MARYSVILLE — Monroe girls basketball crashed the party. As the No. 7 seed in the Girls 3A District 1 Tournament, they were not “supposed” to advance to the semifinals at Marysville Pilchuck High School, but after a last-second win against No. 2 Meadowdale on Friday, third-seeded Stanwood stood in the way of its Cinderella run.
Despite a strong start, Monroe (13-11) turned back into the proverbial pumpkin, and it was Stanwood’s Ellalee Wortham that carved it like a Jack-O-Lantern. The 5-foot-7 junior scored 33 points for the Spartans (19-4) in their 59-41 win, not only advancing to the final and clinching a state tournament berth, but also eclipsing 1,000 career points.
Final: Stanwood wins 59-41
Ellalee Wortham (33 points) reached 1,000 career points at a great time, as the junior willed the Spartans to the 3A District 1 Final
Monroe fought to the end but couldn’t keep up. The Bearcats can still earn a state berth in the consolation bracket.
— Joe Pohoryles (@Joe_Poho) February 19, 2025
“Ella, she’s got a lot of experience,” said Stanwood coach Dustin Swanson, who added that Wortham had been battling through sickness ahead of the game this week. “It’s no surprise she would have a great game tonight.”
The Bearcats came out ready to play, keeping pace on offense and forcing turnovers with tight defense, but they were not ready for Wortham, who accounted for every single Stanwood point in the first quarter, which ended with Monroe holding a 13-12 lead.
Stanwood senior Jazmyn Legg (7 points) scored the first points of the second quarter and had a steal on the following Monroe possession, sparking a 9-4 run in the first 3:35 of the frame.
Monroe senior Halle Keller (11 points) cut the Bearcats’ deficit to two, but Wortham closed things out with a circus-shot layup and a 3-pointer on back-to-back possessions to send the Spartans into the locker room with a seven-point lead.
“I think it just [helped] knowing that we have to keep going,” Wortham said. “If one thing doesn’t go our way, we still have a bunch of other options that we’re able to do, and that we just have to keep pushing, and that we’ll be able to get it.”
And push the Spartans did. The seven-point halftime lead turned into 15 entering the fourth quarter, thanks in part to timely 3s from Legg and junior Mylee LaComb (6 points). From there, Wortham kicked into another gear with two more 3-pointers and eight total points, nearly outscoring Monroe’s entire team in the fourth quarter (9).
The Bearcats never stopped competing on defense, but just stopped converting their shots while Wortham remained on fire.
“I’m just so impressed with the Monroe girls and their coaching,” Swanson said. “They have the ability to just handle what’s in front of them and take the challenge. … We knew today would be a grind, and there’d be nothing easy about it.”
In a special night for Wortham, she did not even realize she hit the 1,000-point milestone until a Stanwood supporter brought down a sign for her to take a picture with. Most of her excitement was reserved for securing a state tournament berth and the chance to win some hardware on Saturday, when the Spartans face the No. 4 seed Shorecrest in the District 1 3A Championship at Marysville Pilchuck.
“I think it was a good game,” Wortham said. “So we just need to take the intensity that we had this game and just take it into every game we have after this.”
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