Stanwood girls basketball avenges loss to Edmonds-Woodway

Published 3:01 am Thursday, March 5, 2026

TACOMA — Just two weeks prior to their matchup in the 3A State Round of 12 at the Tacoma Dome on Wednesday — in the District 1 3A semifinals on Feb. 18 — Edmonds-Woodway girls basketball made it known that they arrived ahead of schedule with a 55-47 win against Stanwood.

The more-experienced Stanwood team fell to an Edmonds-Woodway side that started four freshmen, and the repercussions of the game would ripple far beyond the tournament itself. While Edmonds-Woodway secured itself a state tournament berth with the win, Stanwood would have to win a loser-out consolation game in order to extend its season.

Even after Edmonds-Woodway lost to Snohomish in the District 1 3A Championship, it still earned a top eight seed in the 3A State Tournament, which assures a spot in the Round of 12 or better no matter how the opening round plays out. Meanwhile, after a 56-47 consolation win against Mount Vernon on Feb. 21, Stanwood slotted just below at No. 9, which meant it would have to win another loser-out game to reach the Round of 12.

Stanwood checked that box with a 60-56 victory against Bishop Blanchet on Feb. 28, and it led them right back to Edmonds-Woodway, which had lost to top-seeded Bellevue 63-46 in the opening round on Feb. 27. This time, the entire season was on the line.

“Knowing that that outcome (in the district tournament) wasn’t the one we wanted, wasn’t the one that it should have been with the way we played, we wanted this game,” Stanwood senior Ellalee Wortham said.

When it mattered most, the No. 9 seed Spartans (21-5) delivered with a 62-47 win against the No. 8 seed Warriors (20-6) to advance to the 3A State quarterfinals. While the district semifinal matchup sent the two sides on entirely different paths, Stanwood coach Dustin Swanson believes his squad came out stronger on the other side.

“We had two games with our season on the line, and it changed our path,” Swanson said. “(…) I think the (loser-out) games we had before this game made us a better team. It helped us focus on the things we needed to be just better at to win games like this, and that really served us, especially down the stretch in this one.”

According to Wortham, who led the scoring with 18 points, those improvements included better communication on defense and focus on a more cohesive flow between all five players on the court. In Wednesday’s matchup in particular, that meant zoning in on Edmonds-Woodway’s top scorers: senior Finley Wichers and freshman Zaniyah Jones.

While the Spartans built up a 19-11 in the first quarter with senior Stella Berrett (10 points, 10 rebounds) displaying patience and poise in the post, and sophomore Georgia Lenz (nine points, nine rebounds, six steals) turning steals into points in transition, the whole team could not contain Wichers in the first half. The Warriors’ senior leader went ballistic from behind the arc, where she shot 6-for-8 (75%) in the first half alone to single-handedly keep her team in the game before finishing with 26 points and eight 3-pointers.

Buckets from senior Presley Harris (14 points) and Wortham allowed Stanwood to build a 26-12 lead with 4:37 left in the first half, but Wichers’ shooting highlighted a 10-0 Edmonds-Woodway run to cut it to 26-22. The Spartans pulled back ahead 31-22 with a 3 from Harris and a putback layup from Lenz, but Wichers knocked down a pair of treys in the final 65 seconds to make it 31-28 at half.

Although Stanwood would ultimately win the game, Wichers displayed her full value to her team. Despite playing her first game at the Tacoma Dome, she looked like a seasoned playoff performer. Through tears, she shared a hug with coach Quinn Manning at center court after the game went final.

“My heart breaks for her right now because she’s been working,” Manning said about Wichers. “And she’s been in this program for four years, and we finally had built up something special enough to get her here, and I just wish we got to play a few more games for her. …

“We’ve got a young crew, so that was my biggest concern, was Stanwood’s been here before. They’re seasoned, they’ve got a bunch of upperclassmen up there, and a couple of our freshmen struggled tonight with composure, which I can’t blame them. Big stage, higher pressure. There’s a lot of good ahead, but it stinks for (our seniors).”

Coming into the second half, Swanson made a simple adjustment: Harris would stick to Wichers in an effort to slow her down. While the Edmonds-Woodway star knocked down a couple deep shots in the second half, Harris succeeded in her task.

“We said, ‘Presley, you’re on her,’ and (Harris) did a great job in our defense,” Swanson said. “She still hit a couple shots, but (Harris) forced her into a lot more difficult ones, so we really just put it on her, to be honest.”

In addition to nailing her defensive assignment, Harris hit a 3-pointer early in the third quarter to make it 34-28. At the same time, Lenz continued to be a disruptor, poking balls loose and creating transition opportunities off steals. Even when Edmonds-Woodway managed to score in the third quarter, Stanwood responded with a basket in the following possession nearly every time as they entered the final frame with a 45-35 lead.

“I was really reading their eyes on where they were looking to pass,” Lenz said. “And trying to read the play so I could get the steals.”

The Warriors pushed until the end, cutting it to 50-45 with just 3:05 left when Jones (15 points, five rebounds) converted an ‘And-1’ on a baseline drive, but that’s as close as it would get.

The Spartans executed a passing sequence to give Wortham an open look in the middle, and Edmonds-Woodway committed its fifth foul about 15 seconds later. Stanwood went 10-for-12 from the charity stripe after the Warriors resorted to fouling in the final 2:32, stretching the lead. A block from Stella Berrett that led to a Harris layup in transition to push it to 58-47 with 1:46 to go all but sealed it.

“I think we just kept the same mindset of playing hard and pushing the entire time,” Lenz said about closing out the fourth quarter.

The Spartans will face another familiar foe on Thursday in Wesco North 3A/2A rival Snohomish with a trip to the semifinals on the line. The District 1 3A Champions will be a tough test for Stanwood, but if the past three games show anything, it’s that the Spartans are ready for whatever challenge comes their way.

However, for the rest of Wednesday night, their only focus was appreciating their accomplishment of surviving for another day.

“What we know is we have a great opportunity and a very big challenge, and we’ll definitely try top come up with a plan tomorrow,” Swanson said. “Tonight, I think my brain is just on being happy. … But I’m just confident in our group and I expect a great game.”