2A, 1A, 2B, 1B state basketball bracket breakdowns: 10 local programs aim for titles
Ten South Sound basketball programs are heading east, and state championship trophies are up for grabs.
On Wednesday, the WIAA’s Hardwood Classic begins. 1B and 2B state championships tip off at the Spokane Veterans Memorial Arena, while 1A and 2A teams hit the road for the Yakima Valley SunDome.
By Saturday, each classification will have their champion.
Here’s a look at where local teams rank in the bracket, and their path to a state title:
1A BOYS
NO. 3 LIFE CHRISTIAN ACADEMY
The 1A tournament may start Wednesday, but Life Christian earned a first-round bye with a regional win over Zillah. They’re already penciled into the state quarterfinals.
On Saturday, the Eagles trailed by one with 12.5 seconds remaining in the contest. That’s when guard Bradley Swillie took matters into his own hands, attacked the rim along the baseline, and sunk a hard-earned layup. Zillah’s ensuing look was no good, and Life Christian had officially bypassed Wednesday’s opening round, 82-81.
“I always want the ball in my hands, knowing if there’s a play that needs to be made, If I need to create for somebody else … We all know if a play needs to be made, my teammates have a lot of trust in me allowing me to get that bucket,” Swillie told The News Tribune after his game-winning shot.
Life Christian brings size to Spokane, including the 6-foot-8 Chae Haynes, who scored a game-high 32 points on Saturday and leads the team with just over 11 rebounds per game. The 6-foot-6 Ian Coates-White and 6-foot-7 Riley Kretzer only add to the Eagles’ ability to clog the paint, and between the pair, grab an additional nine boards per contest.
In 20 games this season, Swillie is averaging a team-high 26.4 points per game. He’s efficient, draining 55 percent off all shots and 63 percent of twos. Haynes adds 17.9 points, and senior Marquis Trimble adds 10.2.
Now ranked third in the 1A state bracket, Life Christian lost their first game of the season to Mount Tahoma on Dec. 3, 95-79. But Saturday’s win represented their 20th consecutive win in the months since. On Thursday, they’ll meet the winner of Wednesday’s first-round matchup between No. 12 King’s Way Christian and No. 4 Freeman. A win equals a trip to the state’s “final four.”
Record: 20-1, 16-0 1A Nisqually
Next game: Thursday, Mar. 3 vs. TBD at 12:15 p.m. (state quarterfinals)
NO. 7 ANNIE WRIGHT
The Gators lost in Saturday’s regional round, though their state title hopes are very much alive.
Led by sophomore guard Hunter Carter, who’s averaging a team-best 21 points per game, Annie Wright ranks seventh in the state bracket after a second-place finish in the 1A Nisqually League. Only Life Christian Academy finished higher.
They’re younger than most contending teams, too. Head coach Dave Alwert’s starting five consists of four underclassmen -- two freshmen and two sophomores.
Five Gators average double figures, including 16.7 from Martin Kaupanger and 14.4 from Jeremiah Harshman. Kaupanger, a freshman guard, averaged a double-double in his first high school season, grabbing a team-leading 10 rebounds. And Carter, the team’s top scorer, adds over five assists and 3.9 steals per contest.
They’ll tip off Wednesday morning at the SunDome in a meeting with No. 10 Seattle Academy. The game represents a rematch; on Jan. 22, Annie Wright beat the Cardinals, 79-67.
With a win, Annie Wright would advance to the state quarterfinals to face top-seeded King’s.
Record: 18-5, 11-2 1A Nisqually
Next game: Wednesday, Mar. 2 vs. No. 10 Seattle Academy at 10:30 a.m. (first round)
2A BOYS
NO. 5 TUMWATER
Tumwater already took home the 2A Evergreen title, and they’ll look for more in Yakima.
The T-Birds lost Saturday’s regional matchup with Pullman, 61-50, but can still capture a state title with four wins in the SunDome. First up is a clash with No. 12 Grandview on Wednesday night.
Junior guard Luke Brewer leads Tumwater with 18 points and 4.3 assists per game. Ryan Otton, a University of Washington football commit, grabs a team-best 7.1 rebounds.
Favored over Grandview, Tumwater would face a familiar R.A. Long team in the state quarterfinals with a win on Wednesday night. On Feb. 18, the Lumberjacks took down the T-Birds in the 2A District 4 title game, 58-50.
Record: 19-5, 11-1 2A Evergreen
Next game: Wednesday, Mar. 2 vs. No. 12 Grandview at 7:15 p.m. (first round)
NO. 6 WHITE RIVER
The Hornets enter the SunDome after a perfect 14-0 season in the 2A SPSL. Like Tumwater, White River lost in Saturday’s regional round, but can still hoist the 2A title with four wins in Yakima.
In fact, White River’s regional loss was to R.A. Long, the same team that beat Tumwater for a district title. On Wednesday, the Hornets meet No. 14 Prosser, with a trip to the quarterfinals on the line.
Record: 19-4, 14-0 2A SPSL
Next game: Wednesday, Mar. 2 vs. No. 14 Prosser at 3:45 p.m. (first round)
NO. 10 FRANKLIN PIERCE
The Cardinals are familiar with the state tournament, though in the last four years, have yet to advance beyond the first round.
Coach John Barbee wants to change that.
“This is what they’ve dreamed of,” Barbee told The News Tribune on Saturday. “We’ve been to state the last couple years but we haven’t won an actual state game. So we’re going to look to change history and make a legacy for these kids, and I’m really proud of them.”
After a second-place finish in the 2A SPSL, Franklin Pierce rattled off two wins in the 2/3 district tournament that clinched a regional appearance. With their season on the line Saturday, Mason Thomas dropped a team-best 31 points and John John Barbee scored 30 to propel the Cardinals over W.F. West and into the SunDome.
They’re up against No. 7 Port Angeles on Wednesday, with a chance to face top-ranked North Kitsap in Thursday’s quarterfinal round.
“We’re so happy,” Barbee said. “What we talk about is just being happy, but not satisfied. And there’s some basketball still left to be played and we’re excited to get over the (SunDome).”
Record: 16-5, 10-4 2A SPSL
Next game: Wednesday, Mar. 2 vs. No. 10 Port Angeles at 5:30 p.m. (first round)
2B GIRLS
NO. 8 CHIEF LESCHI
Chief Leschi is headed to Spokane’s 2B state tournament for the first time.
Despite a loss in the regional tournament, Chief Leschi ranks eighth in the bracket and faces Adna in the state tournament’s opening round.
It’ll be a rematch between Chief Leschi and Adna, which the Warriors beat, 51-42, on Feb. 8. Wednesday’s winner will move on to the quarterfinals.
But the 14-5 Warriors typically win by more than nine, and it’s why they’re considered a top-eight team in their classification. Of their wins, only four were decided by a tighter margin.
In the opening three games of the regular season, Chief Leschi went unbeaten, and by a 167-point margin. That includes a 92-7 win over Northwest Christian on Dec. 7.
Mylina Pluff, a four-year starter on the Warriors, eclipsed the 1,000-point scoring mark and led the team in rebounds. Tala Mitchell, a first-team all conference selection, led the team with 20 points per contest.
Ramona Gallegos adds 13 points per game, and is a four-year starter for Chief Leschi.
The Warriors couldn’t lock down a first-round bye in the state bracket. They lost Saturday’s regional matchup to top-ranked La Conner, 91-54, and take on Adna in the tournament’s first round.
Record: 14-5, 8-3 2B Pacific
Next game: Wednesday, Mar. 2 vs. No. 9 Adna at 2 p.m. (first round)
NO. 11 RAINIER
Rainier’s season continues into Spokane after Saturday’s 50-41 win over No. 14 Columbia of Burbank.
The Mountaineers took fourth-place in a crowded 2B Central League, with rivals Wahkiakum and Adna joining them in the state bracket. A fifth-place finish in the District 4 tournament earned a regional matchup, and Saturday’s win-or-go-home victory sends Rainier to Spokane.
They’ll face Lake Roosevelt next, with a trip to the quarterfinals up for grabs.
Record: 18-7, 6-3 2B Central
Next game: Wednesday, Mar. 2 vs. No. 6 Lake Roosevelt at 9 a.m. (first round)
2A GIRLS
NO. 1 TUMWATER
Tumwater’s race to the state title begins Wednesday, but they’ve already earned a laundry list of accomplishments. Throughout a league-championship season in the 2A Evergreen Conference, the T-Birds finished with an unblemished 12-0 record. Earlier this month, they sprinted through the District 4 bracket and took home that title with a win over Hudson’s Bay.
On Saturday, that changed. Tumwater had already clinched a trip to Yakima, but with a first-round bye on the line, the top-seeded T-Birds lost to No. 8 Burlington-Edison, 52-47.
“They’re a really good team, I’m not shocked at all,” Tumwater coach Robin Johnson told The News Tribune. “They played ridiculously hard. Tons of credit to them. Defensively, they kept us on our toes, applied a lot of pressure we didn’t handle well. They rebounded well, they flat out outworked us.”
That doesn’t take away Tumwater’s chance at a title, though it adds an extra game to their path. On Wednesday, the T-Birds take on No. 9 West Valley of Spokane for a trip to the state quarterfinals.
Now at 22-2 on the season, four T-Birds score in double digits on average, led by Natalie Sumrok’s 16.3 points and 5.3 rebounds per game.
Senior guard Aubrey Amendala adds 14.6 points, and leads the team with 5.4 assists and four steals per game.
Record: 22-2, 12-0 2A Evergreen
Next game: Wednesday, Mar. 2 vs. No. 9 West Valley of Spokane at 2 p.m. (first round)
NO. 4 W.F. WEST
Behind only Tumwater in the 2A Evergreen standings, the Bearcats put together a 19-4 season and finished third in District 14. That earned W.F. West the fourth seed in the 2A tournament bracket.
Their road to a state title became tougher with Friday night’s one-point loss to fifth-ranked Archbishop Murphy, 37-36. But the Bearcats will face No. 12 Lynden in the tournament’s first round, and would move on to No. 3 Hudson’s Bay in the quarterfinals with a win.
Drea Brunfield leads the team with 16 points per game and grabs just over seven rebounds. Kyla McCallum dishes out 7.8 assists, on average, and chips in with 6.5 points and four rebounds.
Record: 19-4, 10-3 2A Evergreen
Next game: Wednesday, Mar. 2 vs. No. 12 Lynden at 12:15 p.m. (first round)
NO. 10 WHITE RIVER
During Friday’s regional matchup with Sammamish, White River’s season was on the line.
Until it wasn’t.
After three quarters, the Hornets had allowed just six points. They’d go on to win, 39-20, and advance to the state tournament in Yakima.
Unselfish on offense, Ashley Banks and Brooke Mahler represent White River’s senior leadership. In Saturday’s win, freshman forward Vivian Kingston led the team with 12 points, while Mahler and Ava Bright added six each.
After clinching a 2A SPSL title and second-place finish in the 2/3 District Tournament earlier this season, White River meets No. 7 Washougal in the first round of the state championship, and would go on to face No. 8 Burlington-Edison in the quarterfinals with a win.
Record: 20-4, 13-1 2A SPSL
Next game: Wednesday, Mar. 2 vs. No. 7 Washougal at 10:30 a.m. (first round)
