Collins, Borden lift Sumner past Woodinville, into 4A state championship game
It hasn’t been flawless for the Sumner High School girls basketball team this year. There have been some frustrating losses over the course of the season, some downright puzzling.
But the pieces and talent were always there and the Spartans are peaking at the right time, set into motion by a road state tournament regional round win over top-seeded Davis of Yakima last weekend.
“We’ve all played enough basketball between coaches and players on our team, it doesn’t really matter what happens in December or January, or even February,” Sumner coach Katie Hyppa said.
It’s all about March. Sumner kept the momentum rolling on Friday night in the 4A state tournament semifinals, beating a talented Woodinville team, 46-39 to advance to Saturday’s 4A state championship game at the Tacoma Dome.
“I wanted to cry at first,” Sumner guard Olivia Collins said of the emotion when the final buzzer rang. “All of us were so excited. That was a game of runs.”
Sumner outscored Woodinville by seven in the second quarter and never let off the gas. Woodinville kept poking at the lead in the fourth quarter, cutting it to a point with under three minutes to play, but Collins scored the final eight points of the game to fend off the Falcons’ comeback bid.
“It was all down to grit for us, just trying to lock in,” Collins said. “Moving the ball. With our help from our offense, we just keep getting more and more rebounds. Rebounds matter for us to get second-chance points and that’s how we won the game.”
Collins scored a game-high 25 points and had five rebounds. Teammate Kawehi Borden scored 15 points, had nine rebounds, an assist, two blocks and two steals.
Woodinville forward Hailey Quiggle scored a team-high 19 points. No other Falcons scored in double digits.
The state championship appearance is Sumner’s first since 2022, when the Spartans lost by two points to Woodinville. Sumner has now made it to at least the state semifinal round three out of the last four years.
“We’ll see who we get tomorrow but at this point, it’s about us,” Hyppa said.
Sumner will face the winner of No. 1 Davis and No. 13 Glacier Peak. The championship game is set for 7 p.m. on Saturday at the Tacoma Dome.
