Snohomish girls basketball wins league title

Published 11:00 pm Friday, January 30, 2026

SNOHOMISH — Sienna Capelli had to work for each of her game-high 16 points. But after a fourth-quarter Stanwood turnover on Friday night, the senior found herself in a favorable spot: a transition 1-on-1. The guard weaved back and forth to confuse her defender before putting up a floater that bounced to every edge of the rim.

“I was just thinking, ‘Please go in, I need this to go in,” Capelli said of the moment.

The home crowd, packed for a doubleheader with the boys set to play afterward, went silent as the ball made up its mind for all to see. The gym appropriately erupted when the shot dropped in to give the Panthers a 34-27 advantage with seven minutes to play. Despite a late push from the Spartans (14-4, 7-2), Snohomish (13-6, 9-0) held on for a league-clinching 11th straight win, as the Panthers claimed a portion of the Wesco 3A/2A North for the second consecutive season. Last season, Snohomish head coach Ken Roberts’ team shared the honor with Stanwood.

Not this time around.

“This year feels a lot better,” Roberts said after the game.

Roberts, who has his team run around eight different defenses at any given time, had to push the Panthers to a new gear on Friday night. While Roberts was careful not to divulge any secrets with districts fast approaching, his team had to break subtle tendencies to catch a Stanwood squad familiar with every one of those defenses off guard.

The result was a lockdown performance, and just enough gritty baskets from Capelli (16 points, 13 rebounds, four assists) and senior guard Kendall Hammer (eight points) to survive. Junior post Lola Rotondo also made her presence felt, pulling down 12 rebounds as Snohomish won the glass 33-29.

Capelli’s recipe to taking down a familiar foe was a simple one.

“Hard work, rebounding,” Capelli said with a smile.

Stanwood star senior Ellalee Wortham dealt with plenty of high presses and added attention from Snohomish, but managed 14 points and nine rebounds to keep the Spartans it. Senior post Stella Berrett added 10 points and five rebounds, but had trouble getting involved after a leg injury sidelined her for most of the second half before she returned.

Snohomish got out to a 12-8 lead after one quarter as Capelli worked to her patented turnaround jumper in the post a few times while Berett scored six quick points for Stanwood in part by drawing a pair of fouls.

The Panthers built on that advantage early in the second, as Capelli beat the zone with a pass to Lizzie Allyn for a catch-and-shoot triple to make it 20-11. Stanwood skipper Dustin Swanson settled his group with a timeout, and the Spartans responded to the tune of an 8-0 run as Wortham launched a running outlet to Berrett for a rare easy bucket.

Down 22-19 at the half, Swanson urged his team to stay connected.

“The big thing was better communication,” Swanson said of the halftime adjustments. “It wasn’t anything really different, we just executed better.”

A turnover-laden third quarter ensued, as high presses from either squad forced travels and jump balls. If you got to the game late, a glance at the 27-27 score with two minutes to play in the third would have told you plenty about the defensive nature of the game.

“When you know what the other team’s going to do, it makes it hard to score, and I felt that was the same thing up at their place,” Roberts said, referring to Snohomish’s 45-39 road win over Stanwood on Jan. 9. “This one we had a gut out and win a different way.”

Indeed, the Panthers scored five straight as Capelli hit Hammer in transition for a triple before knocking down the momentum-swinging floater. Stanwood tried to counter, as Dorothy Berrett (six rebounds) and Georgia Lenz (five rebounds, four assists) pulled down boards to keep the game going. But after some back-breaking free-throw misses for the Spartans down the stretch, and some key offensive boards by Snohomish to eat up the clock, it was over.

The Panthers were clearly thrilled — look no further than Capelli dashing to hug Hammer at halfcourt at the final buzzer — but the newly minted league champs have plenty more in mind for this season.

With now-Santa Clara freshman Tyler Gildersleeve-Stiles manning the post last winter, Snohomish came one game short of clinching a spot at State despite entering the district tournament atop the seeding. Hammer attributed the team’s late troubles to issues with focusing, while Capelli missed much of the late season with the flu and a concussion — she spent just three of the final 23 days of the season with the team. This year, for a change, Capelli seems to be hitting her stride as the offensive engine and primary rebounder in Snohomish at the right time.

But with starting freshman point guard Alaina Daclison sustaining a knee injury of unknown severity early in the game, Roberts and Co. will have to continue to adjust in 2026.

“We’re going to have to make some tweaks to what we’ve been doing, too, but our kids did a really good job of gutting it out when our game plan had a lot to do with (Daclison),” Roberts said, noting how her absence will impact Snohomish’s half-court plans.

Snohomish has had to overcome adversity already this season, as it started 2-6. Unlike some local teams, the Panthers don’t typically ramp up with a fall preseason, and had to get in shape against some stiff competition like 4A powerhouse Woodinville.

“We weren’t that bad, but I think losing helps you focus on, ‘We lost because of this, not because of injuries … we’ve done a good job adjusting and doing better since then,” Roberts said.

For Stanwood, which has made the state quarterfinal in two of the past three seasons and is the defending District 1 champion, there are positives to take away from the result.

“I think tonight’s game is a great catalyst for us to be playing the kind of ball that you need to be able to win a district championship,” Swanson said. “It’s just the little things: catching, facing up to the basket, going to the hoop.”

Meanwhile, the Panthers will be looking to send seniors like Capelli and Hammer out with a run at State, and they’re taking in every moment.

“It’s just part of the process,” Roberts said of the win. “I told the girls to celebrate it, enjoy it, but again, this is a step to where we want to go, not the final thing.”