Washington high school (WIAA) 2A/ 1A state basketball: Game recaps, highlights, top performers from Yakima

Naches Valley girls return to state by ousting two-time 1A champion Nooksack Valley, while three double-digit seeds advanced in 2A boys

Columbia River players celebrate their Wednesday morning victory against Lakewood in the Class 2A state tournament in the Yakima Valley SunDome. / Photo by Jerrel Swenning

YAKIMA, Wash. - The last time the Naches Valley girls were at the state tournament, most of the Rangers roster were infants if they were even born.

They'll have a win to remember the rest of their lives after what they did Wednesday afternoon.

Eighth-seeded Naches Valley, making its first trip since 2007, ousted two-time defensing champion Nooksack Valley 41-37.

On the boys court, Class 2A double-digit seeds are had their way.

No. 11 Columbia River opened the day by ousting sixth-seeded Lakewood in the first game of the day. No. 10 Prosser and No. 12 Franklin Pierce continued the trend by beating seventh-seeded Foster and No. West Valley of Spokane, respectively, in loser-out contests.

On the girls court, SCAC members Zillah, the third seed, and No. 7 Cashmere advanced. Fifth-seeded Annie Wright will join the Gators' top-ranked boys team in the quarterfinals after beating No. 13 Lakeside.

The winners of Wednesday's game advance to the quarterfinals. Semifinals are set Friday, with Saturday's championships beginning at 3 p.m. with the 1A girls, and the 2A boys capping the week at 9.

Lynden is the top seed in both the 2A fields, with the boys looking for a four-peat and the undefeated girls eying back-to-back titles in a bracket that has two other unbeatens in 2022 and '23 champion Ellensburg and Deer Park, the runner-up in 1A a year ago.

Annie Wright's boys had their title hopes dashed by Zillah in the final seconds of last year's title game, but the top seeds are heavy favorites this year with a stellar lineup. Perennial power Lynden Christian is top-seeded in the girls field, which appears wide open.

Here's a rundown of Wednesday's action:

The Lynden boys basketball team celebrates last March after winning their third straight Class 2A state championship in the Yakima Valley SunDome. / SBLive file

2A BOYS (Bracket breakdown and predictions)

Game 1 - No. 11 Columbia River 60, No. 6 Lakewood 56: Rapids seniors Ari Richardson and Aaron Hoey combined for 40 points and Columbia River outlasted the Cougars in a back-and-forth contest.

Richardson had 22 points and a game-high six rebounds, while Hoey finished with 18 points.

Caleb Greenland had 19 points for Lakewood, the only team to have beaten top-seeded Lynden this season. The Cougars finished the season 18-8. NEXT: No. 11 Columbia River (20-5) vs. Winner No. 5 Selah (20-4) on Thursday at 9 a.m.

Game 2 - No. 10 Prosser 88, No. 7 Foster 66: Two-time CWAC MVP Koby McClure overcame an early spill that cut his chin to score a game-high 29 points and grab 10 rebounds to help the Mustangs, fourth in last year's tournament, advance.

Trent Russell added 19 points, and Landon Bailey totaled 19 points and 10 boards for Prosser, which scored 54 points in the second half, shooting a robust 59%.

Jeremiah Wright has 19 points and seven rebounds for the Bulldogs, who finished the season 18-9. NEXT: No. 10 Prosser (21-7) vs. No. 1 Lynden (24-1) on Thursday at 10:30 a.m.

Game 3 - No. 12 Franklin Pierce 59, No. 4 West Valley of Spokane 50 : Javon Barbee poured in 29 points and grabbed seven rebounds, and the Cardinals held the Eagles to 26% shooting to move on.

Hakeem Collins added 10 points, seven rebounds and blocked four shots..

Will Busse led the Eagles with 16 points, Brice Abbey had 14 and Nathan Zettle chipped in 13 for the West Valley, which finished the season 20-5. NEXT:
No. 12 Franklin Pierce (21-4) vs. No. 3 Bremerton (19-5) on Thursday at 12:15 p.m.

Game 4 - No. 8 Mark Morris 69, No. 9 Sequim 59: Dalton Stevens poured in 30 points, grabbed 13 rebounds and blocked three shots to help the Monarchs rally from 10 points down to the start the fourth quarter.

Jericho Jumulst totaled 28 points and seven rebounds to lead the Wolves, who were 19-5 this season.

Jadyn Brooks added 13 points for Mark Morris. NEXT: No. 8 Mark Morris (21-4) vs. No. 2 R.A Long (23-1) on Thursday at 2 p.m.

Lynden's Payton Mills, right, looks to drive to the hoop during last March's Class 2A championship game against Ellensburg in the Yakima Valley SunDome. / SBLive file

2A GIRLS (Bracket breakdown and predictions)

Game 1 - No. 6 Prosser 71, No. 11 Eatonville 24: The Mustangs looked every bit the part of a program that has advanced to the semifinals and finished no worse than fifth place in the last three tournament, building a 46-14 lead and never looking back in advancing to the quarterfinals.

Sophomore Herbie Wright, the leading scorer in the CWAC racked up 26 points on 10-for-16 shooting, and Lay'lee Dixon chipped in 10 for Prosser.

Bailey Anderson had 13 points for the Cruisers, who completed their season 20-4.
NEXT: No. 6 Prosser (22-5) vs. No. 5 Archbishop Murphy (23-2) on Thursday at 3:45 p.m.

Game 2 No. 7 Columbia River 38, No. 10 Port Angeles 33: Marley Myers scored 11 points and Gracie Glavin 10 to lead the Rapids into the quarterfinals.

Lindsay Smith scored a game-high 16 points and Lexie Smith added 11 for the Roughriders, who finished the season 18-7. NEXT : No. 7 Columbia River (21-4) vs. No. 1 Lynden (25-0) on Thursday at 5:30 p.m.

Game 3 - No. 4 W.F. West 68, No. 12 North Mason: Reigning 2A player of the year Julia Dalan scored 28 points and grabbed 12 rebounds as the Bearcats rolled into the quarterfinals.

W.F. West blew the game open in the second quarter. After leading by seven after the first, the Bearcats outscored the Bulldogs 25-5 in the second period.

Taylor Madison had 15 points for North Mason, which eded the season 16-9. NEXT:
No. 4 W.F. West (24-2) vs. No. 3 Deer Park (24-0) on Thursday at 7:15 p.m.

Game 4 - No. 8 Bainbridge 44, No. 9 Woodland 40 (OT): Bella Ramirez scored 15 points, and Anna Rowe added 12 points and nine rebounds as the Spartans outlasted the Beavers to cap Wednesday's action in the SunDome.

Kennedy Bockert had 15 points for Woodland, which finished the season 19-7. NEXT: No. 8 Bainbridge (19-6) vs. No. 2 Ellensburg (25-0) on Thursday at 9 p.m.

Zillah players celebrate their victory in the Class 1A state championship game against Annie Wright last night in the SunDome. / SBLive file

1A BOYS (Bracket breakdown and predictions)

Game 1 - No. 6 Seton Catholic 68, No. 11 Cashmere 61: Kaiden Wilson scored 32 points and hauled in 15 rebounds as the Cougars rallied from a 17-point second half deficit to advance to the quarterfinals.

Seton Catholic trailed 45-28, and Cashmere looked like it would join fellow SCAC teams Zillah and Royal in the quarters. The Cougars, however, whittled the deficit to 10 heading into the fourth, and continued the comeback from there.

Rylan Nelson had a team-high 18 points for Cashmere, which finished the season 19-9.

Rico George added 17 points for the Cougars. NEXT: No. 6 Seton Catholic (19-6) vs. No. 4 Zillah (20-4) on Thursday at 3:45 p.m.

Game 2 - No. 7 Meridian 65, No. 15 Overlake 52: Jaeger Fife's 25 points helped the Trojans build a 23-point lead after three quarters and cruise to the quarterfinals.

James Hedahl added 15 points and seven rebounds for Meridan.

Brandon Douvia made 4 of 7 3-pointers and had 16 for the Owls, who were 15-10this season. NEXT: No. 7 Meridian (18-8) vs. No. 1 Annie Wright (20-2) on Thursday at 5:30 p.m.

Game 3 No. 5 King's 69, No. 12 Bellevue Christian 67 (OT): Andrew Gerbig's putback with 3 seconds remaining lifted the Knights to the victory after the Vikings had used a 14-2 run to send the game into overtime.

BC's Drake Penberthy sank a 3-pointer tie score 60-60 with just a couple ticks remaining.

Colton Adams scored 21 points to lead King's, and Dozie Asinobi had 18 and Gerbig chipped in 14.

Penberthy had 21 points, and Kyler Skogstad added 15 for the Vikings, who finished the season 19-6. NEXT: No. 5 King's (18-5) vs. Lynden Christian (22-2) on Thursday at 7:15 p.m.

Game 4 - No. 9 Chelan 69, No. 8 Bear Creek 51: Jacob Allen canned 5 of 10 3-pointers en route to a game-high 23 points, and Tev Uttech added 14 for the Goats.

Down by four after the first quarter, Chelan outscored the Grizzlies 40-14 in the second and third quarters.

Max Bieber led Bellevue Christian, 18-7 for the season, with 19 points. NEXT: No. 9 Chelan (23-5) vs. No. 2 Royal (24-1) on Thursday at 9 p.m.

Naches Valley coach LeVonte Allen talks to his team during Wednesday's game against Nooksack Valley in the Yakima Valley SunDome. / Evan Abell/Yakima Herald-Republic

1A GIRLS (Bracket breakdown and predictions)

Game 1 No. 3 Zillah 78, No. 11 Wapato 41: The Leopards shot 48% from the field and needed just one bucket outside the key - a 3-pointer - to cruise past their SCAC rivals and into the quarterfinals.

Sophomore Makenna Klitzke, who surpassed the 1,000-point mark in last week's regional round, led Zillah with 19 points, and she also pulled down 14 rebounds, a game-best.

Wapato's Trin Wheeler capped her career with a game-high 20 points for the Wolves, who finished the season 15-11. NEXT: No. 3 Zillah (21-4) vs No. 4 King's (18-7) on Thursday at 9 a.m.

Game 2 - No. 7 Cashmere 35, No. 10 Montesano 28: Leah Kunz scored 12 points and Allie McKenna added eight points and 15 rebounds to carry the Bulldogs into the quarterfinals.

Tieander Olson had a game-high 16 points, knocking down 4 of 7 3-pointers for the Bulldogs, who finished the season 18-8. NEXT: No. 7 Cashmere (18-8) vs. No. 1 Lynden Christian (21-3) on Thursday at 10:30 a.m.

Game 3 - No. 5 Annie Wright 71, No. 13 Lakeside of Nine Mile Falls 57: Aaliyeh Martin led four Gators in double figures as they advance to the quarterfinals.

Camille Bates and J'Lyn Doodigian each had 16 points, and Jasmine Andrisek posted a double-double with 13 points and 18 rebounds.

Blakleigh White and Jillian Owen each scored 15 points for the Eagles, who finished the season 14-9. NEXT: No. 5 Annie Wright (20-6) vs. No. 6 Seton Catholic (19-6) on Thursday at 12:15 p.m.

Game 4 - Naches Valley 41, No. 9 Nooksack Valley 37: Four days after giving No. 1 Lynden Christian all the Lyncs could handle before fading late, the Rangers finished this one off, eliminating the Pioneers behind senior Maddy Jewett.

The 5-foot-10 Jewett scored 13 points, eight rebounds and three steals, and battled Nooksack Valley 6-1 center Grace De Hoog, who eventually fouled out in the fourth quarter with 12 points and 14 rebounds.

SCAC player of the year Elli Bost had nine points and five rebounds for Naches Valley.

Payton Bartl scored a game-high 16 points for Nooksack Valley, which finished its season 17-9. NEXT: No. 8 Naches Valley (21-6) vs. No. 2 Bellevue Christian (22-2) on Thursday at 2 p.m.