The high school state basketball tournaments take place this week from Wednesday to Saturday, and there’s a large local representation as 11 local teams were among the 12 that qualified in their respective classifications.
Here are the first-round games involving local teams, with each team listed with its RPI ranking and record. All these games are on Wednesday, with 4A and 3A at the Tacoma Dome, 2A and 1A at the Yakima Valley SunDome, and 2B and 1B at Spokane Veterans Memorial Arena (brackets provided in the links):
No. 5 Glacier Peak (20-3) vs. No. 12 Chiawana (19-6)
Notes: The Grizzlies were the class of Wesco this season, and if they get past the first round they face Lewis and Clark, a team Glacier Peak beat during the regular season, in the quarterfinals.
No. 6 Jackson (18-5) vs. No. 11 Puyallup (20-7)
No. 10 Glacier Peak (15-7) vs. No. 7 Curtis (19-6)
Notes: The good news for both Jackson and Glacier Peak is that if they win, neither has to play either defending state champion Gonzaga Prep or uber-talented Federal Way in the quarterfinals.
No. 8 Arlington (17-6) vs. No. 9 West Seattle (18-5)
No. 11 Snohomish (16-7) vs. No. 6 Seattle Prep (19-5)
No. 15 Edmonds-Woodway (14-9) vs. No. 7 Bethel (20-5)
Notes: While Arlington has a higher seed and finished higher in Wesco than Snohomish, the Panthers are the team on a roll as they’ve won 13 of their past 14, including all four of their playoff games.All three local schools would have a tough opponent in the quarterfinals.
No. 4 Marysville Pilchuck (20-3) vs. BYE
Notes: The Tomahawks have a built-in advantage as they’re the only local team that earned a first-round bye. Marysville Pilchuck faces the winner of No. 6 Lincoln and No. 11 O’Dea in the quarterfinals.
No. 5 Archbishop Murphy (19-4) vs. No. 13 Black Hills (17-8)
Notes: The Wildcats are an interesting study as they played a 3A schedule this season, so that may have hardened them for the state tournament. No. 3 Clarkson, which Archbishop Murphy would face in the quarterfinals, is the only higher seed on the Wildcats’ half of the bracket.
No. 8 King’s (20-6) vs. No. 9 Medical Lake (18-6)
Notes: The good news for the Knights is at least they’re on the opposite side of the bracket of La Salle and Cashmere, two teams they struggled against during the regular season.
No. 10 King’s (19-5) vs. No. 7 Deer Park (17-7)
Notes: There’s a big problem for the Knights as if they beat Deer Park they face top-seeded and undefeated Lynden Christian in the quarterfinals. But King’s 70-63 loss to Lynden Christian at district is the Knights’ only loss to a 1A opponent this season.
No. 4 Tulalip Heritage (20-5) vs. No. 12 Oakesdale (17-7)
Notes: While the Hawks were the high seed that didn’t win at regionals and thus didn’t receive a bye, Tulalip Heritage is the highest-seeded team on its half of the bracket.
So which local team do you think advances the furthest? Vote here:
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