Round 3 goes to Woodinville girls in battle with Eastlake for Class 4A bi-district title; Mount Si boys also win

EVERETT – There is an old adage that one of the more difficult things to do in sports is to beat a team three times in one season.

It may be hard, but not impossible, and it’s a feat the Woodinville girls basketball team achieved on Friday, defeating Eastlake, 55-43, in the District 1/2 championship game.

After winning their sixth straight KingCo championship earlier this month, the Falcons (23-1) won their fourth consecutive District 1/2 championship led by junior Lyla Kahrimanovic and senior Brooke Beresford, who finished with 16 and 12 points, respectively.

“It’s exciting for the kids, but the reality is we try not to talk about that stuff,” Woodinville coach Scott Bullock said of his team’s run of success in recent years. “Every year, it’s a different set of kids. It’s not the same girls, so we really want to give them a unique experience. The legacy is definitely something they talk about. They’d like to get T-shirts. It’s fun watching new kids step and develop.”

Beresford carried the Falcons in the first half, scoring 11 of her 12 points and helping them to a 28-20 lead at halftime.

“Brooke had most of our points at halftime,” Bullock said. “They had a smaller girl guarding her, so we just posted her up and took advantage of that as long as we could.”

Beresford also came up big on the defensive end. She held Eastlake senior Ava Schmidt to 12 points and held her scoreless in the pivotal fourth quarter.

“That’s all Brooke,” Bullock said. “Brooke is guarding her one-on-one the whole game. Ava is an outstanding shooter, maybe the best shooter in the state and Brooke just tried not give her a bunch of open looks.”

Kahrimanovic led the Falcons offensively in the second half. She scored the first four points of the third quarter on her way to scoring 12 of her game-high 16 points in the final two quarters.

“I just felt more confident,” she said. “Scoring four points in the first half is not ideal, but coming out and scoring four points in a row [in the second half] really helped my confidence.”

Bullock credited Kahrimanovic’s impressive footwork and ability to finish inside for her second-half offensive explosion.

“Lyla was huge today,” Bullock said. “Lyla has a really unique ability to finish at the rim. She has euro-steps and side-steps and today she had a lot of those in transition in the second half. She had active hands on defense. Lyla is huge asset to our team, for sure.”

The Falcons struggled in the first four minutes of the game, but were able to settle down in the latter half of the first quarter. They were also able to hold off several runs by the Wolves (19-6) in the third and fourth quarters enabling them to hang on.

“Scott coaches this team so well and we’re led so well by our seniors and this whole team has helped me so much,” Kahrimanovic said. “I know I’ve changed as a player. Normally, I would be really frustrated that, but I was able to keep calm and that’s just what this team does in this atmosphere. It’s amazing.”

District 1/2 boys championship game

No. 2 Mount Si 56, Issaquah 40

Second-ranked Mount Si defeated Issaquah on Friday to win its second straight District 1/2 championship.

The Wildcats (23-2) jumped out to an early 23-8 lead after the first quarter, but the Eagles were able to stay within striking distance going into halftime as senior Miles Heide spent the final six minutes of the second quarter on the bench with two fouls. The Eagles got to within five, scoring the first 10 points of the quarter, but Mount Si finished the quarter on an 8-0 run of their own to take a 31-18 lead at the intermission.

Riding the momentum of the late second-quarter run and helped by Heide’s presence back on the court, the Wildcats took control of the game once again early in the second half. They built their lead to as many as 19 points and held off a couple of late pushes by the unranked Eagles (13-10) to hang on for the 16-point victory.

“Any time we can come out and compete for championships, it’s a win for us,” Mount Si junior Trevor Hennig said. “I’m obviously excited that we got to advance to state and continue our legacy.”

Hennig led the Wildcats with 18 points and senior Miles Heide added 14.

“We’ve got a ton of dudes,” Hennig said. “It’s just a group effort. Any time we can come out and get guys shots, we view it as a win for us.”