Regional basketball pairings announced for most local teams

Published 1:30 am Sunday, February 19, 2017

Aside from a few remaining Class 3A play-in games, qualifying for the boys and girls state basketball tournaments is complete and matchups for the state regional round Friday and Saturday are set.

The 16-team state regionals have a different look this year under the new state-tournament format, with 12 teams in each classification advancing to championship venues — the Tacoma Dome (4A and 3A), the Yakima Valley SunDome (2A and 1A) and Spokane Arena (2B and 1B) — for the March 1-4 portion of the tournaments.

The 16 teams that have qualified for state through their respective district tournaments have been seeded 1-16 based on the Washington Interscholastic Athletic Association’s final Ratings Percentage Index (RPI) rankings. Those rankings were finalized with the conclusion of the regular season and did not factor in the district tournaments.

The 16-team regional round is split into two groups: seeds 1-8 and seeds 9-16.

Seeds 1-8 square off in non-elimination regional games, with both teams advancing to the final week of the tournament. The reward for winning these regional contests is a bye into the state quarterfinals.

Seeds 9-16 play loser-out regional games, with the winners advancing to the final week of the tournament.

The losers of the 1-8 games and winners of the 9-16 games meet in single-elimination contests Wednesday, March 1, in the first round of the state tournament. Those first-round winners advance to the quarterfinals.

From there, the tournaments carry on from Thursday, March 2, through Saturday, March 4, with the same eight-team modified double-elimination format used in recent years — one loss eliminates a team from title contention and two losses eliminate a team from the tournament.

State regional matchups involving area teams are listed below. Some 3A pairings haven’t yet been finalized because of several remaining play-in games on Tuesday.

4A BOYS

No. 2 Gonzaga Prep (22-1) vs. No. 7 Glacier Peak (19-3)

6 p.m. Friday at University H.S. (both advance)

No. 12 Kamiak (18-7) vs. No. 13 Bellarmine Prep (16-9)

6 p.m. Saturday at Jackson H.S. (loser out)

4A GIRLS

No. 3 Glacier Peak (21-1) vs. No. 6 Bellarmine Prep (23-1)

4 p.m. Saturday at Jackson H.S. (both advance)

No. 12 Auburn Riverside (20-6) vs. No. 13 Kamiak (17-8)

6 p.m. Friday at Rogers H.S. (loser out)

3A BOYS

No. 2 Garfield (20-5) vs. No. 7 Stanwood (21-2)

4 p.m. Saturday at Bellevue College (both advance)

No. 10 Shorecrest (21-2) vs. No. 15 TBD

4 p.m. Saturday at Bothell H.S. (loser out)

Edmonds-Woodway (18-5) vs. TBD

Time, date and location TBD (loser out)

3A GIRLS

No. 4 Bellevue (21-3) vs. No. 5 Stanwood (19-4)

6 p.m. Saturday at Bellevue College (both advance)

No. 3 Lincoln (19-5) vs. No. 6 Snohomish (17-6)

6 p.m. Friday at Puyallup H.S. (both advance)

No. 10 Lynnwood (19-4) vs. No. 15 TBD

6 p.m. Saturday at Bothell H.S. (loser out)

Edmonds-Woodway (16-7) vs. TBD

Time, date and location TBD (loser out)

2A BOYS

No. 11 Clover Park (17-9) vs. No. 14 Mountlake Terrace (13-10)

2 p.m. Saturday at Mount Tahoma H.S. (loser out)

2A GIRLS

No. 1 Black Hills (21-1) vs. No. 8 Archbishop Murphy (18-3)

2:30 p.m. Saturday at Saint Martin’s University (both advance)

1A BOYS

No. 4 King’s (20-5) vs. No. 5 Northwest (19-3)

6 p.m. Saturday at Mountlake Terrace H.S. (both advance)

1B BOYS

No. 10 CPC-Mountlake Terrace (21-5) vs. No. 15 Odessa-Harrington (14-8)

6 p.m. Friday at Mountlake Terrace H.S. (loser out)

1B GIRLS

No. 4 CPC-Mountlake Terrace (21-2) vs. No. 5 Tacoma Baptist (23-0)

8 p.m. Friday at Mountlake Terrace H.S. (both advance)

No. 12 Tulalip Heritage (20-5) vs. No. 13 Clallam Bay (15-5)

noon Saturday at Jackson H.S. (loser out)