Girls state basketball at a glance
Published 1:30 am Tuesday, February 28, 2017
Previews of the 2017 Hardwood Classic girls basketball tournaments involving local teams (seed numbers in parentheses):
CLASS 4A
Schedule
At Tacoma Dome
Wednesday’s games
(11) Woodinville vs. (6) Bellarmine Prep, 3:45 p.m. (loser out)
(10) Todd Beamer vs. (7) Kentridge, 5:30 p.m. (loser out)
(12) Auburn Riverside vs. (4) Sunnyside, 7:15 p.m. (loser out)
(9) Eastlake vs. (8) Camas, 9 p.m. (loser out)
Thursday’s quarterfinals
(5) Central Valley vs. Woodinville-Bellarmine Prep winner, 3:45 p.m.
(1) Kentlake vs. Todd Beamer-Kentridge winner, 5:30 p.m.
(3) Glacier Peak vs. Auburn Riverside-Sunnyside winner, 7:15 p.m.
(2) Moses Lake vs. Eastlake-Camas winner, 9 p.m.
The favorite
Central Valley. The Bears beat Snohomish for last year’s state title and are 23-0 this season, extending the program’s win streak to 51 games. They beat Kentlake and Moses Lake — the top two state seeds — by a combined 36 points in their two nonleague games. Led by 6-foot-1 sisters Lacie Hull and Lexie Hull, both Stanford commits, the Bears are ranked 14th in the nation by USA Today.
The dark horse
Moses Lake. The Chiefs finished second behind Sunnyside in the Columbia Basin Big Nine, but are third in the RPI rankings, ahead of the Grizzlies. They knocked off Bothell — ranked No. 1 in the RPI, although it didn’t advance to the regional round — and Sunnyside in back-to-back games in January.
Player to watch
Emilee Maldonado, Sunnyside. Maldonado leads the Grizzlies’ quest to top last year’s fourth-place state finish. The four-year All-Big Nine selection averaged a conference-leading 18.8 points per game this season. The 5-foot-4 point guard surpassed the 1,000-point mark in December and will continue her basketball career at the University of Great Falls (Mont.)
Did you know?
Kentlake, the tournament’s top seed, enters the Hardwood Classic having lost three of its previous 10 games, twice to league rival Kentridge, the tournament’s seventh seed. The Falcons will play the Chargers again Thursday if Kentridge beats Todd Beamer on Wednesday.
Game we wouldn’t miss
Glacier Peak vs. Central Valley. The Grizzlies are no doubt glad they’re on the opposite side of the bracket from the defending champion. If this matchup occurs, it will be in the state-title game.
— Doug Flanagan, Herald writer
CLASS 3A
Schedule
At Tacoma Dome
Wednesday’s games
(11) West Seattle vs. (3) Lincoln, 9 a.m. (loser out)
(10) Lynnwood vs. (2) Gig Harbor, 10:30 a.m. (loser out)
(12) Seattle Prep vs. (4) Bellevue, 12:15 p.m. (loser out)
(9) Bethel vs. (8) Mercer Island, 2 p.m. (loser out)
Thursday’s quarterfinals
(5) Stanwood vs. West Seattle-Lincoln winner, 9 a.m.
(1) Bishop Blanchet vs. Lynnwood-Gig Harbor winner, 10:30 a.m.
(6) Snohomish vs. Seattle Prep-Bellevue winner, 12:15 p.m.
(7) Kamiakin vs. Bethel-Mercer Island winner, 2 p.m.
The favorite
Bishop Blanchet. This tournament seems to be fairly wide open, but the Braves are No. 1 in the RPI and Tacoma News Tribune rankings. Their only loss was to Hardwood Classic qualifier Mercer Island, and they’ve beaten state regional qualifiers Camas, Lynden Christian, Auburn Riverside, West Seattle, Seattle Prep and Mercer Island.
The dark horse
Mercer Island. The Islanders are the only team to have beaten Bishop Blanchet, after all. They played the Braves in a state regional round contest Friday and lost by one point, so at this point it’s clear that Mercer Island can play with Bishop Blanchet. If the Islanders feel they can knock off the Braves, they probably feel they can beat anyone in this tournament, regardless of their No. 8 seed.
Player to watch
Oumou Toure, Kamiakin. The 6-footer is approaching 1,000 points for her career even though she’s just a sophomore. She averaged a Mid-Columbia Conference-best 22.4 points per game to earn the league’s MVP award, and was the co-defensive player of the year with teammate Alexa Hazel.
Did you know
Six of the eight 3A girls state regional round contests were decided by six points or less. That fact could indicate there’s going to be a lot more close games at the Tacoma Dome this week.
Game we wouldn’t miss
Gig Harbor vs. Bishop Blanchet. The tournament’s top two seeds would meet in the quarterfinal round Thursday if the Tides are able to beat Lynnwood in the first round. Gig Harbor played the state’s toughest schedule according to opponents’ winning percentage, so it surely will be up for any challenge.
— Doug Flanagan, Herald writer
CLASS 2A
Schedule
At Yakima Valley SunDome
(6) Washougal vs. (14) East Valley-Yakima, 3:45 p.m. (loser out)
(7) Wapato vs. (10) East Valley-Spokane, 5:30 p.m. (loser out)
(4) Lynden vs. (13) Olympic, 7:15 p.m. (loser out)
(8) Archbishop Murphy vs. (9) Prosser, 9 p.m. (loser out)
Thursday’s quarterfinals
(5) Burlington-Edison vs. Washougal-East Valley (Yakima) winner, 3:45 p.m.
(1) Black Hills vs. Wapato-East Valley (Spokane) winner, 5:30 p.m.
(3) White River vs. Lynden-Olympic winner, 7:15 p.m.
(2) W.F. West vs. Archbishop Murphy-Prosser winner, 9 p.m.
The favorite
Black Hills. Led by a pair of 6-footers in Emma Duff and Maisy Williams, who each score in double figures, the Wolves (22-1) have won 18 consecutive games and are outscoring opponents by 23.1 points per contest.
The dark horse
Lynden. The fourth-seeded Lions (18-6) suffered a regional loss, but are a battle-tested group that returns to the SunDome with nearly all of their key players from last year’s state runner-up team. Lynden is led by versatile 6-foot senior Elisa Kooiman, a Northwest Nazarene signee who averages 15.3 points per game.
Player to watch
Emma Duff, Black Hills. The 6-foot senior and Western Washington signee is averaging 18.7 points per game. She scored 25 points in the top-seeded Wolves’ regional win over Archbishop Murphy.
Did you know?
No. 1 seed Black Hills has beaten No. 2 seed W.F. West three times this season. W.F. West beat No. 3 seed White River by 33 points. Yet White River is the only team to beat Black Hills. Go figure. Needless to say, it should be an interesting tournament.
Game we wouldn’t miss
Black Hills vs. W.F. West. No. 1 seed Black Hills and No. 2 seed W.F. West have squared off three times in the past three weeks. Black Hills won both of the teams’ regular-season meetings by double digits, and then beat W.F. West by three points in the district-title game. If the two Evergreen Conference rivals advance to Saturday’s championship game, could Black Hills top W.F. West a fourth time?
— Cameron Van Til, Herald writer
CLASS 1B
Schedule
At Spokane Coliseum
Wednesday’s games
(6) Almira Coulee Hartline vs. (14) Yakama Nation Tribal, 9 a.m. (loser out)
(7) Evergreen Lutheran vs. (10) Neah Bay, 10:30 a.m. (loser out)
(4) CPC-Mountlake Terrace vs. (13) Clallam Bay, 12:15 p.m. (loser out)
(8) Selkirk vs. (9) Sunnyside Christian, 2 p.m. (loser out)
Thursday’s quarterfinals
(5) Tacoma Baptist vs. Almira Coulee Hartline-Yakama Nation Tribal winner, 9 a.m.
(1) Colton vs. Evergreen Lutheran-Neah Bay winner, 10:30 a.m.
(3) Republic vs. CPC-Mountlake Terrace-Clallam Bay winner, 12:15 p.m.
(2) Oakesdale vs. Selkirk-Sunnyside Christian winner, 2 p.m.
The favorite
Colton. The eight-time defending champion Wildcats are 21-2 and have nearly doubled up their opponents with an average victory margin of 30.3 points per game. Top-seeded Colton challenged itself with a tough non-league slate, beating 2A state qualifier East Valley (Spokane) and losing to 1A state top seed Cashmere.
The dark horse
Tacoma Baptist. Making their first state appearance since 2012, the fifth-seeded Crusaders (24-0) might fly under the radar more than most undefeated teams, simply because of Colton’s dominance over the past decade. Tacoma Baptist limits opponents to just 24.7 points per game.
Player to watch
Shania Graham, Republic. The 5-foot-6 senior averages 28 points per game and is looking to lead the defending runner-up Tigers back to the title game.
Did you know?
Eight-time defending champion Colton has lost just seven games in the past nine seasons, with just three of those losses coming against 1B schools. The Crusaders at one point had a 79-game winning streak, the longest for any girls basketball team in state history.
Game we woudn’t miss
Colton vs. Oakesdale. The tournament’s top two seeds split their regular-season series, with Oakesdale winning the first matchup in overtime and Colton taking the second by 18 points. If both teams win their first two games, they would meet again for a rubber match in Saturday’s title game.
— Cameron Van Til, Herald writer
