Below are previews of the Hardwood Classic girls basketball tournaments involving local teams.
The 12-team tournaments begin with Wednesday’s loser-out games. The winners of those contests advance to Thursday’s quarterfinals. From there, the tournaments take on a modified double-elimination format, where one loss eliminates a team from state-title contention and two losses eliminate a team from the tournament.
Unless otherwise noted, all rankings refer to each team’s seeding among the 16 teams in each classification that qualified for last weekend’s state regionals.
CLASS 4A
Where: Tacoma Dome
Wednesday’s loser-out games
(6) Glacier Peak vs. (14) Camas, 9 a.m.
(2) Todd Beamer vs. (10) Bellarmine Prep, 10:30 a.m.
(5) Kentridge vs. (12) Issaquah, 12:15 p.m.
(8) Rogers-Puyallup vs. (9) Moses Lake, 2 p.m.
Thursday’s quarterfinals
(4) Chiawana vs. Glacier Peak-Camas winner, 9 a.m.
(1) Woodinville vs. Todd Beamer-Bellarmine Prep winner, 10:30 a.m.
(3) Central Valley vs. Kentridge-Issaquah winner, 12:15 p.m.
(7) Union vs. Rogers-Moses Lake winner, 2 p.m.
FAVORITES
No. 1 Woodinville. The Falcons (26-0) are the only unbeaten team in the 4A classification and have outscored opponents by 19.9 points per game. Woodinville is 5-0 against teams in the 4A Hardwood Classic field, including a 33-point season-opening win over No. 2 Todd Beamer. Junior forward Mia Hughes leads the Falcons in scoring at 21.5 points per game, and sophomore guards Veronica Sheffey and Tatum Thompson also average double-figure scoring. Woodinville is making its third consecutive state quarterfinal appearance.
No. 3 Central Valley. Despite graduating four of their top six scorers from last year’s team, the Bears (20-3) reached the state quarterfinals for the fifth consecutive season after beating Glacier Peak 67-49 in the state regional round. Senior guard Peyton Howard and junior forward MJ Bruno lead a balanced scoring attack for Central Valley, which averages 60.5 points per game and allows just 43.2. The Bears are riding a 13-game win streak and have claimed state trophies each of the past four seasons, including a state title in 2018.
LOCAL TEAM
No. 6 Glacier Peak. It’s deja vu for the Grizzlies (20-4), who are coming off an overtime loss to unbeaten Woodinville in their bi-district title game and then a state regional loss to Central Valley. It’s the exact same scenario as last year, when Glacier Peak entered the Tacoma Dome coming off back-to-back losses to the Falcons and Bears before beating both teams in Hardwood Classic consolation games to claim a fourth-place state trophy. Junior guards Maya Erling and Aaliyah Collins lead a balanced and fast-paced attack that averages 62.7 points per contest, and the Grizzlies’ high-pressure defense has held opponents to 50 points or less in 18 of their 24 games. Glacier Peak is making its third Hardwood Classic appearance in four seasons.
NON-TITLE GAME MATCHUP WE WANT TO SEE
No. 1 Woodinville vs. No. 6 Glacier Peak. These bi-district rivals have squared off three times in the past 13 months. Woodinville beat Glacier Peak in each of the past two 4A Wes-King Bi-District Tournament title games, including an overtime win Feb. 18. The Grizzlies, meanwhile, beat Woodinville in a Hardwood Classic consolation game last season. If both teams reach the state semifinals, they would meet for the fourth time in two seasons.
PREDICTION
Central Valley beats No. 5 Kentridge and No. 7 Union to reach the title game, then fends off Glacier Peak in a tightly contested rematch to claim its second state crown in three years.
CLASS 3A
Where: Tacoma Dome
Wednesday’s loser-out games
(6) Lake Washington vs. (14) Hudson’s Bay, 3:45 p.m.
(7) Lincoln-Tacoma vs. (10) Seattle Prep, 5:30 p.m.
(5) Shorecrest vs. (12) Capital, 7:15 p.m.
(8) Kennewick vs. (9) Garfield, 9 p.m.
Thursday’s quarterfinals
(4) Mount Spokane vs. Lake Washington-Hudson’s Bay winner, 3:45 p.m.
(1) Eastside Catholic vs. Lincoln-Seattle Prep winner, 5:30 p.m. (3) Arlington vs. Shorecrest-Capital winner, 7:15 p.m.
(2) Bethel vs. Kennewick-Garfield winner, 9 p.m.
FAVORITES
No. 1 Eastside Catholic. After a winless season two years ago and a five-win campaign last year, the youth-laden Crusaders (25-1) have undergone a dramatic turnaround thanks to an influx of talented freshmen. Eastside Catholic, whose entire roster consists of freshmen and sophomores, is 22-0 against in-state opponents. The Crusaders’ only loss was a seven-point defeat to Windward (California), which is No. 19 in MaxPreps’ Xcellent 25 national rankings. Eastside Catholic outscores opponents by 30 points per game, averaging 71.2 points per contest and allowing just 41.2.
No. 4 Mount Spokane. Despite graduating four key seniors from last year’s state runner-up squad, the Wildcats (19-3) are back in the state quarterfinals for the third time in five seasons. Led by University of Washington-bound senior guard Jayda Noble, Mount Spokane is riding a 13-game win streak and owns victories over 4A state-title contenders Central Valley and Glacier Peak. The Wildcats’ only losses were to unbeaten 1A powerhouse Cashmere and a pair of 4A Hardwood Classic qualifiers. Mount Spokane has five players listed at 6-foot or taller and allows just 37.7 points per game.
LOCAL TEAMS
No. 3 Arlington. The Eagles (22-2) extended their win streak to 17 games with a suffocating defensive performance in the state regional round, allowing just 13 points through the first three quarters in a rout of No. 6 Lake Washington. The victory advanced Arlington to the state quarterfinals for the first time since a run of four consecutive quarterfinal trips from 2013 to 2016. Sophomore guard Keira Marsh and junior guard Hailey Hiatt lead Arlington’s fast-paced and balanced scoring attack, which averages 64.2 points per game and has netted 70-plus points eight times. The Eagles’ high-pressure defense yields just 36.9 points per contest.
No. 5 Shorecrest. The Wesco 3A/2A champion Scots (21-3) handed Arlington its only league loss and rattled off a 14-game win streak, but they enter the Tacoma Dome on a two-game losing skid. Shorecrest fell to Arlington in the 3A Northwest District Tournament title game and then suffered a 29-point loss to Mount Spokane in the state regional round. The Scots lean on a stingy defense that allows just 37.8 points per game and has held opponents to 50 points or less in all but three contests. Shorecrest is making its second Hardwood Classic appearance in three seasons.
NON-TITLE GAME MATCHUPS WE WANT TO SEE
No. 1 Eastside Catholic vs. No. 4 Mount Spokane. If both teams win their quarterfinal games, these two state-title contenders would square off in the semifinals. It would be a fascinating clash between a Mount Spokane program that’s been among the state’s best in recent years and an upstart Eastside Catholic program that’s just two seasons removed from a winless campaign. The Wildcats and their UW-bound star might provide the biggest roadblock to the Crusaders and their freshmen phenoms’ state-title quest.
No. 3 Arlington vs. No. 9 Garfield. Garfield definitely isn’t a typical No. 9 seed. The Bulldogs feature a pair of major-college recruits in 6-foot-4 University of California-bound forward Dalayah Daniels — ranked by ESPN as the nation’s No. 14 senior — and University of Michigan-bound guard Meghan Fiso. And the Bulldogs are 19-3 against in-state opponents, with all three losses coming to top-seeded Eastside Catholic. If Arlington wins its quarterfinal game and Garfield gets past No. 8 Kennewick and No. 2 Bethel, this certainly has the makings of a compelling semifinal clash.
PREDICTION
Eastside Catholic’s team of talented underclassmen beat No. 10 Seattle Prep, edge Mount Spokane and defeat Arlington to cap their program’s massive turnaround with a first-ever state title.
CLASS 2A
Where: Yakima Valley SunDome
Wednesday’s loser-out games
(6) Port Angeles vs. (11) Clarkston, 9 a.m.
(2) Ellensburg vs. (15) Liberty-Issaquah, 10:30 a.m.
(4) White River vs. (13) East Valley-Yakima, 12:15 p.m.
(8) West Valley-Spokane vs. (9) Black Hills, 2 p.m.
Thursday’s quarterfinals
(5) Burlington-Edison vs. Port Angeles-Clarkston winner, 9 a.m.
(1) Lynden vs. Ellensburg-Liberty winner, 10:30 a.m.
(3) Tumwater vs. White River-East Valley winner, 12:15 p.m.
(7) W.F. West vs. West Valley-Black Hills winner, 2 p.m.
LOCAL TEAMS
None
CLASS 1A
Where: Yakima Valley SunDome
Wednesday’s loser-out games
(6) King’s vs. (14) Montesano, 3:45 p.m.
(7) Annie Wright vs. (15) Meridian, 5:30 p.m.
(4) Freeman vs. (12) Elma, 7:15 p.m.
(8) Nooksack Valley vs. (9) Zillah, 9 p.m.
Thursday’s quarterfinals
(5) La Salle vs. King’s-Montesano winner, 3:45 p.m.
(1) Cashmere vs. Annie Wright-Meridian winner, 5:30 p.m.
(3) Warden vs. Freeman-Elma winner, 7:15 p.m.
(2) Lynden Christian vs. Nooksack Valley-Zillah winner, 9 p.m.
LOCAL TEAM
No. 6 King’s. The Knights (18-8) are making their 22nd Hardwood Classic appearance in 27 years. King’s faced an ultra-tough schedule this season and has the potential to play multiple rematches in Yakima. The Knights play a first-round, loser-out game against No. 14 Montesano, which they beat 63-54 in December. A victory would advance King’s to a quarterfinal matchup against No. 5 seed and defending state champion La Salle, which routed the Knights 44-24 in December. And if King’s reaches the semifinals, a rematch against unbeaten top-seeded Cashmere likely awaits. University of Louisville-bound phenom Hailey Van Lith and Cashmere beat King’s 65-44 in January on the Knights’ home floor.
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