MARYSVILLE — The Stanwood Spartans’ length proved too much for the Snohomish Panthers to handle.
Stanwood’s length on defense was nearly impregnable, and Vivienne Berrett’s length in the post was unstoppable as the Spartans defeated the Panthers 47-34 in the semifinals of the Class 3A District 1 girls basketball tournament Thursday evening at Marysville Pilchuck High School.
Stanwood’s defense held Snohomish to single digits in the first half, and Berrett closed things out by scoring 10 of her game-high 22 points in the fourth quarter as the second-seeded Spartans (19-3) booked their return trip to the state tournament.
“It feels really good (going back to state),” said Stanwood coach Dustin Swanson, whose team placed sixth at last year’s state tournament when it was coached by Alex Iverson. “It’s kind of like a relief, but it feels really good, really exciting.
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“I loved the way we played,” Swanson added. “Playing a really good team like Snohomish for the second time, really well coached, I’m really proud of how we played defense against such a great team. Offensively that’s not anywhere near what we’re used to doing, but in the postseason you just want to win.”
Chloe Santeford added three steals as Stanwood advanced to face Arlington, which beat Lynnwood 61-42 in the other semifinal, in the district championship game at 6 p.m. Saturday at Everett Community College.
Tyler Gildersleeve-Stiles had 14 points and nine rebounds and Sienna Capelli added 10 boards to lead sixth-seeded Snohomish (15-8), which faces Meadowdale at 7 p.m. Thursday at Everett CC.
The 6-foot-4 University of Hawaii-bound Berrett may be Stanwood’s central figure, but it was the Spartans’ length up and down the lineup that put the clamps on Snohomish’s offense, particularly during the first half. The Spartans held the Panthers to a single basket in the first quarter, and Snohomish was still sitting on just five points late in the second. Meanwhile, Stanwood was able to get out in transition to score before Snohomish’s defense was set as the Spartans quickly established a double-digit lead.
“We have a team full of good defenders and there’s a lot of length across the board,” Swanson said. “It makes a difference.”
Snohomish was finally able to find the range in the third quarter. Gildersleeve-Stiles create some space for herself in the post, and Kendall Hammer’s 3-pointer cut the deficit to 27-21.
However, Stanwood’s Grace Walker immediately answered with a 3-pointer of her own, and after that Berrett went to work. Berrett scored 11 of the Spartans’ next 13 points and set up Stanwood’s other basket, using a variety of post moves to score buckets in close and draw fouls, and Stanwood’s lead stretched to as many as 15.
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