Glacier Peak Grizzlies (Snohomish)
Record: 19-5
Coach: Brian Hunter, second year
Last state appearance: First appearance; school opened in fall 2008.
Key players: G Brandon Hill, 6-1, sr. (14.0 ppg, 3.0 rpg); F Jack Bonner, 6-3, jr. (12.0 ppg, 7.0 rpg, 2.0 rpg); G Nick Persha, 6-0, sr. (11.0 ppg, 3.0 rpg, 3.0 apg); G Drew Cummins, 6-0, sr. (6.5 ppg, 5.0 apg, 4.0 rpg, 2.2 spg).
First-round opponent: Franklin Pierce (17-7) 9 a.m. Wednesday at the Tacoma Dome.
Outlook: “They’re very athletic. They want to get up and down the court,” Hunter said of Franklin Pierce, which averages 66.3 points per game and scored 106 in one contest this winter. In its first season with seniors, Glacier Peak made it all the way to state. Meanwhile, Franklin Pierce is back at state for the first time since 2006, when it beat Lynnwood in the first round but then lost two straight and did not place.
Glacier Peak’s fan support has been incredible and coach Hunter expects that to continue this week. “There’s definitely a lot of excitement. We expect lots of kids to go down (to Tacoma) even though it’s a 9 o’clock game,” said Hunter. More than 3,000 fans watched the Grizzlies’ district-championship win over Meadowdale on March 3 at Glacier Peak’s gym, Hunter said.
Meadowdale Mavericks (Lynnwood)
Record: 19-6
Coach: Chad McGuire, eighth year
Last state appearance: 2009 (sixth)
Key players: P Connor Hamlett, 6-7, sr. (19.8 ppg, 10.0 rpg, 2.5 bpg); G Sam Werner, 6-0, sr. (10.0 ppg, 5.0 rpg, 4.0 apg, 2.0 spg); G Matt Beucherie, 6-0, sr. (5.3 ppg, 4.0 apg); Riley Neff-Warner (5.9 ppg, 5.0 rpg).
First-round opponent: Enumclaw (24-0) 3:30 p.m. Wednesday at the Tacoma Dome.
Outlook: Back at state for the third straight year, Meadowdale starts off against unbeaten Enumclaw, ranked No. 1 by the Tacoma News Tribune. Enumclaw is the only squad without a loss in the 16-team field, but Meadowdale knows the Hornets are beatable: The Mavericks defeated Enumclaw 47-41 last year in the 3A quarterfinals.
Meadowdale has a clear-cut star player in Hamlett, a dominant post Hamlett played very well in the T-Dome last year, but Enumclaw is extremely balanced. Four Hornets averaged at least 11 points per game, led by 6-2 senior guard Riley Carel (12.8 ppg) and 6-6, 260-pound senior forward Tarren VanTrojen (12.0 ppg). “They’re very well-disciplined and well-coached. They’re physical and they play really good defense,” coach McGuire said of Enumclaw, which limits foes to an average of 44.7 points per game.
3A GIRLS capsule
Lynnwood Royals
Record: 14-12
Coach: Everett Edwards, third year
Last state appearance: 1994 (sixth)
Key players:
F Mokun Fajemisin, 5-10, so. (13.0 ppg, 8.0 rpg, 4.0 bpg); G/F Laycee Hill, 5-8, sr. (8.0 ppg, 6.0 rpg, 2.0 spg); G/F Megan Cross, 5-10, so. (8.0 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 1.0 spg).
First-round opponent: Prairie (18-6) 9 a.m. Wednesday at the Tacoma Dome.
Outlook: Students, parents, faculty — they’re all thrilled about Lynnwood’s first trip to state in 16 years, coach Edwards said. It’s extra meaningful, he said, because this is the first school year in Lynnwood High’s new building and the team’s accomplishment reflects a change in culture and attitude. Lynnwood’s opening-round foe is Prairie, always one of the state’s best programs. Coached by Al Aldridge, Prairie is making its 18th state appearance since 1992. The only year it missed over that span was 1997. “They are a perennial powerhouse,” Edwards said, “but they’re also young.”
Mike Cane, Herald Writer
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