Snohomish girls basketball scraps to quarterfinals

Published 8:35 pm Saturday, February 28, 2026

BOTHELL — The cheers for the Snohomish girls basketball team’s hustle in the fourth quarter of a second-round state game against Evergreen of Vancouver on Saturday quickly hushed down.

The Panthers’ star senior Sienna Capelli dove on the floor to secure an offensive rebound and kicked it to junior post Lola Rotondo, who drew a foul. While Capelli fought for the ball on the floor, she took a hit to the nose.

The result was a fair amount of blood on account of two cuts. The Snohomish faithful clapped as Capelli got to her feet with a towel over the wounds, which would be quickly bandaged.

“Those kind of plays, when it happens to me, I don’t necessarily know exactly what happens. I just know I got up and I was bleeding and I was like, ‘OK I need to get out,’” Capelli said. “When I was getting patched up and everything, I was just like, ‘OK, just got to keep playing to get points and rebounds and just keep going.”

She did just that.

Within a pair of possessions, Capelli was back on the floor, having saved her best for last.

She hit two turnaround jumpers to wash away an off-night from the field and hit seven of her eight free throws down the stretch to put an exclamation point on a 52-39 win for No. 2 Snohomish (19-6). It was the 17th win in a row for head coach Ken Roberts’ squad, which started 2-6 only to end up as a top-two seed and now a quarterfinalist in the state. Snohomish will wait until 9 p.m. on Thursday to face the winner of Wednesday’s round of 12 game between No. 9 Stanwood and No. 8 Meadowdale .

“Our kids aren’t going to back down,” Roberts said of Saturday’s effort. “We’re going to compete with anybody.”

Capelli led the way with a game-high 20 points to go with 13 rebounds and six assists. Rotondo was a menace on the glass, pulling down 15 boards to go with a 14-point night as Snohomish outrebounded Evergreen 38-27. Senior Kendall Hammer scored 11 on three 3-pointers while sophomore post Grace Gunnerson finished with seven rebounds for the Panthers.

Senior Kimora Ross led the Plainsmen, who will play in the round of 12 in Tacoma, with nine points and eight rebounds, while Courtney Neal finished with eight points and seven rebounds. Junior Amaya Paschal had a team-high 10 points for Evergreen.

Though Capelli and the Panthers found an offensive rhythm late, they struggled against Evergreen’s active press in the first half. After three minutes of game time, Snohomish led just 3-0 as the Plainsmen went cold from deep to start. While Hammer hit a triple and Paschal answered, the separator early was in hustle plays.

Rotondo yanked down an offensive rebound, had the ball poked away on a gather, and fought defenders away a second time to finish a layup as Snohomish took a 10-7 lead into the second quarter.

The second frame was more of the same, as Evergreen junior Harmony Fallin pressed Snohomish’s guards up high to force six turnovers in the quarter. Roberts pleaded from the sideline for his guards to move the ball faster, but the Panthers were bailed out by a few missed layups in close from the Plainsmen.

Chances to score were certainly at a premium early, and Rotondo was willing to pay the price. She pulled down two offensive rebounds in one possession and was fouled on the putback attempt.

“Rebounding’s always an emphasis for me, I feel like that’s how I help my team the best,” Rotondo said.

Still, Evergreen’s strong press prevented Capelli from getting her usual high percentage looks at the rim in the first half as Snohomish led 17-14 going into the break. Still, a lead is a lead.

“When you emphasize defense and you emphasize playing tough and rebounding, I think you can withstand some extended struggles on offense,” Roberts said.

With his standout freshman point guard Alaina Daclison sidelined with a torn ACL since a January duel with Stanwood, junior Lizzie Allyn and Capelli split duties bringing the ball up the floor. While Roberts noted his team’s offense is still trying to regain some of the nuances Daclison’s game brought to it, his pair of upperclassmen adjusted in the second half.

There would only be four Snohomish turnovers the rest of the way, something Roberts credited to decisive passing in the second half.

The Plainsmen opened their second-half scoring with two quick pushes down the court to start the third, but the Panthers adjusted. They jumped passes and forced two turnovers in a row to swing momentum, clinging to a 28-24 lead late in the third after Capelli found Hammer for her second triple of the frame.

But as the third quarter came to a close, the press got the best of Capelli, who had the ball knocked away at the horn. Capelli, who had been fouled plenty and under duress all night, hung her head on the bench as the team came in for a huddle. Allyn came over and picked teammate’s chin up with both hands as the Panthers steeled themselves for a tight fourth quarter.

“It means everything to me,” Capelli said of moments like those. “I love this team, they’re like my family, like my sisters.”

Snohomish played like a tight-knit unit to start the fourth, as Rotondo rejected a shot and Capelli stole a pass off the ensuing offensive rebound. The next possession, Snohomish forced a driving Plainsman out of the baseline for another turnover. And the next time down the floor, Evergreen was charged with a carrying violation for a third straight turnover, opening the door for the Panthers to go up 32-26 with six minutes to play.

Then came Capelli’s injury. Though an injury is never ideal, the elite shotmaking and precision at the free-throw line that ensued was just what Roberts’ team needed to close the game out.

“I think it kind of woke her up in a way, look at what she did after that — coming back on the court and really just started focusing on playing,” Roberts said.

The two turnaround jumpers were more of what fans were used to seeing from Capelli, who has made that shot her signature this season. The Snohomish faithful roared as her shotmaking and clutch free throws carried Snohomish to the Tacoma Dome.

The Panthers, who were eliminated one game short of state last season, come into the quarterfinals with a 2024 fifth-place state finish to learn from. But the identity of hard work the Panthers have carved out all season can’t be taught.

“I think if we just play to the best of our ability and we play hard every game, I think we can make it to the state championship and hopefully win it,” Capelli said.