Edmonds men and women, Everett men set for NWAC basketball tournaments
Published 1:30 am Tuesday, March 5, 2024
The Northwest Athletic Conference’s basketball tournaments begin this week at Columbia Basin College in Pasco. The men play their round of 16 and quarterfinals on Wednesday through Friday, while the women play their round of 16 and quarterfinals on Friday through Sunday. The semifinals and finals for both men and women take place March 16-17 at Columbia Basin College.
Here’s a capsule look at the three Snohomish County teams that qualified for the tournament:
MEN
Edmonds Tritons
Record: 21-8
Seed: North No. 1
Round of 16 opponent: South No. 4 Lane (13-15)
Game time: 6 p.m. Wednesday
Top players: Sophomore guard Chris Lee (19.5 points, 5.8 rebounds), freshman forward Josiah Pierre (15.8 points, 6.3 rebounds), sophomore forward Jack Sims (8.7 points, 6.3 rebounds)
The skinny: The Tritons head into the tournament on a roll, having won nine straight to move up to No. 6 in the most recent NWAC coaches poll. Edmonds beat Lane 92-79 on a neutral court back in November. Lane has a balanced attack with five players averaging double digits in scoring, led by sophomore guard Micah Garrett’s 16.6 per game. The winner faces the winner between West No. 2 Green River and East No. 3 Spokane in quarterfinals at 4 p.m. Thursday.
Everett Trojans
Record: 18-10
Seed: North Region No. 3
Round of 16 opponent: South No. 2 Southwestern Oregon (23-6)
Game time: 6 p.m. Thursday
Top players: Sophomore guard Derek Smith (19.7 points, 4.6 rebounds), freshman guard Ethan Martin (14.5 points, 4.4 assists), sophomore forward Raefe McEnroe (13.9 points, 8.0 rebounds)
The skinny: Everett clinched its tournament berth on the final day of the regular season by winning 106-100 at Whatcom last Wednesday. Southwestern Oregon, which has won five straight, is ranked No. 7 in the latest NWAC coaches poll, and the Lakers are led by freshman forward Logan Deal (13.2 points, 6.7 rebounds). The winner gets the winner between East No. 1 Treasure Valley and West No. 4 Tacoma in the quarterfinals at 4 p.m. Friday.
WOMEN
Edmonds Tritons
Record: 18-7
Seed: North No. 2
Round of 16 opponent: West No. 3 Pierce (12-14)
Game time: 6 p.m. Saturday
Top players: Sophomore forward Jada Walters (14.9 points, 8.2 rebounds), sophomore forward Natalie Brown (8.7 points, 9.6 rebounds), sophomore guard Keira Slippern (11.9 points, 2.7 steals)
The skinny: Edmonds enters the tournament hot, having won five straight and moving up to No. 9 in the NWAC coaches poll. The Tritons lost to Pierce 66-60 when the teams met in December at Pierce. The Raiders have NWAC’s second-leading rebounder in sophomore forward Keshara Romain (16.8 points, 12.4 rebounds). The winner advances to face either South No. 1 Lane or East No. 4 Treasure Valley in the quarterfinals at 4 p.m. Sunday.
