoln free throw came off the rim and fell into the waiting hands of 6-foot-3 freshman forward Oliviyah Edwards.
She put it back, and converted the free throw after being fouled for a three-point play, putting the game out of reach.
Lincoln (20-4) won to advance to Thursday’s quarterfinals.
“I just was thinking that none of the girls could stop me on the other team,” Edwards said. “I could just get the ball and put it back up, that was my only mindset. I was just thinking it’ll give us two points and I had a feeling I was gonna get the and-one, so I just put my mind to it and did it.”
It’s Lincoln’s first win in the Tacoma Dome since 2017. No players on Lincoln’s current roster have ever won a game at the tournament site, as evidenced by the excitement of the postgame dogpile that took place at center court.
FINAL: No. 5 Lincoln 45, No. 13 Everett 43. Abes on to Thursday’s quarterfinals. pic.twitter.com/gzazAJbUXc
— Lauren Smith (@smithlm12) March 1, 2023
Junior guard Jaleigha Robinson sparked the Abes in the second half, knocking down some big shots. She finished with a team-high 13 points and converted 3-of-5 from beyond the arc. Robinson said it felt good to have a good shooting day since she’s been in a slump recently.
“It’s been getting into my head lately, but I’ve been working outside of practice with friends and family,” she said. “It felt really good.”
Everett’s Alana Washington scored a game-high 17 points. The Seagulls (18-9) were hampered by poor outside shooting, going 0-for-12 from 3-point range. Lincoln, meanwhile, made 5-of-12 from the perimeter.
Edwards added nine points for the Abes and pulled down 20 rebounds. Guard Malani Warren chipped in eight.
Lincoln will face No. 3 Lake Washington at 12:15 p.m. Thursday in the quarterfinals.
NO. 8 MEADOWDALE 62, NO. 9 BONNEY LAKE 35
Midway through the first quarter, Bonney Lake trailed by just a single point against Meadowdale on Wednesday. Really.
Very quickly, the Mavericks turned a 7-6 advantage into a double-digit lead and ultimately a runaway victory over the Panthers in a loser-out game at the Tacoma Dome.
Led by Gia Powell’s 18 first-half points, Meadowdale (19-7) advanced to play second-seeded Arlington in a 2 p.m. quarterfinals matchup Thursday.
Bonney Lake’s season ended at 19-5.
“We knew that Jazmyn Shipp was a rebounder,” Powell said. “That she was tough. That was kind of our big worry.”
As it turned out, even an 11-point, 12-rebound performance from Shipp couldn’t keep up with Powell, who finished with a game-high 29 points. She also just missed a double-double game with her nine steals, seven of which came during the first half.
“I just got my shot going,” Powell said. “And it’s the same 10-foot hoop (as everywhere else).”
