The final stop of the high school basketball season is here.
The Hardwood Classics for all classifications take place Wednesday to Saturday.
Lake Stevens, Snohomish, Arlington and Everett will battle it out at the Tacoma Dome in the girls Class 4A and 3A divisions, and Archbishop Murphy and King’s travel to the Yakima Valley SunDome for the 2A and 1A. The 2B and 1B tournaments are at Spokane Arena.
Here’s a look at the local teams:
CLASS 4A
Lake Stevens
Record: 19-4
Key players: Senior forward Nisa Ellis averages 15.8 points and eight rebounds per game. Sophomore guard Keira Tupua averages 14 points, 3.5 assists and three steals per game. Freshman guard Noelani Tupua averages 13.2 points, eight rebounds and 3.5 steals per game. Senior guard Kamryn Wenz is 10 steals away from breaking the program’s single-season steals record.
How they got here: Clinched state berth with 77-39 win over Newport in 4A District 1/2 fifth-place game. Beat 16th-seeded Skyview 47-34 in opening round of state regionals.
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About the Vikings: Lake Stevens finished 8-0 in league play, won the Wesco 4A title and came into the postseason holding a 14-game win streak. The Vikings didn’t qualify for state last year but reached the quarterfinals in 2022. Lake Stevens’ most recent state placing was fifth in 2013. The ninth-seeded Vikings open the Hardwood Classic in the round of 12 against eighth-seeded Gonzaga Prep at 2 p.m. Wednesday.
CLASS 3A
Snohomish
Snohomish junior Tyler Gildersleeve-Stiles takes a shot from the paint against Garfield during a state regionals matchup Feb. 23 in Arlington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Record: 17-6
Key players: Junior forward Tyler-Gildersleeve-Stiles averages 14.3 points and nine rebounds per game. Sophomore guard Sienna Capelli averages 10.6 points, eight rebounds and four assists per game. Senior post Catherine Greene averages 9.5 points and five rebounds per game. Senior forward Addyson Gallatin averages 5.5 points and 4.9 rebounds per game.
How they got here: Clinched state berth with 71-64 win over Meadowdale in 3A District 1 semifinals. Lost to sixth-seeded Garfield 46-40 in second round of state regionals.
About the Panthers: After a one-year hiatus, Snohomish is making its sixth trip to the Hardwood Classic since 2015, a run that includes a second-place, third-place and two fourth-place finishes. The Panthers dethroned three-time defending champion Arlington in the 3A District 1 title game, 45-43. Third-seeded Snohomish is Snohomish County’s top-seeded girls team across all classifications. The Panthers, who feature just two seniors on their roster, have won 17 of 19 games since an 0-3 start. Snohomish opens the Hardwood Classic in the round of 12 against 11th-seeded Kennewick at 3:45 p.m. Wednesday.
Arlington
Arlington’s Samara Morrow tries to maneuver around Snohomish’s Sienna Capelli during the 3A girls district championship game Feb. 17 in Marysville. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Record: 21-3
Key players: Senior guard Samara Morrow averages 18 points, five rebounds, five assists and three steals per game. Senior forward Katie Snow averages 12 points and eight rebounds per game. Junior forward/guard Kierra Reese averages 10 points and six rebounds per game.
How they got here: Clinched state berth with 51-45 win over Lynnwood in 3A District 1 semifinals. Beat fourth-seeded Auburn 48-45 in second round of state regionals.
About the Eagles: Arlington possesses a handful of notable wins with victories over state qualifiers Snohomish, Lynnwood, Archbishop Murphy and Everett, and two of the Eagles’ three losses (Mead and Snohomish) came against teams with top-three seeds in the 3A tournament. Arlington has made several visits to state since 2013, resulting in six top-five finishes; two of those occasions the Eagles were runners-up. Fifth-seeded Arlington opens the Hardwood Classic in the quarterfinals against the winner of 11th-seeded Kennewick and third-seeded Snohomish at 3:45 p.m. Thursday.
Everett
Everett’s Mae Washington drives to the basket against Seattle Prep during a state regionals matchup Feb. 24 in Shoreline. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Record: 17-8
Key players: Senior guard Alana Washington averages 22 points, eight rebounds, five steals and four assists per game. Senior guard Mae Washington averages 12 points, six rebounds, three steals and three assists per game.
How they got here: Clinched state berth with 65-55 win over Meadowdale in 3A District 1 consolation game. Beat 20th-seeded Seattle Prep 64-60 in second round of state regionals.
About the Seagulls: Everett chalked up a season-best eight-game win streak midseason, but finished with a tough stretch of four losses in six games to close the regular season. The resilient Seagulls came through when it mattered most with wins in three win-or-go-home games districts to reach state and again won in a loser-out situation in regionals. Everett holds a win over 3A third-seeded Snohomish and losses against top-nine seeds Arlington and Lake Washington. The Seagulls were ousted in the round of 12 at the Tacoma Dome last year, but it was the team’s furthest advancement since reaching the semifinals in 1983. The 12th-seeded Seagulls open the Hardwood Classic in the round of 12 against fourth-seeded Auburn at 7:15 p.m. on Wednesday.
CLASS 2A
Archbishop Murphy
Archbishop Murphy sophomore Brooke Blachly shoots a 3-pointer against Arlington on Jan. 9 in Everett. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Record: 20-5
Key players: Sophomore guard Brooke Blachly averages 21 points, three assists and four rebounds per game. Blachly has made 93 3-pointers this season. Junior guard Ava Marr averages 17 points, five assists and four rebounds per game. Junior guard Taylor Cushing averages eight points and five rebounds per game. Freshman guard Ashley Fletcher averages 8.5 points and six rebounds per game. Senior guard/post Caroline Burns averages seven points and five rebounds per game.
How they got here: Clinched state berth with 57-42 win over Sehome in 2A District 1 second-place game. Beat third-seeded W.F. West 58-55 in opening round of state regionals.
About the Wildcats: Archbishop Murphy held its own throughout the regular season, earning a nine-game win streak spanning from early December to January. With just two seniors, the Wildcats lost tight games to Arlington and Snohomish but received wins over Meadowdale and Burlington-Edison. Archbishop Murphy didn’t qualify for state last season, but it holds four top-five finishes since 2009, including being runners-up twice. The sixth-seeded Wildcats open the Hardwood Classic in the quarterfinals against the winner of 12th-seeded Enumclaw and fifth-seeded Clarkston at 12:15 p.m. Thursday.
CLASS 1A
King’s
Record: 16-10
Key players: Sophomore guard Kaleo Anderson averages 22 points, 9.5 rebounds and three assists per game and was league MVP. Sophomore forward Kaitlin Cramer averages 11.5 points, 4.5 rebounds and two assists per game.
How they got here: Clinched state berth with 60-8 win over Overlake in 1A Emerald Sound Conference tournament semifinals. Lost to fifth-seeded Wapato 63-58 in opening round of state regionals.
About the Knights: Featuring only one senior, young King’s finished 8-0 in league play, won the Emerald Sound Conference title and topped Seattle Academy in the district championship game, resulting in the team’s second consecutive district title. The Knights placed fifth at state last year and were runners-up in 2016 and state champions in 2015. Fourth-seeded King’s opens the Hardwood Classic in the round of 12 against 13th-seeded Eatonville at 7:15 p.m. Wednesday.
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