By Morris Malakoff
Herald Writer
RENTON – Everything is in place for the upcoming Class B, A and 3A basketball tournaments.
The draw for opening round games of the 16-team, double-elimination Class A and 3A tournaments, to be played starting Wednesday, was held Sunday at the Renton headquarters of the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association. The draw for the Class B schools was held in Spokane.
The Meadowdale girls are the only area team to qualify for the 3A tournament at the Tacoma Dome. The third-ranked Mavericks will open play at 7 p.m. Wednesday, facing off against the Lakeside Lions, a perennial powerhouse from Seattle’s Metro League.
Maverick head coach Karen Blair left the draw looking pleased with the Mavericks’ position. But she has concerns about what may lie ahead, particularly in that opening round match-up.
Despite the Lions finishing with a 16-10 record, Blair knows that her team cannot afford to overlook Lakeside, a team that has gotten stronger as the season has progressed.
“They started slow this season,” said Blair. “Last year they made a run in the tournament. We cannot look further than the first game.”
Meadowdale may have gotten the best draw of the top-seeded teams in the tournament. The other half of the bracket features seven teams with 20 or more wins. The eighth team, White River, is 19-5.
The Mavericks have the best record in their bracket at 20-2. They will be joined by West Valley of Yakima, a team that posted a 21-3 record.
The 1A tournament, held at the Sun Dome in Yakima, will feature three local girls teams and the King’s boys team from Shoreline.
The 17-9 King’s boys may have to eventually face the odds-on-pick for the state title, undefeated Brewster, in a later round. The Knights open against the only other 20-game winner in the bracket, Freeman, at 4 pm.
In the girls’ tournament, many coaches feel that winning the state title will require getting past the King’s girls. But first the Knights have to get out of the strongest bracket drawn, one that includes the top three teams in the state.
King’s, ranked no. 2 with a 22-1 record, is joined by No. 1-ranked Brewster with a 22-1 record and No. 3 Toledo, also at 22-1. Archbishop Murphy, with a 20-6 record, fills out the class of the bracket.
King’s opens play with a 9 p.m. game against Dayton. This is the third time that the Knights have drawn the final game of the opening round. As long as they win, all of their tournament games will occur at 9 pm. It is a situation that presents some unique challenges according to King’s Athletic Director Bob Rhyman.
“Playing late games means a lot of work keeping the kids focused,” said Rhyman. “It can make for some long days.”
The girls of Archbishop Murphy will open with what might be their easiest game in the tournament. At 5:30 p.m., they play Columbia-Burbank, a team that comes to Yakima with a 17-7 record.
Should the Wildcats win the opener, they will likely face Brewster on Thursday.
“It is a tough draw,” said Archbishop Murphy coach Bill Kelley of the number of quality teams in the bracket. “We have to concentrate on Columbia and take it from there.”
Coupeville will play Onalaska in the opening round. Coach Greg Oldham is confident about moving into the second round, where they would most likely face Zillah.
“We match up well with Onalaska, we should get a win,” said Oldham. “Playing Zillah would be fun. One of my best friends coaches there and I am from over there,” said Oldham.
The field for the Class B Tournament in Spokane will include the Darrington Loggers boys and girls squads. The girls will open with a 10:30 am tipoff against Willipa Valley, while the boys play Tekoa-Oakesdale at 6:30 pm.
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