MOUNT VERNON – King’s, ranked No. 2 in the final WashingtonPreps.com poll, will get the opportunity to prove it’s No. 1.
The Knights earned a state tournament berth and advanced to the 2A District 1 championship game with a 71-45 girls basketball victory over Meridian Friday at Mount Vernon High School.
King’s, a 1A team until this school year, plays Mount Baker for the district title at 7:30 p.m. next Friday at Mount Vernon.
King’s coach Eric Rasmussen needed but one word to summarize the key to his team’s success against Meridian, “Defense.”
“We were playing a very athletic team,” Rasmussen said. “They made it to 2A state last year, and returned four double-figure scorers.
“It was a great defensive effort on our part.”
Rasmussen applauded his team’s ability to adjust to a higher level of competition.
“It’s a great accomplishment for us,” he said, attributing King’s winning effort to its immediate initiative on the defensive end.
“We pressed early, then went right to man to man, and really didn’t give them many easy looks.”
King’s leading scorer, Caitlyn Faidley, complemented her team’s defensive aggressiveness by mirroring it on the opposite end, scoring 10 of her team-high 16 points in a first quarter that saw the Knights trump Meridian 25-6.
Other notable King’s contributors were Hayley Zevenbergen, who notched 12 points and 12 rebounds, and Sara Mosiman, who filled up the box score with 15 points, four assists, and three steals.
At Mount Vernon
Meridian6131214-45
King’s25171514-71
Meridian-Johnson 4, Ruzicka 4, Albord 13, Hayes 7, Huffman 17. King’s-Zevenbergen 12, Strand 5, Clauson 8, Louie 2, Faidley 16, Kieling 5, Simons 4, Mayhle 2, Sather2, Mosiman 15. 3-point goals-Albord 1, Strand 1, Faidley 1. Records-Meridian 15-7 overall. King’s 21-1.
Darrington 53, Clallam Bay 43: Darrington earned a state tournament berth behind senior forward Lindsey Bryson’s game-high 20 points in the B tri-district consolation semifinal playoff game. Kathleen Wilson led Clallam Bay with 17 points. The Loggers play King’s West for third place in the tri-district at noon today at Puyallup’s Chief Leschi High School.
At Puyallup
Darrington179189-53
Clallam Bay139147-43
Darrington-Bryson 20, Nations 9, Harris 9, Schillhammer 9, Fromong 6. Clallam Bay-Erickson 5, Wright 3, Thompson 10, Caine 8, Wilson 17. 3-point goals-Bryson 4, Erickson 1, Caine 2, Wilson 4. Records-Darrington 14-14 overall, Clallam Bay, unavailable.
Boys basketball
Tacoma Baptist 53, Shoreline Christian 50: Tacoma Baptist earned a state tournament berth and ousted Shoreline Christian from the B tri-district playoffs. Tacoma Baptist’s Nathan Yoder led all scorers with 23 points. Grant Brandal scored 16 for Shoreline Christian.
At Puyallup
Tacoma Baptist1672010-53
Shoreline Christian1291514-50
Tacoma Baptist-Yoder 23, Gudaitis 13, Schulhauser 6, Kitchen 3, Myrry 2, Piwonski 2, Sinding 2, Tuell 2. Shoreline Christian-Vermeer 2, Jacobs 5, Brandal 16, DeYager 5, Dodd 11, Groen 2, Weiford 4, Wahlman 5. Records-Tacoma Baptist not reported. Shoreline Christian 11-14 overall.
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