High school girls basketball regional roundup: Bonney Lake advances to Tacoma Dome for first time in program history after win over Gig Harbor

FEB. 26 (SATURDAY)

4A

NO. 2 SUMNER 72, NO. 7 RICHLAND 52

The senior Deaver sisters combined for 40 points as the Spartans handled their business against the Bombers and secured a first-round bye in the WIAA 4A state tournament.

Taking advantage of mismatches against the senior sisters, coach Katie Hyppa gave the Deavers the autonomy to go to work on the court. It paid off big time as Alyson scored 23 and Catelyn scored 17.

“We talked about playing with energy in the week heading into this game. We had great spurts in the first half but there are definitely things to improve on,” Hyppa said. “Our defense was flying around on the court. And when we do that, it makes our offense come easy. We took advantage of the mismatches we had on them. [Alyson and Catelyn] can play down low and up high and they’re both so crafty with the ball.”

The Spartan defense also did a great job limiting any looks junior Kylee Fox could get for the Bombers. In fact, they did a great job stalling any kind of rhythm Richland tried getting into.

That was in part thanks to sophomore Lainee Houillon’s defensive play. She set the tone for the Spartan defense with her six steals against the Bombers. Houillon also chipped in 16 points as well.

Because they secured a first-round bye, the Spartans await the winner of the Camas-Bellarmine Prep game. Sumner’s next game will be at 2 p.m. Wednesday, March 2 at the Tacoma Dome.

BOX SCORE

S: 14-28-15-15--72

R: 11-9-14-18--52

Scoring: (S) Alyson Deaver 23, Catelyn Deaver 17, Lainee Houillan 16

NO. 13 ROGERS 46, NO. 12 ISSAQUAH 40

For the third straight year, the Rams are heading to the Tacoma Dome for some WIAA 4A state tournament action. To get there, they had to hold off a late rally from the Eagles.

With a minute left in the game, Rogers held a 43-37 lead against Issaquah. When one of the Eagles nailed a three-pointer to cut it to a one-possession game, the Rams needed to get a bucket to hold them off.

And they did just that with 11 seconds left in the game.

“They closed it to a one-possession game two or three times in the 4th quarter. Issaquah is a very good team with plenty of good players,” said coach Rico Ancheta. “Our girls did a great job on the defensive end. We started having trouble scoring which led us to toughen up on defense. Playoff basketball is intense, we had to have enough composure to hold them off and get the win.”

Senior guard Karrina Tel was the Rams’ leading scorer with 15 points in the contest. Most of her teammates helped chip in with scores ranging from three to seven points as well.

This is a typical win for Ancheta and his squad. They may not put up large scores, but there are games where he needs every one of his players to help contribute in some way. That philosophy leads to having a different player step up every night to lead their team.

The win sends the Rams to the Tacoma Dome where they will take on Eastlake/Lake Stevens at 12:15 p.m. Tuesday, March 2 at the Tacoma Dome.

BOX SCORE

R: 13-16-11-6--46

I: 10-11-11-8--40

Scoring: (R) Karrina Tel 15

NO. 3 PASCO 65, NO. 6 EMERALD RIDGE 54

The biggest difference in the game between the Bulldogs and Jaguars came down to offensive rebounds. Pasco was able to come down with more of them, hence more second-chance points.

Otherwise, Emerald Ridge played against a fairly evenly matched opponent in the regional round of the WIAA 4A state tournament.

“We did a really good job pushing the pace on offense. But on defense, we gave up a couple of big three-pointers,” said coach Arvin Mosley. “Their center finished with 12 rebounds. They could drive down low and get second-chance points. That’s what got us. However, our defense made it a difficult job on their top scorer.”

Despite trailing 33-25 at the half, senior Kali Haizlip did her best to get her team back into the game. A couple of times in the second half, she started a little hot streak by creating opportunities to score.

Haizlip had help from junior Marecia Barnett who would grab nine rebounds on the night. Barnett’s rebounds were used to jump start Jaguar fast breaks and get quick points.

However, it wasn’t enough as the Bulldog pulled away from Emerald Ridge in the end. The Jaguars’ season is not over as they were playing for a chance at a bye in the first round of the state tournament.

The next time Emerald Ridge hits the court will be against Moses Lake at 9 a.m. Tuesday, March 2 at the Tacoma Dome.

BOX SCORE

ER: 16-9-16-13--54

P: 18-15-16-16--65

Scoring: (ER) Kali Haizlip 20 (five rebounds, two assists), Marecia Barnett 7 (nine rebounds, three assists)

NO. 14 MOSES LAKE 52, NO. 11 OLYMPIA 39

For the Bears, taking on the Chiefs felt like playing against a team that was built very similarly to their roster.

Both teams relied on their defense and pushed their offense to the perimeter. Where they weren’t similar, however, was who was making those perimeter shots. That advantage went to Moses Lake.

“I think that we knew we were playing someone super similar to us. We relied on our defense and they made their shots from the perimeter and we didn’t,” said coach Dustin Workman. “We rely so much on defense, and I wanted them to keep getting stops. In the 4th quarter, we had to keep the pressure on the whole time. They stretched it out and made it hard on us to defend them.”

The Chiefs had three players combine to score 44 of their points. Seniors Teagan Wiltbank and Meagan Karstetter scored 18 and 14 respectively. Sophomore Sydney MacDonald scored 12.

Leading the way for the Bears were junior Natalia McBride’s 15 and senior Ava Wolin’s eight points.

Although the season is over for the Bears, their 20-8 mark and berth in regionals made for their best season in 27 years. Now armed with playoff experience, Olympia is hoping to take lessons learned from this game and improve on them in the future.

Top Scorers: (ML) Teagan Wiltbank 18, Meagan Karstetter 14, Sydney MacDonald 12; (O) Natalia McBride 15, Ava Wollin 8

3A

NO. 12 BONNEY LAKE 61, NO. 13 GIG HARBOR 58

For the first time in program history, Bonney Lake’s girls basketball team will play for a state title in the Tacoma Dome.

In Saturday’s elimination game at Auburn High School, Jazmyn Shipp led all scorers with 18 and propelled the Panthers to a 61-58 win over Gig Harbor.

Gig Harbor’s season ended in the regional round, though Bonney Lake respected their three-point shooting ability, and adjusted their lineup accordingly.

“We played bigger tonight,” Panthers coach Kim Peters said. “We played our bigger kids, because we knew we needed height to get out and get a hand up. So that was going for us, to have a different lineup.”

Panthers forward Brooke Mansfield logged 13 points for Bonney Lake, and Ava Rice added 12. On Mar. 2, Bonney Lake meets No. 5 Snohomish in the opening round of the 3A WIAA Hardwood Classic. The winner earns a trip to the state quarterfinals.

“It’s the first time in Bonney Lake history that the girls program is going to state,” Peters said. “So it’s a big deal for us.”

Gig Harbor’s Riley Peschek led the Tides with 14.

BOX SCORE

GH: 21-7-9-21--58

BL: 15-19-12-15--61

Scoring: (BL) Jazmyn Shipp 18, Brooke Mansfield 13, Ava Rice 12; (GH) Riley Peschek 14, Taylor Schwab 12, Baylee Young 11, Maci Miller 10

2B

NO. 1 LA CONNER 91, NO. 8 CHIEF LESCHI 54

Despite an early deficit to the Warriors, the Braves kept shooting and making their shots to get back into the game. And after grabbing the lead at the end of the first quarter, they didn’t bother to look back.

Led by seniors Junaper Swanson’s 23 and Sarah Cook’s 20 points, La Conner’s offense became too much to handle for Chief Leschi.

The Warriors are now bumped to a game against Adna at 2 p.m. Tuesday, March 2 at the Spokane Area, where they hope to continue their season.

BOX SCORE

LC: 19-24-19-19--91

CL: 21-9-13-11--54

Scoring: (LC) Junaper Swanson 23, Sarah Cook 20, Ellalee Wortham 16, Ellie Marble 14, Josie Harper 12

MORE SCORES

3A

No. 1 Mead 76, No. 8 Lincoln 30

FEB. 25

3A

NO. 10 AUBURN 56, NO. 15 WEST SEATTLE 52

Next stop for Auburn?

The Tacoma Dome.

For the first time since 2008, the Trojans (16-6) are headed back to the state tournament site after upending West Seattle (12-8) in the final minutes Friday night at Puyallup High School.

“It’s been our goal the whole year,” Auburn guard Madelyn Brown said. “We’ve been working towards this. Every single time we’re like, ‘This is for the Dome. This is for the Dome. We’ve got to get to the Dome.’ So, it’s a really exciting experience for all of us.”

The Trojans move on to play at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday in the Tacoma Dome in the first round. There they’ll meet the loser of Saturday afternoon’s matchup between No. 2 Garfield and No. 7 Stanwood in an elimination game.

“Not only do we want to get there, but we want to do good there,” Brown said. “It’s my senior year, I just want to play it all out. This is what I’ve been working for my whole life.”

Brown led the way for Auburn against the Wildcats with a game-high 22 points.

She scored 14 of her points in the second quarter, including sinking a 3-pointer from beyond the half court line at the buzzer to give the Trojans a 31-30 lead at the break.

She also gave Auburn its decisive lead on the first of two free throws with 2:13 left to play to make it 52-51.

“Madelyn Brown was really a competitor tonight,” Auburn coach Jon Price said. “She kind of carried us. The second quarter, the half court shot was pretty cool.”

Allisa Frederickson added 14 points for Auburn, while Chloe Furnstahl had 10, including making a pair of free throws with 33.4 seconds left to extend the Trojans’ late lead.

Jadyn Watts (14 points) and Ciera Jorge (11) both finished in double figures for West Seattle, while Brooke Swanson and Carmen Cruz each added nine.

1A

NO. 15 LA CENTER 52, NO. 10 ANNIE WRIGHT 48

The Golden Gators opened up their game against Wildcats moving the ball extremely well and almost scoring at will. In fact, they ended the opening period on a 20-4 run.

But little by little, La Center clawed their way back into the game. Despite Anne Wright’s defense playing with high pressure, shots began to fall for the Wildcats. By the end of the third quarter, both teams were tied at 38.

Midway through the fourth quarter, both teams were tied at 42. The fatigue from high-pressure defense from the Golden Gators led to a foul on the Wildcats’ senior Kylee Stephenson. Toeing the foul line, she made both shots.

“We just didn’t play our best basketball for four quarters. I have to give La Center credit, they hung in there and hit some big shots,” said coach Chris Spivey. “They set some picks and we didn’t do a good job playing defense when we needed to. We didn’t get the stops we needed, so hats off to them.”

The Golden Gators kept fighting to stay in the game. Even though senior Jazmyn Stone fought to score 20 points, she eventually fouled out late in the game. That gave way for Stephenson to finish with a game-high 29.

And although there were missed opportunities by Annie Wright, they still hung in the game until the end. The lack of rebounds, missed shots, and defensive stops compounded for the Golden Gators in the end. However, Spivey sees a loss like this as a moment where his returning team can learn from a game like this and use it to get better.

The Golden Gators’ season ends with a record of 16-3.

BOX SCORE

LC: 7-15-16-14--52

AW: 20-8-10-10--48

Scoring: (AW) Jazmyn Stone 20; (LC) Rylee Stephenson 29

2A

NO. 11 PROSSER 75, NO. 14 ENUMCLAW 55

Although free throws and five consecutive three-pointers late in the fourth quarter were a big part of the Mustang’s win over the Hornets, what really did Enumclaw in was the inside play of senior Halle Wright and freshman Laylee Dixon.

Combing for 44 points, Wright and Dixon wreaked havoc on the Hornet’s defense. The Mustangs were able to drive inside and get points at the rim, but then also kick it out when they needed to. And when the Hornet’s defense fouled a Prosser player, the Mustangs sunk 26-32 free throws.

“They did a really good job. Prosser’s best player was out in the post and when she got to her spot, she could finish really well,” said coach Danny Graham. “Once we started collapsing on her, they kicked it out and hit five 3’s in the fourth quarter. It got away from us. They did a good job spacing the floor and we knew we had our hands full.”

On the side of the Hornets was senior 2A SPSL MVP Rosalie Penke, who scored 12 in the match up. Despite being outsized on the court, Penke was not backing down from her opponents. Not only did she guard the bigger post players, but when Enumclaw had the ball, she was the one running the court.

At one point, the Hornets had made it a close game within six points of the Mustangs. But again, the consecutive three-pointers sucked away any momentum Enumclaw may have had.

The loss bounces the Hornets out of the state playoffs, but it is a step in the right direction for the program. A regional berth has set a new standard for Enumclaw, and Graham hopes to build on that in the seasons to come.

The Hornets’ season ends with a record of 16-5.

BOX SCORE

E: 13-11-13-18--55

P: 12-17-19-27--75

Scoring: (E) Charlee Torgison 15, Rosalie Penke 12, Hannah Penke 10; (P) Halle Wright 29, Laylee Dixon 15, Malia Cortes

OTHER SCORES

No. 1 Woodinville 85, No. 8 Bellarmine Prep 61

FEB. 22

NO. 16 EASTSIDE CATHOLIC 59, NO. 17 NORTH THURSTON 47

For the first time in 30 years, the Rams made it to the play-in games for the WIAA 3A state basketball tournament.

Unfortunately, their stay wouldn’t last long. Even though freshman Soraya Ogaldez put up a valiant 29 points, the Crusaders swung the momentum their way at the beginning of the second half.

“[Junior] Isabel Sullivan had three 3-pointers in a row and the momentum just went their way,” said coach Jackie Meyer. “We moved the ball around a lot, drove the lane, and tried to make them foul us… We were outsized because we don’t have anyone above six-foot on our roster. But we were getting rebounds, [sophomore] Alexis Meyer had 10 and [senior] Laney Borchardt had six.”

The Rams did a good job crashing the boards and taking rebounds away from Eastside Catholic. However, once shots started falling for the Crusaders they stopped for North Thurston.

And although Ogladez was able to score from just about anywhere, there was not much more offense generated from her teammates.

The loss doesn’t leave a bad taste in the mouth for Meyer or the underclassmen, however. The current group of seniors goes out setting a new standard for what the Rams can expect for success in their program.

“It has been a great season. The seniors did a good job leaving a legacy where underclassmen may try to do better in the coming years,” Meyer said.

BOX SCORE

NT: 12-13-9-13--47

EC: 13-12-21-13--59

Scoring: (NT) Soraya Ogaldez 29

NO. 13 GIG HARBOR 63, NO. 20 KENNEWICK 51

The Tides are still alive.

On their home court, Gig Harbor took down Kennewick in a regional play-in game and advanced in the 3A state tournament.

When the buzzer sounded on Tuesday night, Mike Guinasso’s team had won, 63-51. Gig Harbor was, officially, penciled in for Friday night’s first-round contest with Bonney Lake.

“It’s awesome,” Guinasso said, now in his third season with the Tides. “This is my first time in the playoffs. My first year here, we lost to Bethel, and then we were out. And then last year with COVID… there were no playoffs. So this is my first run.

“And it’s a lot of these girls’ first run, too. It’s fun. It’s nice getting some experience, because we are young after this year, too.”

The Tides rolled to a 13-point halftime lead, but wouldn’t score again until midway through the third quarter. That’s when their defense needed to step up, and they did. The Lions couldn’t capitalize on Gig Harbor’s prolonged stumble. Kennewick’s eight third-quarter points represented their worst period of the contest.

“We had some defense step up,” Guinasso said. “It was just doing what we do, and making teams make adjustments for us, which we kind of got away from the last few games. This game was a little bit better, just by playing our game and getting back to what we do.”

Baylee Young, Gig Harbor’s junior guard, impressed Guinasso with her handles in Tuesday’s win. Taylor Schwab stepped up with a strong shooting performance, and Riley Peschek represented the Tides’ two-way inside force that stifled the Lions on both ends.

Young and Peschek entered the fourth quarter with four fouls each, one away from disqualification. After weighing the risk, Guinasso opted against sitting them, and instead letting them play on.

That decision may have kept the Tides’ season alive. The Lions put up their best quarter of the night in the fourth, but so did Gig Harbor, with a game-best 24 points. Kennewick’s comeback effort ultimately fell short.

Already looking forward, Gig Harbor will make adjustments based on the Bonney Lake team that now stands in their way, Guinasso said. But they’re focused on maintaining their style of play. Long story short: they’re not looking to get away from what earned them a 13-1 record in the 3A SSC.

“They play a lot like us,” Guinasso said of the opposing Panthers, “but they’re gonna be tough.”

BOX SCORE

K: 11-13-8-19--51

GH: 14-23-2-24--63

NO. 14 HERMISTON 74, NO. 19 PENINSULA 61

The Seahawks had to travel 266.4 miles for their play-in game in the WIAA 3A state basketball tournament against the Bulldogs. However, they could not bring the win back home as Peninsula settled in late in the game, forced to battle back.

Trailing 21-7 after the first quarter, players like freshman Grace Richardson did their best to help facilitate the offense. However, Hermiston’s defense threw a lot at her to slow Richardson down and keep the Seahawk attack at bay.

“Travelling to another state is tough, and there were lots of people for them,” said coach Mike Schick. “They definitely had the advantage. We only have two girls with any playoff experience before, so we can’t really prepare for what the game would be like. There was lots of nerves and jitters before the game. They made a great comeback after they settled in; we moved the ball better and were more composed.”

Once the Seahawks found their footing against the Bulldogs, the game was a closer contest. Sophomore Kaylia Heidelberg was able to score 27 to lead Peninsula in scoring.

Junior Brooke Zimmerman netter 12 and senior Makena Smith chipped in eight points as well. But despite making somewhat of a comeback, the Seahawks fell short to a Bulldog team that was quick and executed when they needed to.

BOX SCORE

H: 21-21-18-14--74

P: 7-16-17-21--61

Scoring: (P) Kaylia Heidelberg 27, Brooke Zimmerman 12, Makena Smith 8

TNT reporter Lauren Smith contributed to this story.

This story was originally published February 22, 2022 at 9:34 PM.