South Sound district basketball roundup: Auburn boys, girls sweep Lincoln in opening round
SATURDAY’S RESULTS (FEB. 10)
BOYS BASKETBALL
4A
District 3/4 Tournament – Opening Round
Federal Way 54, Puyallup 43
It felt like the first team to hit 40 points might win when the Federal Way Eagles visited the Puyallup Vikings in the opening round of the 4A District 3/4 boys basketball tournament on Saturday night.
The teams combined for just nine total points in the third quarter. Going into the fourth, Federal Way held a 31-30 lead.
Enter Kofi Peyton. The 6-foot-4 senior hit three 3-pointers in a row and Federal Way pulled away, winning 54-43 and punching a ticket to the 4A state tournament regional round.
“I felt like just setting my feet was big, trusting my teammates to find me and playing defense is what won the game. My shots were big but I feel like playing team defense is what won us the game.”
Peyton finished with 14 points in the win. Guard Mason Thomas also scored 14 for the Eagles. Senior wing Carson Lovett led Puyallup with 14 points, while senior guard Isaiah Sonntag added 12.
Puyallup was still in the game late, despite scoring just four points in the fourth quarter.
“I felt like in the third quarter, it was frustrating because I felt like we were getting good looks,” said Puyallup coach Kevin Olson. “I felt like we were getting good shots around the basket, good shots for our perimeter shooters and just weren’t making anything there. I thought our defense was pretty good.”
Federal Way advances to face league peer Tahoma at 5 p.m. on Thursday at Federal Way High School. Puyallup is still alive but will now face a tougher road, dropping to the bottom half of the bracket. The Vikings will host Mount Rainier next round. Federal Way is guaranteed a state berth after Saturday’s win.
“Use it as motivation to keep going,” Peyton said. “A lot of people said we wouldn’t go to the Dome, so we use that as motivation to go further.”
Kentwood 58, Sumner 57 (OT)
Brandon Tagle drove through defenders and converted the go-ahead layup with less than one second remaining, a game-winning bucket by the sophomore guard that lifted Kentwood to a comeback win at Sumner High School.
After a pair of missed Spartans free throws, Tagle went coast-to-coast in a flash before storming the paint and banking home a virtual buzzer-beater in Saturday’s district opener. Without timeouts, he discovered an open right side of the key before a smooth eurostep and one-handed finish.
“He attacked downhill, and got to his spot,” Kentwood coach Blake Solomon said. “He’s a guy we trust with the ball. He led the (NPSL) in assists as a freshman and sophomore, so we know he’s always going to make the right decision. When the ball is in his hand, we know we’re going to get a quality possession.”
Conquerors guard Blake Stempniak drained a game-tying, stepback three-pointer with seven seconds remaining in regulation, permitting Tagle to dominate in added time.
Kentwood’s Corey Tita dropped a game-high 27 points from all over, mixing a handful of tough layups with jump shots from range. Stempniak piled 12 points and Tagle finished with six.
The opening-round win in the District 3/4 bracket punches Kentwood’s ticket to state. And they’re peaking at the right time, now having won 11 of their last dozen games.
“We talked about it as coaches. It’s one of the more-fun locker rooms we’ve been in in a long time,” Solomon said. “We’ve been playing really good ball lately. … Our guys are answering the call.”
Sumner guard Jalen Hyppa paced the Spartans with 21.
Kentwood meets reigning 4A runner-up Olympia in a district semifinal at Federal Way High School on Feb. 15. Tip is scheduled for 7 p.m.
BOX SCORE
KW: 18-7-8-19-6–58
SHS: 15-13-13-11-5–57
Olympia 49, Camas 46
Bears guard Matt Lindblom dropped a game-high 18 points, and Olympia’s defense forced a critical stop in the closing seconds to seal Saturday’s district opener in Camas.
“We put the game in the hands of our defense with 24 seconds left, and the guys made a big, big play,” Bears coach John Kiley said.
Lindblom hit three treys and Olympia, the reigning 4A runner-up, secured another state allocation with a narrow win over the Papermakers.
“It was just a battle,” Kiley said. “A great battle. Made some big shots … and held on for a three-point win.”
Bears guard Julian Zapata sank a clutch jumper in the fourth quarter and junior guard Blake Peterson delivered a pair of late free throws to ice the winner-to-state affair.
Peterson finished with eight points. Zapata and sophomore forward Kingston Stanciu added six points apiece.
“We’d love to get to Tacoma. We’d love to win it all,” Kiley said. “We have a lot of work to do.”
Papermakers guard Beckett Currie led Camas with 16 points and sophomore guard Max Rayan added 10.
BOX SCORE
O: 9-18-13-9–49
C: 11-6-21-8–46
Curtis 83, Battle Ground 51
It was all Curtis from the opening tip – the Vikings scored the game’s first 15 points and bullied their way to a 28-5 lead in Saturday’s loser-out district opener.
Senior guard Devin Whitten dropped 17 points in the first half, and Curtis cruised at home to remain in state contention.
The Vikings would return to the state bracket with consecutive wins Feb. 14 and Feb. 16. Up first? League-rival Emerald Ridge in another loser-out meeting. The winner plays two days later for a trip to the state tournament.
BOX SCORE
BG: 5-12-16-18–51
C: 28-24-17-14–83
Rogers 82, Kentridge 75 (OT)
Rogers guard Raylen Rigney drilled an overtime trey, and four Rams scored in season-defining added time to survive Saturday night’s loser-out district opener.
Amanna Anusiem paced the Rams with 20 points, and all five starters tallied 10-or-more points in a win that keeps Rogers in state contention.
Rogers erased an eight-point deficit in the fourth quarter and delivered 13-of-14 free throws in the frame.
Rams guard Dylan Gilderhus scored 17 points. Rigney, a sophomore, finished with 12 points, and junior guard Ryan Avary added 11.
The Rams are two wins away from the state tournament, now scheduled to visit Camas in another loser-out contest Feb. 14.
Kentridge forward Gio Moimoi dropped a game-high 24 points in the loss.
BOX SCORE
KR: 16-14-24-16-5–75
RHS: 19-11-16-24-12–82
MORE SCORES
Skyview 44, Bellarmine Prep 40
Mount Rainier 64, Graham-Kapowsin 57 (OT)
3A
North Thurston 74, Gig Harbor 42
Rams forward Ray Adams had a 20-point, 10-rebound double-double, and North Thurston booked its trip to the state tournament in Saturday’s winner-to-state district opener.
Adams (9-18 FG) scored 10 points in the third quarter and extended what already was a lopsided Rams lead in the first half. The 6-foot-7 senior added four blocks and three steals and was the do-it-all facilitator in North Thurston’s 74-42 smattering of league-rival Gig Harbor.
“He keeps coming at you,” Rams head coach Mike Conner said, describing his senior playmaker. “(Ray) is so long and athletic, that he gets away with things that a lot of other players don’t. With his length, he can block shots without fouling. He can get to balls that other people can’t reach. And he just plays with such a high motor. He doesn’t take plays off. He’s just a natural winner and the kind of kid you want to have on your team.”
Rams guard Micah Gentry poured in six points in the opening quarter and finished with 16 points (two three-pointers), adding three steals. Senior guard Melo Delacruz dropped 15 points and senior guard Ahmari Steplight added 12 points and eight rebounds.
North Thurston fell to Mountlake Terrace, 58-53, in last season’s state Round of 12 last March 1. The Rams soon reenter the bracket hungry for more.
“It means everything to these guys,” Conner said. “Losing in that Round of 12 in the (Tacoma) Dome last year left a sour taste in a lot of their mouths. They’ve been working extremely hard to get back there, to get another opportunity.”
North Thurston meets Kelso in a District 3/4 semifinal at Mount Tahoma High School on Feb. 15. Both programs are off to state.
BOX SCORE
GH: 6-9-14-13–42
NT: 16-20-18-20–74
Kelso 60, Timberline 50
Timberline led after each of the first three quarters – but Kelso guard Hayden Yore exploded for a season-high 40 points, and the Hilanders roared back to steal Saturday’s winner-to-state district opener at Kelso High School.
Yore’s efforts pushed Kelso into a District 3/4 semifinal on Feb. 15 and punched the program’s ticket to the state tournament.
Timberline falls to a loser-out contest with Lakes and would secure a state allocation with wins on Feb. 14 and Feb. 16.
BOX SCORE
THS: 18-9-14-9–50
KHS: 10-14-15-21–60
MORE SCORES
Todd Beamer 58, Stadium 55
Mount Tahoma 96, Kent-Meridian 66
Auburn Mountainview 58, Prairie 54
Lakes 60, River Ridge 50
Evergreen (Vancouver) 73, Yelm 69
FRIDAY’S RESULTS (FEB. 9)
BOYS BASKETBALL
3A
District 3/4 Tournament – Opening Round
AUBURN 83, LINCOLN 70
Lincoln gave Auburn all it could handle in the 3A District 3/4 opening round game on Friday night, but Jaylen Petty wasn’t going to let the Trojans lose at home.
He drilled back-to-back 3-pointers early in the fourth quarter to give Auburn a 61-53 lead, six of his game-high 32 points in Auburn’s 83-70 win over the Abes.
The shots came just minutes after Auburn coach Ryan Hansen pulled his star guard aside after the third quarter ended. His message: take over.
“I just said, ‘Hey, listen Jaylen, you’re the best player on the floor. Go be that guy,’” Hansen said. “He had a great second half. They made things tough on him, but he gets loose, he gets going, he’s shown it all year. You can make things tough on him but he finds a way to get it going.”
It felt like Petty didn’t even play his best game, but he still ended up with 32 points. Junior guard Carter Hansen added 22 for the Trojans, including some threes down the stretch.
The biggest takeaway? Everyone at Auburn is thrilled to be playing some hard-fought, meaningful basketball games after steamrolling through the 3A North Puget Sound League schedule.
“This is fun,” Petty said. “This is what we wanted the whole season. We didn’t want none of them weak games. We really wanted to really fight and get bigger games to tell people who we are.”
Lincoln hung around for most of the game and a few times, it looked like the Abes could pull off the upset. Freshman guard Trey Collier poured in a career high 19 points to lead the Abes, 16 of which came in the first half when forward Omarion Boston went to the bench with foul trouble. Boston added 14 and senior guard LaVhanta Sandling-Green scored 15.
“It’s scary at times what we can do,” said Lincoln coach Ryan Rogers. “It can be anybody’s night anytime. For the most part, we stayed pretty composed. Our freshmen don’t play like freshmen. It’s been really helpful for us. They’re all about the team, they don’t care who scores the most or gets the most opportunities, they just want to win.”
For most of the first half, Lincoln out-worked Auburn’s group, notably on the glass.
“I thought the first half, we really got out-toughed,” Hansen said. “They came out and got up in us, were really physical with us, were kind of pushing us off our spots and took us out of some things we really wanted to do.”
But eventually, Petty and Hansen’s scoring ability was the difference.
“It’s really huge to have a guy like Carter out there who can take that pressure off of Jaylen,” Hansen said. “Teams focus a lot on stopping Jaylen, but Carter’s a guy who can really score the ball, he handles.”
4A
TAHOMA 60, EMERALD RIDGE 47
Senior forward Dalton Brown had a 13-point, 12-rebound double-double, and Tahoma stormed back from an 11-point deficit in the second half, turning Friday night’s district opener upside down.
Brown took over in the fourth quarter and the Bears ended the contest on a 15-2 run, securing both the program’s fourth consecutive win and a state-tournament berth.
“The school isn’t really basketball-tradition-rich, and now this will be our third straight year at state. The school’s never done that,” Tahoma head coach Rick Tripp said. “We felt unsatisfied, I guess is the best word, when we got upset by Camas [in the first round] last year. This group has dedicated themselves, and like tonight, it was seven seniors that got the work done.”
Guided by Brown, Tahoma seniors carried the load. Bears forward Jayden Stephens dropped 12 points and grabbed eight rebounds, and forward Adam Davis tallied 11 points and nine rebounds. Senior guard Parker Plowman dropped seven of his nine points in the fourth quarter.
Jaguars point guard Tony Harste dropped a game-high 15 points, but Tahoma held Emerald Ridge’s primary ball-handler to a single point in the final period.
“I’ve got to give Emerald Ridge a bunch of kudos,” Tripp said. “Pat Mullen’s a (state basketball) Hall-of-Fame coach, and they executed a really good game plan. We knew they would do what they did, but we didn’t do a very good job of countering that.
“In the fourth quarter, we started playing how we like to play.”
Tahoma advances to a District 3/4 semifinal -- the Bears meet Saturday’s Federal Way-Puyallup winner -- at Federal Way High School on Feb. 15. Tip off is scheduled for 5 p.m.
BOX SCORE
ER: 17-11-14-5–47
THS: 18-5-15-22–60
GIRLS BASKETBALL
4A
West Central District 3/4 Tournament – Opening Round
SUMNER 70, KENTRIDGE 39
Senior point guard Lainee Houillon had 20 points, and the Spartans punched a state-tournament ticket in Friday night’s district opener at Sumner High School.
Sumner feasted on a handful of early Kentridge turnovers, and Houillon dropped half of her game-high 20 points in the third quarter to extinguish a later Chargers rally.
“(State) is something we talk about all year,” Sumner head coach Katie Hyppa said. “It’s a goal from the start, for sure. … It’s one step in the right direction. It’s always one game at a time, but it’s definitely a step toward the end goal.”
Houillon, the 4A SPSL North co-MVP, did it all Friday night: 20 points, six rebounds, five assists, and four steals.
“(Lainee) played both sides of the ball tonight,” Hyppa said. “She did a good job distributing the ball and commanding her presence on the floor.”
Sumner now visits Federal Way High School for a tournament semifinal Feb. 14 with an opportunity to capture a district championship before state competition begins.
Four Spartans tallied double-digit scoring performances Friday. Freshman Kawehi Borden provided an early spark with 10 points in the first quarter and finished with a dozen. Sophomore guard Olivia Collins and senior forward Adriana Perez scored 11 points each.
“You want to start playing some of your best basketball here in the next couple games, obviously,” Hyppa said. “Just trying to fine-tune what we do. It’s no secret on our end, the type of basketball we play.”
Kentridge’s Jayla Keowla paced the Chargers with 13 points (all in the third quarter).
BOX SCORE
KR: 10-7-16-6–39
SHS: 20-14-20-16–70
CAMAS 70, EMERALD RIDGE 29
Camas, last season’s 4A runner-up, is back in the state bracket.
Senior forward Addison Harris dropped a game-high 21 points, and the Papermakers silenced Emerald Ridge in the second half to clinch a state berth and breeze through the first round of the district tournament Friday night.
Camas remains undefeated against in-state opponents. Friday was no different, when Harris sank three triples and the Papermakers pulled starters after three quarters.
Emerald Ridge proved stubborn in the opening minutes, able to score in transition off a pair of Camas misses: “They hit a couple of buckets and then they slowed us down with their length,” Jaguars head coach Arvin Mosley Jr. said.
“Then we got in foul trouble... and they blew the doors open.”
Camas guard Sophie Buzzard scored 10 points (two three-pointers). Guards Riley Sanz (sr.) and Keirra Thompson (jr.) added eight apiece, and senior forward Reagan Jamison tallied seven points.
Emerald Ridge seniors Naomi Senato (guard) and Divina Williams (forward) co-led the Jaguars with seven points.
Camas meets Sumner in a district semifinal next Wednesday at Federal Way High School. Both programs are off to state.
Emerald Ridge, now in the lower bracket, remains in contention and would clinch a state berth with consecutive wins on Feb. 13 and Feb. 15.
BOX SCORE
ER: 12-9-4-4–29
CHS: 21-19-17-13–70
UNION 65, OLYMPIA 37
Union’s backcourt caught fire from downtown, and the Titans rolled through a loser-out contest Friday night in Vancouver.
Titans guards Rowyn Riley (sr.) and Brooklynn Haywood (so.) were unstoppable from three-point range: Riley drained six treys en route to a game-high 24 points, and Haywood hit five triples and scored 19.
Senior guard Ava Smith added a dozen points with three treys, and Union sharpshooters sank 16 total three-pointers in a lopsided district opener.
Olympia freshman Brooke Juergens paced the Bears with 15 points, all on five three-pointers. Freshman shooting guard Sawyer Schaff scored eight points in the loss. Junior guards Lauren Juergens and Lauren Wolin added six points each.
It was a three-point frenzy at Union High School. The Titans and Bears combined for 23 total three-pointers made (Union 16, Olympia 7), meaning 69 of the 102 total points (roughly 68 percent) came from downtown.
BOX SCORE
O: 7-9-7-14–37
U: 16-12-18-19–65
BELLARMINE PREP 66, KENTWOOD 43
Lions guard Jada Travis erupted for 32 points, and Bellarmine Prep clinched a trip to the state tournament in Friday night’s district opener.
Travis (9-21 FG) sank three triples, adding 11-of-13 free-throw attempts in a 66-43 win over Kentwood at Bellarmine Prep. The senior point guard sparked the Lions with nine points in each of the first and third quarters, later pushing Bellarmine’s lead beyond 20.
Lions center Keira Leingang (sr.) was Travis’ complement in the post, adding eight points in the first quarter and finishing with 14.
Freshman forward Kyla Frazier scored 10 points (6-8 FT).
The victory secured a top-four district finish and state-tournament allocation. First, Bellarmine Prep meets Tahoma in a District 3/4 semifinal at Federal Way High School on Feb. 14 at 5 p.m.
Conquerors junior Jessica Ajayi dropped a team-high 26 points, including all of Kentwood’s 13 points in the third quarter.
BOX SCORE
KW: 10-10-13-10–43
BP: 19-10-19-18–66
MORE SCORES
Tahoma 57, Bethel 41
Decatur 51, Rogers (Puyallup) 29
Skyview 47, Puyallup 45
3A
AUBURN 65, LINCOLN 53
There’s a common thread between all the Hansen kids who have gone or are going through Auburn’s basketball programs: they can all put the ball in the hoop.
Auburn freshman Avery Hansen, the third of four Hansen kids — and the only girl — between Auburn boys basketball coach Ryan Hansen and Auburn girls basketball coach Jessica Hansen, is the latest to reach the high school.
She scored a game-high 22 points in Auburn’s opening round district win over Lincoln on Friday.
“We were ready for them,” Hansen said. “We’ve been preparing for them all week. We just came out hot and knew what they were gonna do. We just came out attacking, being aggressive on defense.”
Lincoln held a lead midway through the first half, but Auburn clawed back. Freshman guard Keleesa Howard scored 14, Emmalee Secrest added 10, Bella Titialii added nine and senior Jayla Brown scored seven in the win.
“We really haven’t been tested for a month and a half, since (a tournament in) Arizona, really, over Christmas break,” said Jessica Hansen. “I was really proud of us getting down five or seven, that adversity and our girls just keeping it together.”
Auburn tossed a bunch of different defensive looks at Lincoln, including a full-court 2-2-1 press and an active 2-3 zone, forcing the Abes into mistakes.
“They have some quick players,” Jessica Hansen said. “ They like to run on people. I did feel like watching film, we could still run on them. … We’re quick, we condition well. We like to mix it up, keep them guessing.”
This Auburn group may be flying under the radar statewide just weeks before the Hardwood Classic 3A state tournament at the Tacoma Dome. That’s fine by them.
“I’m not really worried about that,” Avery Hansen said. “It’s whatever. … We’ve been ready, man. Last season, they weren’t that good. We had four new freshmen come in and we’ve got six great seniors. We’re ready to come for this, man. We’ve been working all season.”
Lincoln guard Ciona Wells scored a team-high 17 points in the loss. Forward De’Andrea Woods added 11 and guard Savannah So scored 10.
BONNEY LAKE 57, AUBURN MOUNTAINVIEW 33
The Panthers dominated the first half and cruised to victory on Friday night, an opening-round statement in the District 3/4 tournament that locks Bonney Lake into the upcoming state bracket.
Freshman forward Azy Jackson had nine points, all in the first quarter, and senior forward Jazmyn Shipp dropped a game-high 16 points in Bonney Lake’s 11th consecutive win.
The Panthers haven’t lost a game since a narrow, four-point defeat at 4A-contender Sumner on Dec. 28.
Shipp’s 16 points led a group of six Panthers to manage at least seven points Friday night. Senior center Ava Rice scored eight points; Evin Elias, Sophia Mackay, and Izzy Meki added seven apiece.
State allocations for both programs already in tow, Bonney Lake meets Auburn in a District 3/4 semifinal at Mount Tahoma on Feb. 14. Tip off is set for 5 p.m.
Auburn Mountainview falls to the lower bracket for a Feb. 13 matchup with Kelso and would be eliminated from state contention with a loss.
BOX SCORE
AMV: 10-2-10-11–33
BL: 21-11-10-15–57
NORTH THURSTON 76, PENINSULA 48
18-0: North Thurston’s perfect season continues.
Star guard Soraya Ogaldez had 32 points, and the Rams exploded in the second quarter (28 points) in a runaway district-tournament win at North Thurston High School.
Better yet – Friday night’s rout in the opening round punched North Thurston’s state-tournament ticket.
“It’s fun to see a bunch of girls that were young playing together, and now have a lot of maturity underneath them,” Rams head coach Jackie Meyer said. “We’re finally clicking and playing on all levels.
“This will be our third year in a row [going to state], which is fun, because a couple of years ago was the first time our program had gone in 30 years. It’s been fun to see us make this run for three years.”
Ogaldez held a game-long scoring clinic, but erupted for 17 points in the second quarter where the 5-foot-7 junior drained three triples and outscored Peninsula on her own.
“She does a really good job leading our team, giving other people looks,” Meyer said. “It allows her to get looks. … She answered everything that Peninsula threw up.”
Rams junior Kaylin Henderson delivered a dozen points and was 6-of-8 from the free-throw line.
Seahawks seniors Kaylia Heidelberg and Daisy Peay, both guards, co-led Peninsula with nine points.
North Thurston meets Evergreen of Vancouver in a District ¾ semifinal at Mount Tahoma High School on Feb. 14. Tip off is set for 7 p.m.
Peninsula hosts Mountain View in a loser-out contest Feb. 13, and needs two consecutive wins to clinch a state berth.
BOX SCORE
PHS: 6-14-12-16–48
NT: 18-28-16-14–76
MORE SCORES
Evergreen (Vancouver) 73, Timberline 62
Lakes 74, Kent-Meridian 34
Kelso 54, Kentlake 34
Gig Harbor 50, Bainbridge 40
Mountain View 62, Capital 38
This story was originally published February 9, 2024 at 11:40 PM.
