(This Week In (The) State Tournament)
Yes, that number says a lot about the depth of the Northwest Conference over the past 18 years. Again, seven teams from the conference head to Yakima loaded with talented and experienced rosters, and I am sure they will return home with more than those 26.
Wednesday
The Cougars are making their third state tournament appearance, the others in 2020 & 2022. They lost in the round of 12 both times, which is where they find themselves after a 62-44 lost to #3 Bremerton.
The Rapids tied Mark Morris for second place in the Greater St. Helens league, and gave league and district champion, #2 RA Long, their only loss of the season. The Rapids can “score the ball,” as they say, at a very high rate. They had a high game of 106 points. They scored 90 or more points six times and crossed 80 points ten times. They have a total of six state tournament trophies and lost to Anacortes last year in the round of 12.
The Cougars can also play offense, and this “Egg McMuffin” game could be one of the highest scoring games of the tournament if their alarm clocks sound off early enough.
The Pioneers return to the SunDome having won the last two 1A girls championships, and took second place the year before those. That’s an 11-1 record in the last three years. They made their way back this year after major roster graduation, which shows the depth of the Pioneers program under Coach Shane Wichers.
This will be a tough one for the Pioneers, as the Rangers nearly pulled off a regional shocker, but lost a big lead to #1 Lynden Christian. The Pioneers will have to contain Naches’ all-time scoring leader Maddy Jewett, who scored 28 against the Lyncs. So, will the Pioneers see the Rangers that built a 17-point lead over the Lyncs, or the one that got outscored 22-5 in the fourth quarter?
The Trojans are piling up the frequent bus-rider mileage, taking their second trip over Snoqualmie Pass in a few days. After the loss to #2 Royal, the Trojans want to stick around and see the sights of Yakima. Hey, who doesn’t? That starts with a win over-Over-lake.
The Owls were third in the Emerald City Chinook League behind Kings and Bear Creek. They ended up in the same order in their district tournament. They are making their fifth state tournament appearance since 2006 and took sixth in 2023. The Trojans lost in the round of 12 last year. If the Trojans have their shooting eye and if the guys off the bench can stir things up, they could fly past the Owls.
Thursday
1A Girls, 10:30am, #1 Lynden Christian Lyncs (21-3) vs (Wednesday winner) #7 Cashmere Bulldogs (17-8) or #10 Montesano Bulldogs (18-7)
The Lyncs state tournament record is way too long to list here. The last of their 14 titles came in 2022. It could very well be that the scare that Naches gave the Lyncs could be the wake up call they needed. The big come-from-behind win could also be the confidence and energy builder it takes to get to 3:00pm on Saturday.
Both Cashmere and Montesano will be a challenge. Cashmere won two of three matchups with Naches this season.
2A Boys, 10:30am, #1 Lynden Lions (25-1) vs (Wednesday winner) #10 Prosser Mustangs (20-7) vs Foster Bulldogs (18-8)
The Lions put together their best two game run of the season after their first loss of the year. They certainly have the mystique, and of course, the triple-sized target after three straight titles.
Prosser finished second to Grandview in the wild CWAC, then saw third place Selah take the district title. Koby McClure is one of the best scorers in the state, and the Mustangs have lost to Lynden each of the past two tournaments.
Foster received the #7 seed but doesn’t have a lot to show for their schedule coming from the KingCo League in District 2. They lost to #2 RA Long, 63-44 in their regional game.
2A Girls, 5:30pm, #1 Lynden Lions (25-0) vs (Wednesday winner) #10 Port Angeles Roughriders (18-6) or #7 Columbia River Rapids (20-4)
The defending champion Lions won’t take anything for granted, and the games will get tighter as they go along. The top two contenders to the Lions, Ellensburg and Deer Park are on the other side of the bracket. That certainly doesn’t mean the Lions will have no competition until then. But it will take a gargantuan effort by someone to keep they from playing Saturday night.
1A Boys, 7:15pm, #3 Lynden Christian Lyncs (22-2) vs (Wednesday winner) #12 Bellevue Christian Vikings (19-5) or #5 Kings Knights (18-5).
These three have a post-season history that dates back to the 1970’s. Will this be like a March Madness 12-seed Bellevue Christian upset of a 5-seed Kings?
The Knights, Lyncs, and Zillah own the last 10 state tournament championships. The Lyncs won back-to-back in 2022 and 2023. Because of the flow of the bracket, one of those three teams won’t make it to the final this year.
The Lyncs seem to be healed up from what ailed them and had a solid game in their win over Seton Catholic.
~ Ted House
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