Meadowdale girls basketball survives scrappy River Ridge

Published 9:49 am Wednesday, February 25, 2026

EDMONDS — A year ago, the Meadowdale girls basketball team felt the sting of going 0-2 in the state tournament. The Mavericks were intent on making some more noise on the biggest stage this time around, and No. 15 Meadowdale (15-10) took a solid first step on Tuesday night with an 81-72 win over No. 18 River Ridge in a loser-out opening round game.

The Mavericks will face No. 10 Enumclaw at 2:00 p.m. on Saturday at Auburn H.S. in another loser-out state contest to decide who will advance to the Tacoma Dome starting March 4.

Tuesday’s back-and-forth affair resulted in Meadowdale’s second-highest scoring output of the season, with Brockmeyer’s 32 points on five 3-pointers leading the way. By the end of the night, the Mavericks racked up 14 assists on 23 made shots, lighting the net up with 11 triples.

“Today, everybody was hitting the extra pass and hitting the open player every time,” Brockmeyer said, having led the team with four dimes. “We just really played as a team.”

It truly took every Maverick, as junior Lexi Zardis hit three triples for 14 points while Kaya Powell (11) and Lisa Sonko (9) combined for 20 points. Hannah Keeney also added nine points and seven rebounds as Meadowdale overcame a nine-point second-quarter deficit.

Sonko’s high-flying rebounding and motor paid off with a game-high 10 boards, as the junior made some of the game’s most impactful plays down the stretch.

On the other end, River Ridge star senior Brandi Stanford scored 35 points and pulled down 10 rebounds to keep Meadowdale on edge all night. Paige Arko hit four 3-pointers to score 12 for the Hawks as well as neither team rosters players over 5-foot-11, making for a fast-paced contest.

Stanford made her impact felt from the outset, converting a few coast-to-coast baskets to shock Meadowdale’s defense early. The Mavericks would then be forced to inbound to a full-court press from the first possession onward. That press became a recurring theme. The Hawks jumped out to a 14-7 lead before Meadowdale coach Benson Sims called a timeout.

Brockmeyer settled the Mavs defense down with a block and a steal as she and Zardis combined for three first-quarter 3s in the opening frame to cut the lead to four.

But the Hawks weren’t finished.

By the midway point of the second quarter, River Ridge had forced 11 Meadowdale turnovers on account of its press and activity in picking off Meadowdale’s drive-and-kick passes. Add an eight-point quarter for Stanford, and the Hawks were out to their biggest lead of 35-26, prompting a timeout from Sims.

Despite the growing deficit, he wasn’t ready to hit the panic button as he addressed his squad.

“I said, ‘Hey, we’ve withstood their onslaught, they haven’t pulled away yet,’” Sims said. “So let’s keep swinging and make it our turn. They had their chance, now let’s take our turn and see what happens.”

The Mavericks, who Sims has described as “calm” during their last few loser-out games, responded with a season-defining run.

In just four minutes, Brockmeyer hit back-to-back triples, Sonko went coast-to-coast for a tough and-1 layup and Zardis hit a 3 at the buzzer courtesy of a kickout from Keeney.

It was a 13-0 run to put the Mavs ahead 39-35 with 16 minutes to play.

Despite a turnover-frenzied first 12 minutes, Meadowdale only committed eight in the final 18 minutes as it figured out the tough press to some degree in the third quarter.

The Mavericks wasted no time opening the third with more 3s, as Brockmeyer hit a catch-and-shoot look to open the half. Though Stanford came back with a floater, two triples from Powell put Meadowdale ahead 48-42 midway through the third.

After a deep triple from Brockmeyer to push the lead to eight, Stanford and the River Ridge press went back to work. The Hawks formed a wall far behind the 3-point arc, picking the Mavericks multiple times and drawing fouls in transition. Both teams were quite savvy in playing into contact, as the squads shot a combined 51 free throws by the game’s end.

The Hawks cut the lead to two before Sonko sliced through the paint for a pair of easy buckets to close the third with Meadowdale ahead 57-50.

Nursing that same seven-point lead with five minutes to play, the Mavs committed two offensive fouls in a row on faulty screens. But on the other end, the Hawks settled for multiple 3-point shots in a row, going cold at an inopportune time to leave the deficit the same.

Then came the play of the game.

Clinging to a six-point lead with two minutes to play, Sonko waited near the far rim to help space the floor to beat the Hawks’ trap. A deep pass was suddenly lofted her way with Stanford in prime position to steal it and go coast to coast yet again as the River Ridge bench was ready to explode with excitement.

But Sonko, whose hustle earned Meadowdale second-chance points and stolen possessions all night long, was able to get two hands over Stanford’s outstretched arms and snag the ball with force. She then laid it in delicately to push the lead to eight.

A four-point swing with the season hanging in the balance.

“Every so often, she has that spectacular moment,” Sims said of Sonko. “It reminds you of her prowess there … when she taps into that, she’s hard to stop.”

With precious time ticking off, the Hawks were a step behind in their frantic press and fouled the Mavs 11 times in the final period. Meadowdale made eight of those looks, with clutch charity-stripe appearances from Kylie Richards, Hannah Keeney, Brockmeyer and others.

In all, Meadowdale went 24-for-29 from the free-throw line to keep its season alive.

One win away from Tacoma now, Brockmeyer’s mentality is the same.

“Just play every game like it’s your last and give it your all … Don’t get off the court wishing you did better.”