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Welcome to SBLive’s weekly girls basketball notebook, where I explore news, features and notes from the high school hoops season around the state of Washington. Stay up to date on our girls power rankings by classification and more coverage of winter high school sports.

Past girls basketball notebooks
Youthful Sultan team making a charge (Jan.12)
Ferris in position to make playoffs for first time in two decades (Jan. 6)

The Carr sisters and their families are slated to spend spring break on vacation together.

That is, if nothing goes haywire next week.

Caitlin Carr, 28, is the first-year girls basketball coach at her alma mater - Auburn Mountainview High School. Aly (Carr) Lacey, 26, is the new girls coach at Kentlake High School. Both are schedule to face off against each other in 3A NPSL action for the first time Monday, trading wit - and hopefully lots of timely baskets.

"I never could have pictured this," Lacey said. "I always thought that maybe someday we'd coach together."

The interesting tie-in to this plot is their father - Chris Carr, the longtime Kentlake and Auburn Mountainview girls coach who is now the Lions' athletic director.

In fact, he coached both of his daughters, who also played together. Caitlin Carr graduated from Auburn Mountainview in 2012; Lacey finished up a year later.

Both went their separate ways, but returned to become assistant basketball coaches at different schools - Carr at White River (where she was also the volleyball coach), and Lacey at Kennedy Catholic.

Fate wouldn't have it any other way - both of dad's former coaching positions opened up at the same time.

Carr's interview was two-fold: She first applied to become Auburn Mountainview's dean of students, which she was hired for last summer. Then, she put her name in the hat for the coaching position, which became official in October.

"In this entire process, he didn't want to tell me what he wanted me to do," said Carr, adding that her father was not part of the hiring committee. "It was so annoying."

But Carr immediately knew she wanted her father as part of her coaching staff.

Currently, the Lions are 4-7, but in line to make the playoffs. They are the No. 3 team behind Auburn and Auburn Riverside.

"We have really, really good athletes that can pressure the ball and get out in passing lanes," Carr said.

Lacey spent three seasons as an assistant at Kennedy Catholic, but knew she wanted to coach at a public school. And why not Kentlake?

"It is a place where I know every nook and cranny," Lacey said. "It is part of us."

With her husband, J.J., and father-in-law, Jeff, on her staff, Lacey has undertaken more of a rebuilding effort at Kentlake (1-8). But the Falcons have a promising prospect is 6-foot-2 ninth grader Jordyn Keith.

"I said from the very beginning, 'We are going to ask things you probably haven’t been asked to do before,'" Lacey said. "We expect a lot. And it’s going to be difficult. But we are going to build this together."

The matchup is scheduled for Monday, but could be pushed back a few days because of COVID-19 issues.

"The competitiveness will take over," Caitlin Carr said. "It will be interesting. But it will be fun, too. ... We are a lot alike, but we are a little bit different in our coaching style."

Added Lacey: "It's the battle of the families."

Defensive-minded Pasco group has come together

As the No. 2 Bulldogs continue to navigate a challenging 4A/3A Mid-Columbia Conference, coach Aaron Barcot likes the vibe his team is giving off - led by seniors Mya Groce, Taija Mackey and Taleya Maiden.

"I love this team," Barcot said. "I love their attitude. ... They have a true heart for defense."

And in a bit of an addition-by-subtraction development, this squad also used to have A'niyah Heavens in its backcourt, who transferred to Chiawana last spring.

Barcot admitted that when Groce and Heavens shared point-guard duties, it became a bit of a power struggle.

"It wasn't one person's fault," Barcot said. "Once she left, it really defined Mya's role with our team ... and it has really helped her out. Her on-the-court attitude is immensely better."

La Conner not afraid of playing bigger schools

Class 2B contender La Conner, which was the state runner-up in 2020, hasn't shied away from playing all oncomers.

Including larger-classification programs.

The Braves have taken care of most of the Northwest Conference contenders - Lynden in 2A, and No. 1 Nooksack Valley and Meridian in 1A.

They defeated 3A Stanwood, 56-48, in late-December. And at the last minute, they took on 4A Eastlake, holding a 15-point first-half lead before suffering their only loss, 45-43.

Last spring, they played games against King's, Burlington-Edison, Lynden, Ferndale and Meridian.

Longtime coach Scott Novak knows his team needs to see this level of competition in a year when the 2B classification is loaded, led by Warden, Okanogan, Raymond, Liberty of Spangle, Colfax and Lake Roosevelt.

"We have the mindset, we will play anybody - anyplace, anywhere," Novak said.

(Featured photos courtesy of Chris Carr)