Borden takes over semis, Sumner girls cruise to state championship
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.
This story was originally published March 6, 2026 at 7:31 PM.
