Recaps, highlights from semifinals at 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 providing game recaps, highlights, interviews, stats and more.
Follow along for live updates from Friday’s semifinals.
CLASS 3A SEMIFINALS
No. 1 Central Valley 51, No. 19 Garfield 49
The top-ranked Central Valley Bears girls basketball team headed into Thursday’s quarterfinals needing just three wins to cap off an undefeated season with a state championship.
They knew their task wasn’t going to be easy, but even they may have underestimated just how hard it would be.
The Bears (26-0) faced No. 19 seed Garfield in the semifinals on Friday. If you didn’t know anything about the teams, most would just look at the rankings and assume the Bears would roll to an easy win. But the Bulldogs weren’t any normal 19-seed. They were the four-time defending 3A state champions.
And they gave the Bears everything they could handle.
It took a defensive stand as time expired, but Central Valley survived, 51-49, to earn its spot in Saturday night’s championship game at the Tacoma Dome.
“It took everything we had,” Central Valley head coach Jason Wilson said. “Four-time champs. The tradition. They’ve got great athletes and a great coach. We knew if we didn’t get give everything we had, it was going to be tough. And we did. That was by far the best offensive team we’ve played all year.
“They’re not going to go out easy,” Wilson added. “When you’re that level of program, that’s not easy. The fact that they’re a 19-seed is kind of amazing.”
Wilson also said the Bulldogs are the most physical team the Bears have played all year, which was evident late in the fourth quarter when Garfield had to claw its way back into the game.
“We haven’t played a team like that all year,” Wilson said. “The physicality and the athleticism. It’s amazing. If that’s what the (Metro) league is like every night, holy cow.”
The Bears took their biggest lead of the game at 49-39 with 4:36 to play in the fourth quarter. Garfield had several shots falter in the early minutes of the fourth quarter that allowed the Bears to build up the lead.
“It’s the name of the game,” Garfield head coach Roydell Smiley II said. “Some go and some don’t. You keep shooting them though. You keep shooting them and you make the adjustments in game if you can. You never shy away from shooting the big shots.”
The Bulldogs had one final push left.
They scored the next seven points to get the game back to a one-possession difference.
“The (officials) allowed them to play during that time,” Smiley II said. “We didn’t change anything up. We kept trapping. We kept playing the same defense. They just allowed them to. We were able to get back into it and make it again, and that’s something to be proud of.”
After two Central Valley free throws, Garfield junior Lena Most hit a straight away three to cut the deficit back to two. Garfield was forced to foul Central Valley senior Brynn McGaughy with 10.3 seconds left, but McGaughy missed both free throws, giving Garfield one final chance to tie or take the lead.
Garfield ran a high pick-and-roll with Most and junior forward Star Smiley. Most drove the lane, but lost the ball and the Bears secured it as time expired.
“It’s crazy to think that was probably one of the worst games we’ve ever played (together), and we still won by two,” McGaughy said.
Central Valley was led in scoring by sophomore Drae Domebo, who finished with 12. McGaughy added 11.
Central Valley also had to overcome the loss of one of its top players, senior Eden Sander, who fouled out with 2:58 left in the fourth quarter. Sander picked up her fourth foul with 3:02 to play and fouled out four seconds later when she was called for an offensive foul.
“We believe in our talent and the ability on our team,” Wilson said. “Obviously, Eden is a very important player for us. We do a lot of things through her. When we really need a play on either end, we go to Eden. She’s so good with her hands defensively. She’s great getting downhill offensively, and kind of just making that right offensive play.
“Even though we want her out there, we didn’t panic.”
The Bears will play for the championship at 3 p.m. on Saturday.
“It’s what we wanted,” Wilson said. “It’s what we’ve been working for. I can’t say it’s not what we expected. We thought if we put in the work and did everything we can, we could put ourselves in this position. This is where we are, and we’re hoping to pay it off tomorrow.
“All the times where I’m ranting and raving at practice, or on the bus or whatever. And all the late nights and the film and emails and all that, it’s all to give ourselves a chance to do this and make a memory that will last a lifetime. That’s what we’re trying to do.”
Garfield, who was led in scoring by senior Jayda Lewis, who had 14, will play at 11:15 a.m. on Saturday in the third-fifth place game.
No. 6 Lakeside 42, No. 2 North Thurston 40
The Lions led the Rams by one after the first quarter and the game was tied at halftime and at the end of the third quarter, but the Lions finally snatched control of the game when it mattered most. They went on an 8-1 run to start the fourth quarter and take a 40-33 lead.
“It’s a game of runs,” Lakeside senior guard Willa Chinn said. “I’m really proud of how everyone stuck with it, even when things weren’t going our way and just battling. That’s what I love about this team, is we just work so hard.”
The Rams (28-2) answered with a 7-0 run capped off by a jumper by Soraya Ogaldez with 27 seconds left to tie there at 40. But the Lions (25-4) had the final possession with a chance to win the game. Chinn drove the lane and was fouled with 2.9 seconds left. She made both free throws to take the lead and North Thurston’s desperation heave at the buzzer was short, sending the Lions to the title game.
“It’s awesome,” Chinn said. “It was nice for it to be a tie game. It’s less pressure. I practice a lot of free throws. Getting to the state finals was a huge goal of ours, so I just couldn’t let my team down there.”
Chinn led the Lions with 12 points. Junior Shayla Cordis led the Rams with 15 points, but fouled out in the late moments prior to Lakeside’s final possession.
The loss ended North Thurston’s 28-game winning streak.
The Lions will face No. 1 and undefeated Central Valley (26-0) at 3 p.m. on Saturday in the state championship game.
“We can’t wait,” Chinn said. “We’ve been kind of anticipating that matchup for a long time. We’re just super-excited to get into that game.”
North Thurston will face No. 19 Garfield (17-10) at 11:15 on Saturday in the third-fifth place game.
CLASS 4A
No. 8 Sumner 46, No. 4 Woodinville 39
It hasn’t been flawless for the Sumner High School girls basketball team this year. There have been some frustrating losses over the course of the season, some downright puzzling.
But the pieces and talent were always there and the Spartans are peaking at the right time, set into motion by a road state tournament regional round win over top-seeded Davis of Yakima last weekend.
“We’ve all played enough basketball between coaches and players on our team, it doesn’t really matter what happens in December or January, or even February,” Sumner coach Katie Grad said.
It’s all about March. Sumner kept the momentum rolling on Friday night in the 4A state tournament semifinals, beating a talented Woodinville team, 46-39 to advance to Saturday’s 4A state championship game at the Tacoma Dome.
“I wanted to cry at first,” Sumner guard Olivia Collins said of the emotion when the final buzzer rang. “All of us were so excited. That was a game of runs.”
Sumner outscored Woodinville by seven in the second quarter and never let off the gas. Woodinville kept poking at the lead in the fourth quarter, cutting the lead to a point with under three minutes to play, but Collins scored the final eight points of the game to fend off the Falcons’ comeback attempt.
“It was all down to grit for us, just trying to lock in,” Collins said. “Moving the ball. With our help from our offense, we just keep getting more and more rebounds. Rebounds matter for us to get second-chance points and that’s how we won the game.”
Collins scored a game-high 25 points and had five rebounds. Teammate Kawehi Borden scored 15 points, had nine rebounds, an assist, two blocks and two steals.
Woodinville forward Hailey Quiggle scored a team-high 19 points. No other Falcons scored in double digits.
The state championship appearance is Sumner’s first since 2022, when the Spartans lost by two points to Woodinville. Sumner has now made it to at least the state semifinal round three out of the last four years.
“We’ll see who we get tomorrow but at this point, it’s about us,” Grad said.
Sumner will face the winner of No. 1 Davis and No. 13 Glacier Peak. The championship game is set for 7 p.m. on Saturday at the Tacoma Dome.
No. 1 Davis 76, No. 13 Glacier Peak 38
The Grizzly magic ran out in Friday’s semifinal.
After upset victories over No. 5 Union on Wednesday and No. 3 Chiawana on Thursday, the Grizzlies couldn’t duplicate that success for a third day with an upset over No. 1 Davis.
Glacier Peak trailed by just six at the half, but Davis came alive in the third quarter, proving worthy of its No. 1 seed, and cruised into Saturday’s championship game.
“I felt like we were a little hectic (in the first half),” junior guard Deets Parrish said. “We kind of just slowed it down and we got really good buckets. And we played better as a team. We connected better.”
Parrish scored 19 points to lead the Pirates. Sophomore Cheyenne Hull added 18 and sophomore Isa Garcia had 17.
“When we have things working together, I think we are the best trio in Washington, Parrish said. “We’ve all been playing with each other, so we all know how each other plays. We just connect well. We have that chemistry.”
Senior Brynna Pukis had 11 points to lead the Grizzlies. Freshman Lillian Riechelson added 10.
Davis will play No. 8 Sumner (25-4) at 7 p.m. Saturday in the state championship game. The two teams are familiar with each other, having played twice last year and once in the regional round of the state playoffs this year. Sumner won that matchup 67-62.
“We’re looking forward for us all to come ready to play and bring it all and just leave it all on the court,” Parrish said.
Glacier Peak (21-8) will face No. 4 Woodinville (24-4) at 1 p.m. in the third-fifth place game.
This story was originally published March 7, 2025 at 6:50 PM with the headline "Recaps, highlights from semifinals at 4A and 3A state girls basketball tournaments."
