As boys basketball state tournaments begin this Wednesday at the Tacoma Dome, Yakima Valley SunDome and Spokane Arena, six Snohomish County teams are still remaining.
Class 4A’s Glacier Peak and Jackson and 3A’s Mountlake Terrace and Arlington in 3A are playing in Tacoma. The Sultan and King’s boys are in the 1A tournament in Yakima.
The tournament’s commence with Saturday’s championship games.
Here is an in-depth look at each local team still in the hunt:
CLASS 4A
Glacier Peak
Record: 22-3
Key players: Junior guard Jo Lee leads the Grizzlies offensive attack with per-game averages of 23 points, four rebounds and four assists. He dropped a program-best 49 points against Bothell on Dec. 7 and eclipsed 1,000 career points against Lake Stevens on Feb. 9. Senior Isaiah Cuellar, a Mariner transfer, averages 16 points, five rebounds and three assists per game. Freshman Zach Albright and junior Jayce Nelson each offer eight points per game and combine for 17 boards a night. Reed Nagel, a sophomore, offers nine points, six rebounds and five assists per game.
How they got here: The Grizzlies cruised past Redmond 74-47 in the Class 4A District 1/2 semifinals to clinch a state berth before falling to Mount Si 59-53 in the district final. Glacier Peak lost to Davis 65-54 in the opening round at regionals in a non-elimination game.
About the Grizzlies: Glacier Peak booked its 11th state tournament appearance in last 14 years this season after falling short of a state bid in 2023. The Grizzlies opened the season with 13 straight victories before relinquishing its only league loss to Jackson on Jan. 10. Glacier Peak, which won the Wesco 4A title, owns the No. 4 seed in the tournament and faces No. 13 Camas (17-10) on Wednesday at 7:15 p.m. at the Tacoma Dome in the round of 12.
Jackson
Jackson’s Seamus Williams (2) contest a shot against Puyallup during a state regionals game Feb. 23 in Shoreline. (Annie Barker / The Herald)
Record: 17-9
Key players: Six-foot-7 senior post Ryan McFerran boasts per-game numbers of 17 points and 17 rebounds. Senior guard Trey Hawkins averages 13 points and four assists. Sophomore and lockdown defender Seamus Williams averages a team-best five assists along with two steals per game, and senior wing Colby Cooke offers 11 points per outing.
How they got here: The Timberwolves edged past Skyline 64-61 in a Class 4A District 1/2 winner-to-state, loser-out game to earn their fourth state regional berth in the past five seasons. Jackson beat out Puyallup 55-48 in the opening round of regionals, securing a spot at the Tacoma Dome.
About the Timberwolves: After a four-game losing streak in mid-January, the Timberwolves came on strong towards the end of the season. Since the four-game slide, Jackson has won six of its last eight games, with both losses coming in the 4A District 1/2 tournament against state-caliber opponents Mount Si and Woodinville. After finishing off two loser-out contests with wins over Skyline and Puyallup, the 10th-seeded Timberwolves will take on No. 2 Tahoma on Wednesday at 5:30 p.m. at the Tacoma Dome in the round of 12.
CLASS 3A
Mountlake Terrace
Mountlake Terrace’s Zaveon Jones leaps in the air while shooting during the 3A boys district championship game against Arlington on Feb. 17 in Marysville. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Record: 21-3
Key players: Senior swingman Jaxon Dubiel leads Terrace in scoring with 22.7 points per game, adding six rebounds. Dubiel broke the Hawks’ 44-year-old single-season scoring record in a 3A District 1 semifinal win over Shorecrest on Feb. 13. Senior forward Zaveon Jones averages 16 points and 7.9 boards, and senior point guard Logan Tews supplies a team-high 3.8 assists.
How they got here: The Hawks routed the Scots 51-27 in the 3A District 1 semis to clinch their seventh state tournament berth since 2016 before losing to Arlington 61-53 in the district title round. O’Dea downed Terrace 59-57 at regionals, which was a non-elimination game.
About the Hawks: Mountlake Terrace ripped through Wesco 3A/2A in the regular season, winning the conference title with a perfect 15-0 league mark. The Hawks started the year 21-1 before dropping their last two postseason bouts to Arlington and O’Dea. Terrace has held opponents to under 49 points per game this season. The fifth-seeded Hawks are set for a round-of-12 matchup against No. 13 Todd Beamer (20-4) on Wednesday at 12:15 p.m. at the Tacoma Dome.
Arlington
Arlington guard Leyton Martin drives on Marysville Getchell’s Bubba Palocol during a state regionals matchup Feb. 24 in Arlington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Record: 19-6
Key players: Junior point guard Leyton Martin leads Arlington with season averages of 26 points, eight rebounds and six assists. He hung up a program-record 43 points in the Eagles’ overtime victory over Marysville Getchell during regionals. Billy Kooy, a 6-foot-6 junior post, averages 11 points and six boards. Junior Jake Willis posts nine points, three rebounds and two assists per game, while senior Silas Miller adds eight points per contest.
How they got here: Arlington took down Mount Vernon 59-56 in the Class 3A District 1 semifinals to clinch their third straight state berth. The Eagles outlasted Mountlake Terrace 61-53 in the district championship and beat Marysville Getchell 76-72 in overtime at the state regionals.
About the Eagles: Since the start of the calendar year, Arlington has won 12 of 14 games, including a perfect 5-0 in postseason play. The No. 11 Eagles drew defending state champ and third-seeded Garfield (15-6) and will square off against the Bulldogs in the round of 12 on Wednesday at 9 a.m. at the Tacoma Dome.
CLASS 1A
King’s
Record: 16-8
Key players: Senior Nick Linhardt paces the Knights’ balanced offense with 19.7 points per game, adding 6.7 boards. Senior Dylan Myers averages 13 points per game and shoots 36% from 3-point range. Junior Sebastian Cooper posts per-game numbers of 12.9 points and a team-high 4.8 assists.
How they got here: King’s etched its 11th straight trip to the state regionals by beating Sultan 70-57 in the Emerald Sound Conference tournament semifinals. The Knights followed with a 43-25 win over Lakeside (Nine Mile Falls) at regionals.
About the Knights: The Knights only 1A losses this season have come to Seattle Academy and Lynden Christian, who hold top-five seeds at state. King’s has finished as the state runner-up to Lynden Christian the past two seasons. The ninth-seeded Knights have won seven of their last 10 games heading into a round-of-12 matchup against No. 8 Tenino (14-6) on Wednesday at 2 p.m. at the Yakima Valley SunDome.
Sultan
Toby Trichler, left, and brother Eli Trichler, right, high-five after a blocked shot during a game against King’s on Jan. 23 in Shoreline. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Record: 16-6
Key players: Senior Toby Trichler leads Sultan with 18.4 points per game, adding 6.9 rebounds, 3.4 assists, 2.4 steals and 1.2 blocks per game. Senior Eli Trichler averages 17.8 points, 5.7 boards, 2.3 steals and a team-high 5.1 assists. Sophomore forward Dom Castillo posts 12.1 points and 6.1 rebounds per outing.
How they got here: The Turks captured their first state tournament appearance since 2009 by beating Bear Creek 66-51 in a winner-to-state, loser out tilt during the Emerald Sound Tournament. Sultan got past Montesano 69-54 in regionals, notching the program’s first state tournament victory since 1961.
About the Turks: Sultan is 12-3 over its last 15 games. Both losses came at the hands of Emerald Sound rival King’s. After securing their first state victory in 63 years, the 13th-seeded Turks are the lowest remaining seed in the 1A state bracket. They’ll face No. 4 Freeman (20-3) on Wednesday at 12:15 p.m. at the Yakima Valley SunDome.
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