Prep girls basketball: State regional capsules

With the state girls basketball regional round of 16 underway this weekend, local schools are preparing for their respective bids to the Tacoma Dome for the Hardwood Classic.

Listed below are preview capsules for each local team involved as well as their adversaries. Five area schools are still in the running as games start Friday at various locations.

For the 1-through-8 seeds, regional games are non-elimination, with a win in those rounds meaning an automatic bid into the quarterfinal round. Five girls area teams remaining are from Class 3A and one from Class 1A. Seeds 9-through-16 play in a loser-out game.

NOTE: All seeding references below are to state tournament seeds.

CLASS 3A

No. 8 Meadowdale vs. No. 1 Garfield

When: 6 p.m., Friday

Where: Bellevue Community College

Implications: Winner to quarterfinals, loser to round of 12.

Records: Meadowdale (18-6), Garfield (19-1)

About the Mavericks: Eighth-seeded Meadowdale will make its third state regional appearance in the last four seasons on Friday. After starting the year 3-3, the Mavericks ripped off wins in 12 of their last 14 games of the regular season and made it through the district tournament following a 68-66 loss to Lynnwood in the opening round. Standout junior guard Gia Powell has been a consistent 20-plus point contributor, scoring 41 points with nine 3-pointers against Monroe on Feb. 14 in a district loser-out game.

About the Bulldogs: Coming off 3A state championships in 2022 and 2022, The No. 1 seed Bulldogs look to be one of the Hardwood Classic favorites once again. USC-bound guard Malia Samuels has been ruled out for the rest of season with a knee injury, however, senior 6-foot-3 forward Imbie Jones still provides Garfield with needed star power as others have stepped up in recent weeks following Samuel’s absence. The Bulldogs took down Lake Washington 66-55 to capture the 3A district 2 championship on Saturday. Garfield has out-scored opponents by an average of 23.6 points a game, a Metro League best.

No. 2 Arlington vs. No. 7 Lakeside (Seattle)

When: 6 p.m., Saturday

Where: Arlington High School

Implications: Winner to quarterfinals, loser to round of 12

Records: Arlington (20-2), Lakeside (17-3)

About the Eagles: Win or lose, Arlington is set to make its fourth consecutive trip to the Tacoma Dome this season after taking third place in 2022. The Eagles have gone 29-0 against Wesco teams over the last two seasons, capturing district titles in the last three. Arlington’s two losses this year came against Lake Washington (23-2) and Eastlake (19-6). WSU commit Jenna Villa has been a dominant force all season and junior point guard Samantha Morrow has helped lead a high-powered two-way roster which holds opposing teams to 43.2 points per game.

About the Lions: Led by sharpshooting Gonzaga signee and Metro League MVP Claire O’Connor, No. 7 seed Lakeside is making its second straight appearance at the Dome. In 2022, The Lions dropped a quarterfinal matchup to Garfield and were knocked out of the consolation bracket by Snohomish. Lakeside has blown out teams this season with 13 wins coming by at least 20 points, one of which came against Garfield in a 58-36 win on Jan. 21.

No. 6 Stanwood vs. No. 3 Lake Washington

When: 8 p.m., Saturday

Where: Lake Washington High School

Implications: Winner to quarterfinals, loser to round of 12

Records: Stanwood (19-4), Lake Washington (23-2)

About the Spartans: The Spartans brought home a sixth place trophy at the Hardwood Classic in 2022 and have been the most consistent girls’ Wesco team other than Arlington this season, which beat Stanwood 63-57 in the district championship on Saturday. Grounded by senior 6-foot-4 post Vivenne Berrett, a University of Hawaii commit, Stanwood has a size advantage in the post against most units in the state bracket.

About the Kangaroos: Lake Washington will have home court advantage in the round of 16, which is a rare commodity at this point in the season. The Kangs placed as the runner-up to Garfield in 2020 and 2022. This is their fourth straight state berth. A balanced senior corps of Jolie Sim, Ava Uusitalo and 6-1 post Sydney Hani have all shown the ability to offer double-digit scoring prowess as Lake Washington is set up for another deep run at the Tacoma Dome.

No. 13 Everett vs. No. 12 Peninsula

When: 6 p.m., Friday

Where: Tacoma Community College

Implications: Winner to round of 12, loser out

Records: Everett (17-8), Peninsula (18-5)

About the Seagulls: Everett’s matchup against Peninsula of Gig Harbor will mark the Seagulls fourth loser-out tilt in the last five games. The battle-tested group led by junior twins Alana Washingon and Mae Washington have come up with wins to avoid elimination in their last two over Snohomish and Bishop Blanchet. The Gulls’ 63-28 regional play-in thrashing over Blanchet was the first regional win for Everett since 1996. In 2022, the Seagulls dropped a 53-51 heartbreaker against Hermiston in their only regional contest.

About the Seahawks: In their second state regional berth in a row, Peninsula finds itself in a similar situation as Everett, having lost its 2022 play-in to Hermiston. Junior scoring guard Kaylia Heidelberg leads the Seahawks in scoring with 17 points a game, adding 5.5 rebounds. Peninsula is coming off back-to-back district losses against North Thurston and Bonney Lake.

No. 11 Lynnwood vs. No. 14 West Seattle

When: 12 p.m., Saturday

Where: Arlington High School

Implications: Winner to round of 12, loser out

Records: Lynnwood (16-6), West Seattle (16-9)

About the Royals: With a 70-60 state-clinching win over Everett in the district tournament, Lynnwood earned its first stop in the regional round since 2018, with seven previous berths coming from 2009-2017. The Royals have several perimeter threats, led by star do-it-all guard Aniya Hooker, 6-foot-1 forward Kayla Lorenz and Teyah Clark, all juniors.

About the Wildcats: Coming off a 44-37 win over Central Kitsap in the 3A regional play-in round, West Seattle will make the 50-mile trip up to Arlington to face-off against Lynnwood in a loser-out. After losing Jadyn Watts (Western Washington University) to graduation after last season, the Wildcats sport a deep group led by senior guard Lauren Wright, and juniors Carmen Cruz and Lucy Larson.

CLASS 1A

No. 14 Sultan vs. No. 11 Zillah

When: 4 p.m., Saturday

Where: Davis High School (Yakima)

Implications: Winner to round of 12, loser out

Records: Sultan (13-9), Zillah (17-7)

About the Turks: With a 47-35 victory over Cedar Park Christian in the 1A Emerald Sound district third place game on Feb. 15, Sultan earned its first state regional berth in school history. The Turks came one win shy of a regional berth in 2022. Their 13-9 season record marks the third winning season in a row after a decade of finishing below .500. Top scoring options Cascadia Yates and Taylor Cushing, both sophomores, and the young Turks look to lock in a trip to the Yakima Valley SunDome after building up to this point over the last few years.

About the Leopards: Zillah has just one player listed at 5-foot-8, making it an interesting matchup at regionals. However, their lack of length hasn’t stopped them from being a high-octane offense ran through 5-foot-5 junior Mia Hicks-Oliver. Zillah has scored at least 65 points in eight contests this season. The Leopards bowed out to Montesano in the regional round in 2022.