State preview: Lynnwood girls vs. Cleveland
Published 10:57 pm Friday, March 6, 2015
What: 3A girls state basketball championship
When/Where: 3 p.m., Saturday, Tacoma Dome
Records: Cleveland 19-8, Lynnwood 24-2
Radio: KRKO 1380
Television: ROOT (10 p.m., delayed)
AP Rankings: Cleveland (No.10); Lynnwood (No. 1)
Friday’s semifinals: Cleveland defeated Bishop Blanchet 55-48. Lynnwood handled Bellevue 63-37.
Players to watch: Cleveland—Jayde Christopher, Sr., PG; Aqeelah Williams, Sr., G; Joyce Harrell, Sr., F/C. Lynnwood—Jordyn Edwards, Jr., W; Mikayla Pivec, Jr., W; Kelsey Rogers, So., P, Dani Hayes, Sr., G.
Breakdown: It’s the No. 1-ranked Lynnwood Royals against the two-time defending 3A state champion Cleveland Eagles. Led by Christopher, a Kansas recruit, Cleveland has been able to weather a tough 3A Metro League, which makes the Eagles’ eight losses misleading.
On the other side, Lynnwood finds itself in the state title game for the first time in the program’s history.
Lynnwood is going to have to contain not only Christopher, but Williams (25 points against Bishop Blanchet) and Harrell (22 points and 14 rebounds in the Eagles’ first two games in Tacoma).
Like the Royals, Cleveland employs an aggressive full-court defense, which has produced 23 steals in wins over Wilson and Bishop Blanchet.
Twitter: @Krueger_David
Prediction: Lynnwood 62, Cleveland 49
