5 takeaways from quarterfinals of 4A, 3A boys and girls basketball tournaments
Day 2 (quarterfinals) of the high school boys and girls 4A and 3A state basketball tournaments at the Tacoma Dome is in the books.
Here are five takeaways from the day’s action.
NO. 1 GOES DOWN
The Emerald Ridge boys delivered the biggest headline of the day, knocking off Mount Si, the No. 1 seed in the 4A state tournament. The Jaguars started fast, leading 36-31 at half and controlling the action for most of the game. When Mount Si finally rallied in the fourth quarter, it was too little, too late. Emerald Ridge hung to win, 67-62, stunning the top-seeded Wildcats. Most encouraging for the Jaguars, again, was the offensive balance: Ellis Mosley scored 19, Jordan Bennett scored 15, Mychal Tuner scored 13 and Jamaize McGriff scored nine. That’s the type of balance that could have Pat Mullen’s group hoisting a trophy on Saturday.
TYRAN STOKES MAKES MUCH-ANTICIPATED TACOMA DOME DEBUT
All eyes were on Rainier Beach senior Tyran Stokes, the nation’s No.1 ranked high school basketball player, as he made his Tacoma Dome debut on Thursday for the defending 3A state champions. Stokes, who moved from California and transferred to Rainier Beach for his senior year is a five-star recruit and is considered the No. 1 prospect in the country by ESPN. Stokes started slowly with six first half points, but turned it on in the second half and quietly recorded an impressive triple-double: 24 points on 9-of-12 shooting from the field and 6-of-12 from the free throw line. He had 12 rebounds, 11 assists, four turnovers, a blocked shot and a steal in 29 minutes played.
KENNEDY CATHOLIC, SUMNER PULL OFF UPSETS IN GIRLS 4A BRACKET
Our favorite part of No. 11 Kennedy Catholic’s run to the semifinals? Sophomore guard Jayden Fitzgerald’s flat-out refusal to call it an underdog story. Two days, two seeding upsets for Kennedy, which beat No. 3 Chiawana and Wednesday and knocked off No. 5 Gonzaga Prep on Thursday. Fitzgerald’s response? “It doesn’t mean anything to us,” she said. “We expected to be in this spot.” Say what you want, but at The News Tribune — we’re here for this confidence from Kennedy’s guard, who scored 32 points in the win.
And how about Sumner, which always seems to turn it on when the state tournament rolls around? It feels hard to call this an upset, given the fact that Sumner played in the 4A state championship game last season, returned Kawehi Borden and Olivia Collins and added post Raymiah Jackson. But the Spartans’ up-and-down resume gave them the No. 7 seed, and No. 2 Union was one of the tournament favorites, led by star guard Brooklynn Haywood (she scored 32 in the loss). Kawehi Borden, who scored 27, is playing on a different level.
HEARTBREAK FOR PUYALLUP, AGAIN. AT THE HANDS OF GONZAGA PREP, AGAIN
There was a very human moment from Gonzaga Prep’s Dylynn Groves during a postgame interview with reporters. He put himself in Puyallup’s shoes after he made the game-winning shot against Puyallup in double overtime on Thursday. Last year, in the 4A state championship game, Gonzaga Prep beat Puyallup on a last-second shot to win the title. To have it happen again, could he imagine how that would feel, being on the other side? “It would be heartbreaking,” he said. No need to say more. It was heartbreaking for the Vikings, indeed. Groves bullied his way to the basket and made a contested layup to win the game. For Puyallup, it felt like reliving a bad dream.
SEATTLE VS. TACOMA IN 3A BOYS SEMIFINALS
Well, Seattle-ish. Technically, Eastside Catholic is in Sammamish, but the Metro League is largely Seattle-based. The 3A semis: No. 1 Rainier Beach vs. No. 5 Bellarmine Prep and No. 4 Eastside Catholic vs. No. 7 Lincoln. Rainier Beach and Eastside Catholic play in the Metro, while Tacoma schools Bellarmine Prep and Lincoln play in the Puget Sound League. We’ve nicknamed the 3A boys tournament “The Metro Invitational” for years, so it’s nice to see some Tacoma representation. Can the Tacoma teams come out on top? We’ll find out, but it’s been a well-coached run by Lincoln’s Ryan Rogers and Bellarmine’s Bobby Moorehead, regardless of what happens.
This story was originally published March 6, 2026 at 5:00 AM.
