Recaps, highlights from semifinals at 4A and 3A state girls basketball tournaments
Between the Class 4A and 3A girls state tournaments, 30 high school basketball games will be played in the Tacoma Dome this weekend. The News Tribune will be providing game recaps, highlights, interviews, stats and more.
Follow along for live updates from Friday’s semifinals.
CLASS 4A
Semifinals
No. 11 Kennedy Catholic vs. No. 1 Davis, 3:45 p.m.
No. 8 Sumner vs. No. 6 Lake Washington, 5:30 p.m.
CLASS 3A
Semifinals
No. 4 Roosevelt vs. No. 1 Bellevue, 7:15 p.m.
No. 6 Eastside Catholic vs. No. 2 Snohomish, 9 p.m.
CLASS 3A
No. 6 Eastside Catholic 47, No. 2 Snohomish 43
Amy Nduka knows the double- and triple-teams are coming.
It’s as if Eastside Catholic’s star forward is a magnet. Opponents routinely smother the 6-foot-4 sophomore, but Nduka is learning to embrace the attention three-star recruits receive.
“It’s been a huge adjustment for me,” she told The News Tribune. “I don’t think I’ve ever gotten double-teamed, triple-teamed as much as I did this year, to be honest with you. Just working with that… and learning to use my teammates.”
On the biggest stage of her young high school career, Nduka delivered again. Her game-high 23 points lifted Eastside Catholic over Snohomish, 47-43, in Friday’s 3A semifinals — sending the Crusaders to the title game for the first time since 2002.
Nduka posted a double-double, grabbing 12 rebounds with four blocks and two assists. Sophomore guard Sophie Lugolobi had 11 points and eight rebounds; Tatum Carter added six points.
“(Amy’s) just a leader,” Crusaders head coach Darnellia Russell said. “She loves her teammates, and she wants to win. She’s going to do whatever it takes to win.”
It’s a familiar foe in Saturday’s championship: No. 1 Bellevue, which beat the Crusaders by three points in February’s district title game.
“It’s going to be a good game, for sure,” Nduka said. “We really know what we’ve got to do. We studied the film. … Our team knows what we have to do. We’ve just got to stay disciplined, and I think we’ve got it, for sure.
“My siblings, my brother (and) sister, they both played Eastside Catholic basketball. I don’t know if they got to experience this, so just playing for them, playing for everyone. My family and my friends, our boys team (that) didn’t get a chance to win it. It’s just super exciting to play in this game and be a part of this, for sure.”
No. 1 Bellevue 51, No. 4 Roosevelt 47
Bellevue won comfortably against Roosevelt in a meeting between the programs last month. Friday night’s 3A state semifinal rematch at the Tacoma Dome, however?
“A lot tougher today,” guard Syesha Simanton said.
The game went back and forth but the top-seeded Wolverines stayed composed down the stretch, knocking down shots and getting stops when needed.
Simanton scored a game-high 21 points and Iyla Jones added 10. Roosevelt guard Giselle Dollar scored a team-high 18 points in the loss. Bellevue held Roosevelt to just 28.1 percent shooting from the field.
Asked about her scoring night, Simanton said it wasn’t her top concern.
“I was just worried about winning,” she said. “I just want to win. I’m not into numbers, I’m into letters, man, you know what I mean? I just want to win. I want to win so bad, I’m willing to do whatever it takes for this team.”
She and her Bellevue teammates will have the chance to win the big one on Saturday.
“I’ve never smiled like this before, I’m so excited,” Simanton said. “Ever since I was a little girl, I’ve always wanted to do this, so I’m just super excited.”
CLASS 4A
No. 8 Sumner 52, No. 6 Lake Washington 41
When Kawehi Borden wasn’t dominating the midrange, Sumner’s star guard was facilitating the show.
Everything ran through the four-star recruit in Friday’s 4A semifinals at the Tacoma Dome. When the Spartans needed a bucket in crunch time, she delivered — knocking down a crucial and-one near the free-throw line with a hand in her face. Of course, Borden swished the foul shot, too.
Her reaction? Almost nonchalant. This isn’t her first time taking over the Hardwood Classic, the engine of Sumner’s run to last year’s 4A championship game.
Now they’re going back.
Borden dropped a game-high 28 points and Sumner outlasted Lake Washington, 52-41, to reach their second-straight title game.
“All of the training we’ve done all offseason, all summer, it’s all led to this,” Borden said.
It’s a championship rematch: The Sumner-Davis rivalry will be renewed Saturday night, their fourth playoff matchup in the last two seasons. The Spartans won the first, a regional game last year, before the Pirates won the next two.
“We’ve put together really good pieces of games against (Davis), but you can’t do that against them,” Sumner head coach Katie Hyppa said. “They’re too good of a basketball team. We’ve got to put together four full quarters.”
What is new? Spartans forward Raymiah Jackson, the interior presence Sumner lacked last year. The Emerald Ridge transfer posted a 10-point, 12-rebound double-double in Friday’s win.
“Having (Raymiah) in there to rebound… me and (Olivia Collins) are running around guarding their best players, and having someone that has such a big presence on the defensive boards is huge,” Borden said.
Borden finished with 28 points, four rebounds, three assists, and a block. Spartans guard Zoaye Reed had five points and Collins added four.
“She knew they were going to collapse down low, so (the midrange) is where she’s comfortable,” Hyppa said of Borden. “She had great touch around the rim today.”
Lake Washington’s Ashley Uusitalo led the Kangaroos with 13 points.
No. 8 Sumner and No. 1 Davis battle for the 4A title at 5 p.m. Saturday night at the Tacoma Dome.
No. 1 Davis 57, No. 11 Kennedy Catholic 38
As No. 11 Kennedy Catholic had made clear after upset wins over Chiawana and Gonzaga Prep in the Tacoma Dome, the Lancers had no intentions of going away quietly.
So it wasn’t too much of a surprise No. 1 Davis had to grind out a result against Kennedy Catholic in the 4A semifinals on Friday afternoon.
“I felt like some of our shots weren’t going in (early),” Davis guard Deets Parrish said. “We expected them to come out hard, but maybe not that hard. They gave us a really good competition, so I really liked this game. I enjoyed it.”
It wasn’t always pretty, but Davis’ talent and length eventually wore Kennedy Catholic down in a 57-38 win. Defensively, the Pirates held Kennedy Catholic guard Jayden Fitzgerald to a hard-earned 18 points. Kennedy Catholic managed just 19 points in the second half.
Parrish said she plays on the same AAU team as Fitzgerald, so there was familiarity between them.
“I’ve been going against her all summer,” Parrish said. “She’s tough. It was going to be me and Kobe Johnson to guard her, just because we’re both really lengthy.”
Parrish scored a team-high 15 points, guard Cheyenne Hull scored 14, guard Isa Garcia scored 14 and guard Averie Brandt added 10.
Davis will play the winner of Sumner and Lake Washington in Saturday’s championship game, 5 p.m. at the Tacoma Dome.
CONSOLATION LADDER
CLASS 4A
No. 5 Gonzaga Prep 50, No. 10 Lake Stevens 42
No. 4 Woodinville 64, No. 2 Union 55
CLASS 3A
No. 7 Evergreen 51, No. 11 Lakeside 46
No. 12 White River 47, No. 9 Stanwood 28
This story was originally published March 6, 2026 at 6:07 PM.
