4A girls quarterfinals, Thursday, 12:15 p.m. at Tacoma Dome
Records: Arlington 20-4; Moses Lake 19-4
AP rank: Arlington 8th; Moses Lake NR
Scoreczar rank: Arlington 6th; Kentwood 10th
How they got to Tacoma
Arlington beat Todd Beamer 35-33 in overtime in a state-regional game at Puyallup H.S. Moses Lake beat Kentridge 61-40 in a state-regional game at Big Bend C.C.
Common opponents
None
Players to watch
Arlington—Jayla Russ, So., F; Lyndsay Leatherman, Sr., P; Jessica Ludwig, Jr., G; Emma Janousek, So., G.
Moses Lake—Jessie Loera, So., G; McKenna Walker, Jr., G; Emily Olson, Sr., G; Avery Clark, Jr., F.
Breakdown
The Chiefs split the Big Nine league championship with 3A state quarterfinalist Sunnyside and finished with a 19-4 overall record. The Grizzlies handed the Chiefs two of their four losses on the season, with the others coming to Davis and Walla Walla. In the postseason, Moses Lake defeated Eisenhower of Yakima to win the district championship and most recently dominated Kentridge 61-40 in Saturday’s state-regional game to advance to Tacoma. The Chiefs have certainly had an impressive season, but in a very talented 4A girls bracket, the Eagles can be happy with their draw as they look to continue the momentum that started with a run to last year’s state-championship game and a second-place finish. The Chiefs don’t have a lot of size, so Arlington head coach Joe Marsh is sure to get Leatherman involved early and often. Moses Lake’s biggest strength is its three very talented guards: Loera, Walker and Olson. All three are capable of scoring in double figures in any given game, but Loera leads the way. Though she is just a sophomore, Loera was named the Big Nine Player of the Year as well as the league’s Defensive Player of the Year. The Eagles will need to play the type of defense they did against Todd Beamer in the regional round if they want to advance to the semifinals for the second consecutive year.
Twitter: @aaronlommers
Prediction: Arlington 51, Moses Lake 45
Aaron Lommers, Herald Writer
The Eagles’ road to Tacoma
Arlington wins its season opener against Marysville Pilchuck
Eagles survive to beat rival Stanwood behind big fourth quarter
Arlington girls knock off upstart Terrace to remain unbeaten
Arlington overcomes slow start to beat Lake Stevens
Sophomore sharp-shooter Sevi Bielser leads Eagles to win
Arlington debuts as No. 9 in the first Associated Press poll
Kamiak hands Arlington its first loss of the season
Lynnwood girls beat Arlington in Wesco 4A showdown
As the lone senior on the Eagles, Leatherman leads team to success
Arlington rides its defense to beat Jackson in district semis
Lynnwood beats Arlington for second consecutive district title
Eagles use defense to best Todd Beamer in regionals
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