Recaps, highlights from the opening round of 4A and 3A state girls basketball tournaments
Between the Class 4A and 3A girls state tournaments, 30 high school basketball games will be played in the Tacoma Dome this weekend. The News Tribune will be at all of them, providing game recaps, highlights, interviews, stats and more.
Follow along for live updates from Wednesday’s opening round winner-to-quarterfinals, loser-out games.
CLASS 3A
No. 19 Garfield 51, No. 3 White River 47
The four-time 3A defending state champions, No. 19 Garfield, still has the dream of a fifth consecutive title alive after defeating No. 3 White River in the opening round of the state tournament on Wednesday.
The win didn’t come without more than its share of adversity for the Bulldogs, who saw a seven-point lead with 6:12 to play disappear after an 8-0 run by the Hornets in just over two minutes of game time.
Garfield (16-9) quickly regained the lead on a corner three from junior Lena Most and extended to a four-point lead on a Jayda Lewis layup. The Bulldogs had a chance to put the game away at the free-throw line but missed five of six rebounds in the final 20 seconds of the game. Unfortunately for the Hornets, they were unable to secure rebounds on two of those misses, giving themselves just one opportunity to tie the game or take the lead.
“It was very frustrating,” White River head coach Chris Gibson said. “They missed some free throws that we needed them to miss, and we couldn’t get the rebound.”
For the Bulldogs, it was the kind of effort that has helped propel them to the last four state championships that helped them corral back-to-back rebounds on missed free throws that took crucial extra seconds off the clock.
“We hustle really hard, and I think that’s probably why we’re here today,” Most said. “I’m just proud of my teammates and I’m proud of (junior forward) Star (Smiley) for boxing out in crunch time.”
Most led the Bulldogs with 14 points and Lewis added 13.
Coming in as the 19th seed and playing a loser-out game on the first day of the tournament, it seemed as though the deck was stacked against the Bulldogs, but they showed their resilience in advancing to Thursday’s quarterfinals where they will face No. 4 Stanwood (21-4).
“Most importantly, I’m so proud of my team,” Most said. “I’m so proud of the girls for showing up today, especially for a 9 a.m. game which can be really difficult. I know that the odds have been against us really this entire year, so I’m just proud of everybody and it was a great win today.”
White River sophomore Maggee Schmitz drove the lane and attempted to draw a foul, but the ball went out of bounds giving possession to Garfield, which closed the game out with two free throws.
Schmitz led White River (22-5) with 23 points.
No. 7 Kennewick 59, No. 15 Roosevelt 50
For the first time in Daron Santo’s eight years as head coach at Kennewick, the Lions are headed to the state quarterfinals after Wednesday’s opening round win over No. 15 Roosevelt.
The Lions (18-7) have overcome the loss of senior Dylyn Dress, who was the team’s top scorer but injured her knee six weeks ago, with a balanced offensive attack they once again displayed against the Rough Riders (18-10). Senior Ashlyn Dress, Dylyn’s twin sister, led Kennewick with 15 points. Sophomore June Fiander and junior Rylee Bendewald each added 12.
“That’s how we’ve been playing all season,” Santo said. “…We haven’t dropped off because everyone plays great as a team and shares the ball. We’ve always had that balanced scoring throughout the season.”
Roosevelt, which was led in scoring by junior Ellery Burke-Brown, tried to rally in the fourth quarter, but the Lions made free throws and seemingly got every 50/50 ball.
“These kids play hard,” Santo. “I’ve been coaching for 25 years, and this team just goes at it so hard, like I’ve never seen.”
Ashlyn Dress said the team has rallied around each other all season and that happened again against Roosevelt.
“We, as a team, we just really came together and put our trust in each other,” Ashlyn Dress said. “We full confidence in each other. Even if our shots weren’t falling or we had a couple of turnovers, it was more like, ‘We’ve got the next one.’ And we just pushed through.
The Lions will need all the resilience they showed on Wednesday, we they meet top-seeded and undefeated Central Valley (24-0) at 10:30 a.m. in Thursday’s quarterfinals.
No. 5 Seattle Prep 48, No. 12 Eastside Catholic 46
It wasn’t a stellar offensive performance for anyone on the Seattle Prep roster, but the defense did enough to send the Panthers to the quarterfinals with a win over Eastside Catholic.
Senior guard EJ Ovena led the Panthers with 12 points, and made six of her eight to help the Panthers survive the Crusaders comeback attempt late in the fourth quarter. Ovena was the only Panther in double figures scoring.
“We know what we’re supposed to do as a team,” Ovena said. “Our coach, Talia (Walton) always ingrains that in us. All we need to do is just move the ball, look for open shots and stop forcing shots and passes. I think eventually we did the things that we were supposed to do to get it done.”
The Crusaders (16-12) were led by their talented freshman duo of Sophie Lugolobi and Amy Nduka who each had 17 points, but the rest of the team managed just a total of 12. Eastside Catholic had a chance to tie on the final possession of the game but couldn’t control the inbounds pass from underneath its own hoop and time expired.
The Panthers (21-8) will play No. 6 Lakeside at 12:15 p.m. on Thursday for a spot in the semifinals.
No. 17 Bellevue 69, No. 8 Meadowdale 54
Bellevue jumped all over Meadowdale early and never looked back, playing stifling defense and getting out in transition on offense in a 69-54 win. The Wolverines led the Mavericks 41-27 at half.
“Coming out, we knew that we had to come out and dominate,” said Bellevue guard Dilynn Johnson. “That’s the only way we’d be able to set the tone for the rest of the game. So we came out and played some good D and our defense translates to our offense. So once we played defense, we knew it was gonna be a long night for them.”
Johnson attacked the rim early and often, scoring a team-high 26 points with seven rebounds and a steal, shooting 10-of-19 from the field.
“My mindset was win,” Johnson said. “I wanted to get this dub so bad. That’s also my game, being aggressive and being a team player. I think that’s just how I play.”
Nayvi Robinson added 15 points for Bellevue. Bellevue out-rebounded Meadowdale 44 to 29.
Bellevue, the tournament’s No. 17 seed, certainly isn’t playing like a 17 seed. They’ll face a tougher test in Thursday’s quarterfinals, facing No. 2 North Thurston.
“We know what we’re capable of,” Johnson said. “We’re just going out there and showing everyone.”
CLASS 4A
No. 6 Auburn 63, No. 11 Redmond 42
The Trojans (20-7) jumped on Redmond (21-5) from the opening tip, leading 20-0 at the end of the first quarter and scoring the first 22 points of the game. The Mustangs played Auburn virtually evenly the rest of the way, but the initial onslaught was too much for them to overcome.
“We had a plan of what we were going to do, and our sets were working really well,” sophomore guard Avery Hansen said. “I feel like we just came out calm and confident because we already knew how they play. We just had our plan and we went with it and it worked really well to start the game.”
Hansen led the charge in the first half, scoring 12 of her team-high 16 points. Fellow sophomores Keleesa Howard and Jayden Lewis each added 14 points to support Hansen on the offensive end. Senior Iha Kasam led Redmond (21-5) with 22 points and junior guard Sofia Locati added 16, but the rest of the Mustangs scored a total of just six points.
“We knew (Kasam) could shoot, so we wanted to get a hand up on her,” Hansen said. “(Locati) likes to go left, so our plan was to force her right. That worked really well for us in the first half.”
The Trojans will face No. 4 Woodinville at 3:45 p.m. in Thursday’s quarterfinals.
“I feel like if we all play together and play as a team as we can, that we can go pretty far,” Hansen said. “I feel like we’re peaking at the right time and playing our best basketball at the right time.”
No. 7 Camas 70, No. 15 Lake Stevens 52
The game was never really in doubt for the defending 4A state champion Papermakers. They jumped on the Vikings early and methodically built on their lead throughout, cruising to an 18-point win.
“We’ve been here before, coming off of (a state championship) win last year and putting tough games on our schedule,” senior point guard Keirra Thompson said. “I think our team was ready for this from the start, and there wasn’t a doubt that we were going to win that game.”
Senior point guard Keirra Thompson led the Papermakers (18-7) with 19 points, but perhaps more impressively dished out 11 assists.
“I think me hitting shots at the beginning just kind of helped open up the team a lot,” Thompson said. “They were worried (about me), so I’m just kicking and spraying and trusting my teammates that they’re going to hit those shots, and they did.”
Lake Stevens (17-8) was paced by sophomore Noelani Tupua, who led all scorers with 21 points. Her sister, junior Keira Isabelle Tupua, added 15 points. The Vikings didn’t have much else offensively, as the rest of the team accounted for just 16 points and three players accounted for 40 of the team’s 53 shots.
After surviving the loser-out game, the Papermakers will take on No. 8 Sumner at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday in the quarterfinals. Thompson said knowing their season was on the line helped the team focus going into Wednesday’s game.
“We were ready for this game from the get-go,” Thompson said. “We haven’t been in a loser-out game in a while, so I think it helped us get ready to just to have that feeling, like if we lose this game our season is over. We’re trying to win every 50/50 ball, and I think it helped a lot.”
No. 13 Glacier Peak 60, No. 5 Union 49
Coming up with a game plan to stop a superstar player is no easy task, and coaches don’t always get it right. Glacier Peak head coach Brian Hill, his coaching staff, and his players got it right on Wednesday, knocking off No. 5 Union in a loser-out game on the opening day of action at the Tacoma Dome.
The Grizzlies (20-7) held Union’s star junior Brooklynn Haywood to a season-low 11 points on just 3-for-12 shooting and eliminated the Titans (20-5).
Glacier Peak used a diamond-and-one defense with freshman Lillian Riechelson guarding Haywood to try to limit the damage. Riechelson did more than that, effectively making Haywood a non-factor offensively.
“A lot of her moves that we watched and studied were to the left,” Glacier Peak head coach Brian Hill said. “That’s where she’s strongest and most comfortable. She can obviously go right, but it was like let’s just make her go to the right and then we’re going to have some help there. So, every time she’s going to her right, which we think is probably not her strong suit, there is always someone else there, but we’re not letting her come back to the left.”
For much of the night, Haywood struggled to even get her hands on the basketball. Riechelson’s goal was to not let Haywood catch the basketball and most of the time she succeeded.
“She can’t score if she doesn’t get the ball,” senior guard Brynna Pukis said. “So, might as well start there.”
Haywood entered the contest averaging 32.3 points per game and surpassed 2,000 career points earlier in the postseason.
Pukis scored 16 points for the Grizzlies, including two of her four three-pointers in the fourth quarter, which helped them hang on for the win.
“It’s all about momentum and confidence,” Pukis said. “I’ve been shooting since forever, so just trusting my shot and doing what’s best for the team.”
Senior Rikki Miller also added two crucial late 3s. Pukis and Miller each broke the previous school record for threes in a season this year.
Hill made sure his team was team was ready to shoot in the Dome. He told them it wasn’t as difficult as some make it out to be, they just weren’t used to it. To counteract that, Hill made sure his starters got some extra shooting time in during warmups and at halftime. The extra preparation seemed to work. The Grizzlies shot 9-for-23 from long range in the game.
Senior Samantha Thoma led Glacier Peak with 19 points.
The Grizzlies will play No. 3 Chiawana at 7:15 p.m. Thursday in the quarterfinals.
No. 1 Davis 81, No. 9 Mead 58
Cheyenne Hull burst on to the scene last year as a freshman for the Pirates (21-3). As a sophomore, she’s not sneaking up on any of her opponents, but they can’t stop her anyway.
Hull’s latest victim was the Panthers (17-8), who she helped eliminate from the state tournament with a game-high 21 points. Hull scored 18 points in the first half, shooting 8-for-9 from the field, including making all eight of her attempts from inside the three-point line.
“(My teammates) are good at getting open and just getting me the good pass so I can finish strong,” Hull said.
Hull scored the first two points of the second half, but was forced to the bench with four fouls with 5:11 to play in the third quarter. Despite Hull’s absence, the Pirates had no problem maintaining their lead. She returned for most of the fourth quarter, but the game had all but already been decided.
“It’s not the first time I’ve been in foul trouble,” Hull said. “They know how to work around me, and they know how to play and just calm themselves down when we’re in tough situations like this.”
Davis will play No. 2 Lake Washington at 9 p.m. on Thursday in the quarterfinals.
This story was originally published March 5, 2025 at 12:19 PM with the headline "Recaps, highlights from the opening round of 4A and 3A state girls basketball tournaments."
