EVERETT — The Everett High School girls basketball team embraced the chaos, and as a result the Seagulls are headed to state.
Everett used unrelenting full-court pressure in the fourth quarter to turn the game around, and the Seagulls defeated the Snohomish Panthers 42-36 Saturday afternoon in a winner-to-state, loser-out Class 3A District 1 tournament game at Everett Community College.
Everett played from behind the entire game, barely broke double digits in the first half, and trailed 25-19 heading into the fourth quarter. But in the fourth the Seagulls created chaos ball with their full-court trap, which turned the Panthers over again and again. The turnovers opened up space for Mae Washington, who scored 14 of her 25 points in the fourth as the third-seeded Seagulls (16-8) earned the district’s fifth-and-final berth to state regionals.
“It’s amazing,” Mae Washington said about advancing. “I’ve never been to state before, ever, so it’s amazing.
“We love that,” Washington added about her team’s pressure defense. “We love playing full-court pressure, and all the team contributed, so it was good.”
Jada Andresen scored 11 points and Tyler Gildersleeve-Stiles had nine points and 13 rebounds to lead sixth-seeded Snohomish, which finished its season 15-10.
Everett, which lost a triple-overtime thriller to Snohomish earlier in the tournament, tried to press the Panthers from the start. However, the Seagulls scored so infrequently in the first half that they rarely got the chance. Snohomish gave Everett headaches with its athleticism and intensity, preventing Washington and her sister Alana from getting any good looks, while the Panthers also controlled the boards. A pair of Andresen 3s in the second quarter propelled Snohomish to a 17-10 halftime lead.
In the second half the Seagulls began pressuring full court regardless of whether they scored, trapping the Snohomish rebounder, and that set the tone for the fourth quarter. Snohomish couldn’t get the ball across half court in the fourth as the 6-foot Washingtons blocked every passing lane. Junior Parrish’s 15-foot set shot tied it at 27-27, and Mae Washington’s runner gave Everett the lead at 29-27 with 3 minutes, 19 seconds remaining. The Seagulls continued to press and never looked back as Mae Washington finally found driving lanes.
“I was looking to score and attack,” Mae Washington said. “Even if my shot wasn’t going I was looking to go to the basket.”
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