High school basketball roundup: Lund’s 17 propels Tumwater to district title
SATURDAY (FEB. 19)
GIRLS BASKETBALL
NO. 4 KELSO 66, NO. 3 AUBURN 46
Natalie Fraley made sure to send Kelso home with the district trophy.
In Saturday’s District 3/4 3A title game, the senior guard and Utah State commit dropped 35 points and powered the Hilanders to a 66-46 win over Auburn.
Fraley scored 18 points in the third quarter alone — and on Auburn’s home court, to boot. Kelso trailed by four after one quarter, but exploded for 20 in the second, good for a seven-point lead at the intermission.
The Hilanders, behind Fraley’s 37 and 13 more from Lexi Grumbois, only built on their lead in the second half.
On Jan. 25, Fraley broke Kelso’s single-game scoring record with 39 points in a win over Heritage. Nine days later, she broke her own record, logging 41 on Feb. 3.
Jaylah Brown led Auburn with 13 points and sunk a trio of three-pointers in the third. Chloe Furnstahl and Madelyn Brown added 10 apiece.
Both squads are off to state, when regional tournaments begin on Feb. 25. WIAA’s Hardwood Classic begins Mar. 2, and tips off at the Tacoma for 3A and 4A classifications.
BOX SCORE
K: 11-20-20-15--66
A: 15-9-14-8--46
Scoring: (K) Natalie Fraley 35, Lexi Grumbois 13; (A) Jaylah Brown 13, Chloe Furnstahl 10, Madelyn Brown 10
FEB. 18
GIRLS BASKETBALL
TUMWATER 59, HUDSON’S BAY 46
Inside the Mark Morris High School gymnasium, Tumwater hoisted the championship trophy. Their hunt for the district title was complete.
A hot start from the perimeter fueled Tumwater’s 59-46 win and clinched the 2A District 4 title on Friday night.
Their first quarter was their best — 17 points, a game-high for either team in any period. Isabella Lund, Tumwater’s senior guard, led the team with 17 and drained four three-pointers in the first half.
“She was on fire,” Tumwater coach Robin Johnson said. “That really helped us... get a little lead that we were able to continue to hold throughout the rest of the game.”
Aubrey Amendala scored 15, and Regan Brewer led the T-Birds with eight rebounds. Lund added five steals.
Up next for both squads: the 2A state tournament, when the WIAA’s regional tournament begins next weekend.
“We’re really excited to get the win,” Johnson said. “It’s a goal that we had, so it’s one more goal we can check off. It (brings) good momentum as we move on into the state tournament.”
BOX SCORE
T: 17-16-11-15--59
HB: 9-11-15-11--46
FEB. 16
GIRLS BASKETBALL
NO. 3 EMERALD RIDGE 72, NO. 7 BELLARMINE 61
Entering halftime down by three points, the Jaguars’ made their adjustments and decided to body up the Lions a bit more of defense. It was the right decision, as the Emerald Ridge defense held Bellarmine to just 25 points in the second half while scoring 39 themselves.
Junior Alina Sapilak had a couple of big three’s in the first quarter to get the Jaguars’ scoring early. But senior Kali Kaizlip and junior Maya Barnett came alive in the second half to help pull their team away.
Barnett scored 11 of her 22 points in the third quarter, and Haizlip scored six of her 18 to close out the fourth quarter. But as much as their points helped win, the Jaguar defense really stepped up to slow down the Lions.
“We asserted our size over them, we are bigger than they are,” said coach Arvin Mosley. “We had pretty considerate size over them and our bodies were kept on them. Mostly, we created tough shots for them and then secured the rebound. In the first half, they had too many offensive rebounds. They zoned us a bit, but we started moving the ball around to create scoring opportunities.”
By using their length, the Jaguars created difficult passing lanes and shots that the Lions couldn’t figure out. That led to offensive production on Emerald Ridge’s end with layups and close field goals.
The Lions’ leading scorer was freshman Keiara Curtis with 21 points.
The win puts the Jaguars in the championship for the district tournament where they will take on Sumner on Saturday.
BOX SCORE
ER: 17-16-19-20--72
BP: 17-19-15-10--61
Scoring: (ER) Maya Barnett 22, Kali Haizlip 18, Monique Carter 10, Kailey Verhoeven 6, Marecia Barnett 9, Alina Sapilak 8; (BP) Kiara Stone 15, Keiara Curtis 21, Abbie Crist 4, Jada Travis 15, Taylor Teeple 6
NO. 1 SUMNER 68, NO. 4 CAMAS 54
The Papermakers may have come out with some fire and intensity and surprised the Spartans in the first quarter. But Sumner chipped away at the lead and shut Camas down for the next three quarters.
Hitting a few shots to gain momentum, the Spartans found their spark and began to execute into the second half.
“We took care of the ball in the second half after making minor fixes and attacking them in transition,” said coach Katie Hyppa. “When [senior] Catelyn [Deaver] and Alyson attack, they are so hard to guard. And [junior] Kylie Griffin hit some big threes for us. I’m proud of our fight tonight as we took one play at a time.”
Senior Alyson Deaver had a monster night as she scored 29 points for the Spartans, while sophomore Lainee Houlian scored 13 and Griffin scored 12. The offense helped carry Sumner through a tough game where the Papermakers were not giving them too much space.
But playing in a league like the 4A SPSL has prepared the Spartans for games where they have to fight their way back into them. And what better way to cap off districts than to play against an SPSL rival?
With the Jaguars’ win, Sumner is slated to do battle with Emerald Ridge for the district championship.
BOX SCORE
C: 15-12-14-13--54
S: 13-21-15-19--68
Scoring: (S) Alyson Deaver 29, Lainee Houlian 13, Kylie Griffin 12
NO. 1 ANNIE WRIGHT 57, NO. 2 KLAHOWYA 47
The Golden Gators faced the toughest test of the season in the form of the Eagles in the District 3 1A championship.
Falling behind early in the first quarter, the Golden Gators persevered and climbed their way back into the game behind senior Jazmyne Stone’s 27 points. Eventually, Annie Wright was able to pull away in the end behind key defensive stops and knocking down clutch free throws.
“We persevered, and that’s what won us the game,” said coach Chris Spivey. “I want to give Klayhowya credit, they are a class program with a class coach, and I hold them in high regard. This was our third time playing them and they were well prepared. But we have the heart of champions, and never got down on ourselves. We kept our composure and that shows our character.”
The Golden Gators were down by seven entering the final quarter of the game. But, they were in the bonus because of early Eagle foul trouble. Players like Stone, junior Rae Wartelle, and senior Tara Hutchinson all took advantage of that.
Knocking down clutch free throws, the Golden Gators went on a final 20-3 run in the fourth quarter. Pair that with the clutch defensive stops they had by forcing bad shots and grabbing the loose ball, it is easy to see why Annie Wright came away with the victory.
BOX SCORE
AW: 6-13-18-20--57
K: 18-4-22-3--47
Scoring: (AW) Jazmyne Stone 27, Bella Spencer 11; (K) Ella Koebellin 22, Charlize Katz 16
NO. 3 AUBURN 63, NO. 2 LINCOLN 46
The Trojan’s upset over the Abes came courtesy of good shooting and tightening defensive pressure in the second half on the part of Auburn.
Sophomore Jaylah Brown led the Trojans in scoring with 17 points on the night. The Trojans’ big three in seniors Chloe Furnstahl, Ialissa Frederickson, and Madelyn Brown all had big nights as well. They kept the energy up, the ball moving, and Frederickson in particular was a force playing down low.
“[Ciona Wells] gave us some fits in the first half, but the kids did a good job defending her in the second half,” said coach Jon Price. “I think that we are badly underrated. We’ve knocked down some really good teams this year and have played through some adversity. I think that we are peaking at the right time. Lincoln is a fantastic program, and we had to play really well to get by them.”
With the win, the Trojans are set to take on Kelso in the District 3 3A Championship.
Scoring: (A) Jaylah Brown 17
NO. 4 KELSO 76, NO. 1 GIG HARBOR 68
The Tides just could not find their footing on defense as they fell to the Hilanders.
Trying all sorts of different defensive schemes to slow down the distribution of Kelso senior Natalie Fraley, Gig Harbor just kept having their momentum stolen from them.
Only holding the lead once in the game, the Tides wanted to hurry the Hilanders. But again, there was not much to be done when Kelso’s shots kept falling, and Gig Harbor’s didn’t.
“We battled in the game. At one point, we had the lead maybe once,” said coach Mike Guinasso. “Then they hit a three-pointer and took it right back. They always answered our shots. At one point, it was tied at the 4th quarter, but we couldn’t stop them from scoring from the outside.”
The Tides’ sophomore Taylor Schwab had a good game scoring for the Tides as she netted 24 points on the night. Junior Riley Peschek was three assists away from a triple-double as well, finishing with 17 points, 11 rebounds, and seven assists.
They had the pieces in place, but the Tides just were answered left and right by the Hilanders. Now, they will take on Lincoln in the 3rd/4th place district game.
Scoring: (GH) Oliva Paul 11, Taylor Schwab 24, Abbie Hunter 5, Riley Peschek 17 (11 rebounds, 7 assists), Baylee Young 10 (6 assists)
FEB. 11
GIRLS BASKETBALL
NO. 3 AUBURN 53, NO. 6 NORTH THURSTON 47
Ialissa Frederickson’s 31 points propelled Auburn to a 53-47 win on Friday night, but Tay Birdtail’s 31 weren’t enough.
Birdtail and North Thurston led by one after three quarters, but the Trojans exploded for 21 fourth-quarter points and punched their ticket to the regional tournament.
If not for Auburn’s stout defense in the final three minutes, Birdtail may have carried the Rams to regionals. North Thurston’s senior star drained seven threes, but couldn’t muster a field goal in the final three minutes.
“We actually did a great job on Tay the last three minutes,” said Auburn coach Jon Price. “We went to a defense where we just straight denied her the ball.”
Frederickson scored 31, too, but worked inside to get them. With only one made three-pointer, Auburn’s senior forward shot 6-for-11 from the field and took 20 free throws.
“We reduced our turnovers,” Price said. “We had five less turnovers in the second half.
“And we let our offense work a little bit better. We found some matchups we liked, and were able to take advantage of those with our offense. So that was a big deal.”
BOX SCORE
A: 11-15-6-21--53
NT: 7-17-9-14--47
Scoring: (A) Ialissa Frederickson 31; (NT) Tay Birdtail 31
NO. 1 SUMNER 78, NO. 8 KENTRIDGE 32
Make that 13 wins in a row now for the Spartans.
Entering the District 3 4A District Basketball tournament as the top seeded team, Sumner proved that they are not resting on their laurels. No matter the situation, they are focused on making the next play.
And it showed as they ran away with the game in their matchup against the Chargers.
“It was a really good game. We talk alot about this in pratice all the time but we are all about the next play,” said coach Katie Hyppa. “We really like to control the tempo when we go up and down the court. We had a lot of unselfish play tonight; our philosophy is an easy pass makes for an easy bucket. We try not to over complicate things.”
The Spartans played some uncomplicated basketball as four players reached double digit scoring. In fact, senior Alyson Deaver had a double-double on the night with 21 points and 12 rebounds.
Seniors Payton Martinson and Jadey Parrott had 16 and 13 points respectively, while sophomore Lainee Houlian had 14.
As they advance in districts, the Spartans will play Camas in the semi-finals. Hyppa isn’t letting the stage get to her team, however. The Spartans will continue to focus on their game and not worry about what other teams are doing.
“We will worry about ourselves. We got to do well at what we do,” she said. “The rest will take care of themselves.”
BOX SCORE
KR: 5-11-9-7--32
S: 23-22-18-15--78
Scoring: (S) Alyson Deaver 21 (12 rebounds), Payton Martinson 16, Lainee Houlian 14, Jadey Parrott 13
NO. 7 BELLARMINE 74, NO. 2 TAHOMA 72
In a game as tight as the one the Lions and Bears played, the biggest difference can be the smallest thing on the court.
Bellarmine’s win essentially came down to a rebound that went their way before drawing a foul that gave them a shot to take the lead late in the fourth quarter. In the waning seconds of the match up, junior Taylor Teeple stepped to the line and sank both of her free throws.
After the second free throw was made, the Lions made a switch on defense to prevent the Bears from making any play from the outside. The defense slowed Tahoma down just enough for them to not get anything going and Bellarmine held on for the upset win.
“That was a really great game. It went back and forth and it came down to little things,” said coach Cheryl Bishop. “Our guards were fighting for rebounds and kids dug in. We got the last bounce to go our way. It was an exciting game. Tahoma is a very good team, they are very well coached.”
There was an abundance of energy coming from the Lions’ bench during the game. The players cheered on their teammates, and that fed into their belief about upsetting the Bears. Even on the floor, if someone was starting to put their head down because Tahoma had gone on a run, the Lions would pick each other back up.
With the upset win, the Lions advance to the semi-finals of the District 3 4A District Tournament against Emerald Ridge. As 4A SPSL rivals that have won a game against each other, this will be the rubber match.
“We have to pay attention to the little things,” Bishop said. “There are no secrets between our two teams. Emerald Ridge is really talented, and both sides will be excited to play in a game like this. The little things will make the difference.”
The Bears will advance to play Olympia on Tuesday, February 15.
NO. 1 GIG HARBOR 54, NO. 8 AUBURN MOUNTAINVIEW 46
Top-seeded Gig Harbor’s big second quarter matched Auburn Mountainview’s total for the entire game. The Tides are off to the 3A regional tournament.
They trailed by two points after the first quarter, but 23 points in the second provided Gig Harbor with more than enough in an eventual 54-46 win over the Lions in the opening round of the District 3/4 3A tournament.
Auburn Mountainview’s bench technical foul in the second quarter didn’t help.
The Tides converted a three-point play, knocked down both technical free throws, and hit a three on the ensuing inbound. That’s an eight-point play, for those counting at home.
Gig Harbor’s Taylor Schwab dropped a game-high 23. Teammate Riley Peschek added 10.
“We started off in man to start the game, and then went to a 2-3 in that second quarter,” said Tides coach Mike Guinasso. “They ended up heating up towards the end of the game in the third and fourth, but they struggled shooting from the outside in that second (quarter).”
No. 8 Auburn Mountainview’s Ainsley Weatherford and Maliyah Elliott co-led their team with 13 points.
BOX SCORE
GH: 9-23-9-13--54
AM: 11-8-10-17--46
Scoring: (GH) Taylor Schwab 23, Riley Peschek 10; (AM) Ainsley Weatherford 13, Maliyah Elliott 13
NO. 3 EMERALD RIDGE 59, NO. 5 KENTWOOD 46
The Jaguars welcomed back 4A SPSL MVP junior Monique Carter in a game where her mere presence opened up lanes for her teammates to score.
And no one took better advantage of that than junior Alina Sapilak.
When Carter would drive, the Conqueror defense would gravitate towards her. That’s when she would dish it out and teammates like Sapilak would rack up buckets.
“[Carter] missed the last five games and we were 2-3 without her,” said coach Arvin Mosley. “Getting her back opened up everyone else’s game. [The defense] grtavitates towards her when she has the ball. Carter can score and distribute the ball well equally. That’s how [Sapilak] got those good looks.”
Of course, the Conquerors have some pretty top-notch players on their team as well, including junior Jersey Huerta. The Jaguars came into the game with the plan to keep her out of the paint and that’s exactly what they did, limiting her looks.
With the win, it’s time for the third round against Bellarmine as both teams advanced to the semi-finals of the District 3 4A District Tournament. And Mosley is just as excited for this game as any of the players.
“We lost there and won at home, so now this game will be at a neutral floor,” he said. “I am here for it. This is what we want, the opportunity to play the best teams at this stage. It’s going to be a great game in a loud and great environment.”
BOX SCORE
ER: 15-11-17-16--59
KW: 4-16-12-14--46
Scoring: (ER) Alina Sapilak 25, Kali Haizlip 11, Maya Barnett 10; (KW) Jersey Huerta 19, Kaimyla Nolen 14
NO. 4 CAMAS 65, NO. 6 ROGERS 34
A frustrating first half filled with turnovers put the Rams behind early in their game against the Papermakers.
The plays weren’t happening for Rogers as they faced a 35-13 deficit at halftime. Having trouble handling the pressure Camas was throwing at them, the Rams couldn’t get their offense moving effectively.
On the other side of the court, the Papermakers shot extremely well from beyond the arc as they netted 10 three’s in the competition. Rams’ senior Alexa Caulfield led her team in scoring, however, with 10 points. Senior Jenai Ancheta kicked in nine points as well.
“Obviously we were frustrated on how the first half went,” said coach Rico Ancheta. “We focused on playing better in the second half, and it felt like we did. We have to have a short term memory for next week, as will play again on Tuesday and Thursday, and possibly Saturday.”
The Rams will take on Puyallup on Feb. 15 to continue the District 3 4A basketball tournament.
BOX SCORE
C: 18-17-10-20--65
R: 9-4-12-9--34
Scoring: (R) Alexa Caulfield 10, Jenai Ancheta 9; (C) Reagan Jamison 14, Addison Harris 13
NO. 2 LINCOLN 44, NO. 7 PENINSULA 37
Lincoln’s ticket to the 3A regional tournament is officially punched.
After an undefeated 12-0 season in the 3A PCL, Abes guard Ciona Wells led all scorers with 16 in a 44-37 win over Peninsula in the District 3/4 3A tournament on Friday night.
How’d Lincoln do it? Exactly how they won their last six games, since a loss to Bellarmine on Jan. 17 — energy, quickness, and athleticism. The Abes forced Peninsula into contested shots from outside. They never pulled away in blowout fashion, but wouldn’t allow a second-half lead, either.
“We had to work harder than we’ve had to work all season,” Peninsula coach Mike Schick told The News Tribune. “They hit a couple threes in that second quarter, and we only scored four points. And that second quarter was kind of really what hurt us. So it was kind of digging, trying to claw our way back… expending a lot of energy, and then just trying to come up with some different ways to be successful.”
Jaleigha Robinson added 14 for Lincoln. Peninsula’s Grace Richardson led the Seahawks with 14, and teammate Brooke Zimmerman surpassed double-digits with 12.
Despite the loss, Peninsula still has a pathway to regionals. Because of their regular-season finish, the Seahawks avoided the loser-out portion of their district bracket — they’re still alive.
“I trust my girls and they trust themselves, too,” Schick said. “They know what they can do. So just going out and executing, and being a little bit cleaner in that second half.”
BOX SCORE
L: 11-13-12-8--44
P: 10-4-11-12--37
Scoring: (L) Ciona Wells 16, Jaleigha Robinson 14; (P) Grace Richardson 14, Brooke Zimmerman 12
NO. 4 KELSO 61, NO. 5 BONNEY LAKE 49
Kelso mustered just seven first-quarter points, but rallied back and won in the opening round of the District 3/4 3A tournament.
The Hilanders, after their 61-49 win over Bonney Lake on Friday night, are off to regionals.
Lexi Grumbois, Kelso’s senior guard, led the game with 27 points. Bonney Lake sophomore Jazmyn Shipp led her team with 23.
What’s next for the Panthers? They’re not eliminated from state contention, though they can’t afford another loss. They’ll take on Yelm on Feb. 15 — loser out.
BOX SCORE
K: 7-15-20-19--61
BL: 18-10-10-11--49
Scoring: (K) Lexi Grumbois 27; (BL) Jazmyn Shipp 23
MORE SCORES
DISTRICT 3/4 3A TOURNAMENT
No. 12 Yelm 56, No. 13 Mount Tahoma 27
No. 14 Todd Beamer 45, No. 11 Lakes 44
2A EVERGREEN
Tumwater 88, R.A. Long 41
Correction: An earlier version of this article stated that Rogers would face Kennedy Catholic in the next round of the 4A bidistrict tournament. Rogers will actually face Puyallup, which beat Kennedy Catholic in a loser-out game, 55-33.
This story was originally published February 11, 2022 at 9:16 PM.
