3A state girls basketball preview: Players to watch, predictions
The Class 3A girls state basketball tournament begins Wednesday at the Tacoma Dome, where 15 games will be played in four days to decide this season’s high school champion.
Here’s what to watch for in the 2026 bracket, which features 12 programs from around the state.
REGIONAL RESULTS
Winner-to-quarterfinals, loser-to-first-round games
No. 1 Bellevue 63, No. 8 Edmonds-Woodway 46
No. 2 Snohomish 52, No. 7 Evergreen 39
No. 6 Eastside Catholic 54, No. 3 Ridgeline 36
No. 4 Roosevelt 68, No. 5 North Thurston 30
Winner-to-first-round, loser-out games
No. 9 Stanwood 60, No. 17 Bishop Blanchet 56
No. 15 Meadowdale 54, No. 10 Enumclaw 34
No. 11 Lakeside 57, No. 19 Lincoln 50
No. 12 White River 44, No. 13 Gig Harbor 43
TACOMA DOME SCHEDULE
Wednesday’s first round and Thursday’s quarterfinals
No. 11 Lakeside vs. No. 3 Ridgeline, 3:45 p.m. Wednesday
Winner vs. No. 4 Roosevelt, 3:45 p.m. Thursday
No. 15 Meadowdale vs. No. 7 Evergreen, 5:30 p.m. Wednesday
Winner vs. No. 1 Bellevue, 5:30 p.m. Thursday
No. 12 White River vs. No. 5 North Thurston, 7:15 p.m. Wednesday
Winner vs. No. 6 Eastside Catholic, 7:15 p.m. Thursday
No. 9 Stanwood vs. No. 8 Edmonds-Woodway, 9 p.m. Wednesday
Winner vs. No. 2 Snohomish, 9 p.m. Thursday
Friday’s semifinals
7:15 and 9 p.m.
Saturday’s championship and placing games
4th/6th — 9:30 a.m.
3rd/5th — 1 p.m.
Championship — 9 p.m.
15 PLAYERS TO WATCH
F Anvi Bhatia, Lakeside
G Mia Brockmeyer, Meadowdale
G Ellery Burke-Brown, Roosevelt
G Sienna Capelli, Snohomish
G Shayla Cordis, North Thurston
G Sierra Cordis, North Thurston
P Madilyn Crowley, Ridgeline
G Giselle Dollar, Roosevelt
G Dilynn Johnson, Bellevue
G Zaniyah Jones, Edmonds-Woodway
F Amy Nduka, Eastside Catholic
G Kimora Ross, Evergreen
G Maggee Schmitz, White River
G Grace Sheridan, Ridgeline
G Ellalee Wortham, Stanwood
TEAM PREVIEWS
No. 1 Bellevue (24-3) — The tournament favorites are loaded from top to bottom, boasting six players with at least eight points per game this winter. Watch for two-way spark plug Dilynn Johnson (12.3 PPG, 3.0 RPG) and freshman forward Lucia Mayorquin (11.2 PPG, 5.4 RPG), the standouts for a young core that should remain a 3A contender for the foreseeable future.
No. 2 Snohomish (19-6) — Senior guard Sienna Capelli is the engine for one of the bracket’s heavyweights, the owners of an active 17-game win streak after an 0-4 start this winter. The Wesco’s player of the year shot above 56 percent from the field and nearly averaged a double-double (20.4 PPG, 9.1 RPG), grabbing wins over No. 8 Edmonds-Woodway and No. 12 White River.
No. 3 Ridgeline (18-5) — Standout guard Grace Sheridan and six-foot post Madilyn Crowley headline a roster with seven freshmen. The District 6 champions fell to No. 6 Eastside Catholic in the regional round, snapping a 10-game win streak, but there’s still a chance this emerging group makes a run with No. 11 Lakeside and No. 4 Roosevelt looming next.
No. 4 Roosevelt (22-4) — Last year’s No. 15 seed soared to fourth in this year’s bracket and quickly lived up to the billing, routing No. 5 North Thurston by 38 points in the regional round. Seton Hall commit Giselle Dollar and UC Irvine commit Ellery Burke-Brown form a Division-I backcourt that could orchestrate a deep run in Tacoma.
No. 5 North Thurston (20-6) — The graduation of TNT All-Area point guard Soraya Ogaldez opened the door for senior guard Shayla Cordis to prove she is one of the state’s most-gifted scorers, averaging more than 27 points per game as North Thurston’s new star. Cordis and her younger sister, Sierra, are one of the state’s more-explosive duos in their own right, rolling to 3A PSL Nisqually and District 3 titles, but the Rams will have to regroup in the state’s Round of 12 after a stunning 68-30 loss to No. 4 Roosevelt at regionals.
No. 6 Eastside Catholic (18-7) — The 3A Metro champions go as sophomore forward Amy Nduka goes, a 6-foot-4 sophomore already considered a three-star recruit by ESPN. These Crusaders have Saturday potential: Eastside Catholic crushed No. 3 Ridgeline in the regional round, advancing straight to the Tacoma Dome’s state quarterfinals, and fell three points shy of claiming the District 2 title over No. 1 Bellevue on Feb. 21. Could we see a rematch for a much bigger prize?
No. 7 Evergreen (20-5) — The Plainsmen booked their first-ever trip to the Tacoma Dome, crowned district champions for the second time in school history. Evergreen hasn’t lost with a fully-healthy starting five, led by GSHL MVP Kimora Ross (18 PPG, 5 RPG, 3 APG) and junior guard Harmony Fallin (12 PPG, 4 APG). First-year head coach Dexteur LeSueur has guided Evergreen to its best record in school history.
No. 8 Edmonds-Woodway (20-5) — The new-look Warriors are off to state for the first time since 2019, powered by senior captain Finley Wichers and four freshmen. The young core developed in the local feeder program and remained teammates ever since, headlined by top-scorer Zaniyah Jones (16.4 PPG, 8.9 RPG, 3 SPG, 3 APG). Before their loss to No. 1 Bellevue in the regional round, Edmonds-Woodway’s only losses were to 3A-Snohomish and 2A-Archbishop Murphy — both top-five seeds in their respective state brackets.
No. 9 Stanwood (20-5) — Senior guard Ellalee Wortham stars in Stanwood, punching her Tacoma Dome ticket with a 27-point, 10-rebound double-double in Saturday’s regional win over Bishop Blanchet. The Lewis and Clark commit and former Wesco North MVP is Stanwood’s key for a tournament run, meeting No. 8 Edmonds-Woodway in Wednesday’s Round of 12. Look inside for sister front-court duo Dorothy and Stella Berrett, rebounders and floor-spacers for their standout guard.
No. 11 Lakeside (18-10) — The Lions outlasted No. 19 Lincoln in the regional round without top scorer Helena Christofilis, the sophomore guard who suffered a season-ending ACL injury in the district tournament. It’s up to junior forward Anvi Bhatia (10 PPG, 8.9 RPG) and senior captain Lili Brown (8.3 PPG, 3.8 SPG) at the Tacoma Dome with a freshman-heavy Ridgeline team standing in their way. Lakeside’s Kaliya Woodward missed the season’s first 13 games but has averaged nearly eight points per game since; Sienna Olson, a junior guard, rounds out a balanced attack (8.5 PPG, 4.3 RPG).
No. 12 White River (18-6) — The streak continues: Chris Gibson’s Hornets have reached the state’s “Sweet 16” each year since 2008, now in the Round of 12 for a fourth-straight season. It starts with two-time 3A NPSL MVP Maggee Schmitz these days, a reigning TNT All-Area selection leading White River in four categories (20.9 PPG). Junior guard Gracie Banks adds eight points per game and Malia Froemke delivered a dozen points — all on three-pointers — in a one-point win over No. 13 Gig Harbor in Saturday’s regional round.
No. 15 Meadowdale (16-10) — Five seniors and four starters graduated from last year’s Tacoma Dome team, but senior guard Mia Brockmeyer has Meadowdale back at the big dance after last weekend’s regional win over No. 10 Enumclaw. Brockmeyer, a Colgate commit and knockdown shooter, joined the 1,000-point career scoring club this season (18.7 PPG, 4.5 RPG, 3.2 APG) and was selected for the Washington State Girls Basketball Coaches Association’s all-state senior game. Junior guard Lexi Zardis adds 13.6 points and 3.2 assists per game.
TNT CHAMPIONSHIP PICK
No. 1 Bellevue 57, No. 6 Eastside Catholic 49
