TNT’s midseason girls basketball power rankings: Sumner is clear No. 1
We’re around the midway point of the high school girls basketball season in the South Sound. League title races are heating up, and the playoffs are fast approaching.
With half the season in the rear view, we’re ranking the Top 10 teams in the area so far, plus “The Next Five,” regardless of classification.
1. Sumner (13-1) — Spartans knocked on the door last year, advancing to the 4A state tournament semifinals. With 1-2 punch of Olivia Collins (15.8 points per game) and rising Power Four recruit Kawehi Borden (15.6 ppg), Spartans have the talent to win it all at the Tacoma Dome this year.
2. North Thurston (10-1) — Rams were already going to be a contender in 3A before the addition of Timberline transfer Shayla Cordis. Now, look out. Cordis (19.4 ppg) and returning TNT All-Area guard selection Soraya Ogaldez (20.8 ppg) form a formidable scoring duo.
3. Bellarmine Prep (11-2) — Lions graduated TNT All-Area selection Jada Travis but haven’t skipped a beat. Good luck slowing down 5-foot-9 shooting guard Kyla Frazier; she’s averaging 19.7 points per game.
4. Tahoma (11-2) — Bears are playing the definition of “team” basketball: six players are averaging five or more points per game for Tahoma this winter. Bailey Nettleton (11.8 ppg) and Adalynn Busch (9.6 ppg, 7.3 rebounds) lead the way.
5. Auburn (9-4) — So close, so often. In three of its biggest tests, Auburn has lost games to Kennedy Catholic, North Thurston and Tahoma by a combined six points. Still, it feels like the best is yet to come for this young group, paced by fluid sophomore guard Avery Hansen (15.6 ppg), a TNT All-Area selection last winter.
6. Emerald Ridge (11-2) — Jaguars have won six in a row with lockdown defense, including wins over league-rivals No. 8 Olympia (50-31) and No. 9 Bethel (48-28). Opponents are averaging fewer than 32 points per game since Emerald Ridge’s last loss on Dec. 26. Point guard Semaj Williams runs the show alongside budding forward JaRyah McGriff.
7. Kennedy Catholic (10-3) — Lancers prevailed, 55-53, for their marquee win on the road at Auburn (Dec. 12) and remain in the thick of the 4A NPSL race after finishing eighth just a year ago. Point guard Jayden Fitzgerald has burst onto the scene as a freshman for a program that’s won four straight.
8. Olympia (10-4) — Bears returned all five starters in 2024-25 and rolled to one of the best starts in program history (7-1). 4A SPSL South favorites pride themselves on half-court man defense and a steady scoring attack led by sophomore guard Sawyer Schaff.
9. Bethel (9-3) — Another balanced offense, the Bison sport four players with 9+ points per game and three in double-figures. Sophomore forward Timari Fruster (48% FG) is surging with a season-high 21 points over South Kitsap last weekend.
10. Annie Wright (10-3) — This small school can hang around with any classification – Annie Wright (1A) knocked off 4A-Kentridge and 3A-Silas in December, winners in nine of their last 10 games. Junior guard Aaliyeh Martin (19 PPG) can score from all levels.
The Next Five: White River, Bonney Lake, Gig Harbor, Shelton, River Ridge
