Lake Washington finds long-range mark, shoots down Stanwood in Class 3A regional girls basketball showdown

KIRKLAND, Wash. - When Lake Washington High School hits a 3-pointer, prepare for a barrage of many more.

The Kangaroos showcased contagious shooting prowess as they bounced to a 70-52 victory over Stanwood in the regional round of the Class 3A girls basketball tournament on their homecourt.

The victory secures the defending state runners-up and third-ranked Lake Washington (24-2) a spot in next Thursday’s quarterfinals against the winner of No. 13 Everett and No. 5 Lincoln in the Tacoma Dome

Sixth-ranked Stanwood (19-5) will play fellow Wesco foe Lynnwood in a loser-out game ednesday.

"I think we’re all excited to get back for a third year in a row,” said senior forward Sydney Hani, who hit four third-quarter 3-pointers en route to a team-high 16 points. “We’re all just doing it together, and I think that’s what’s really important.”

After jumping out to an 8-0 start, Lake Washington held steady through much of the first half as the Spartans settled into the flow of the game.

The Kangaroos, up 29-20 at the break, switched to a five-out offense to stretch the Stanwood defense in the second half. It resulted in seven made 3-pointers in a 21-11 frame to make the advantage insurmountable for Stanwood.

“All year we’ve seen that if we can get shots up consecutively … we just have so many talented shooters,” Lake Washington coach Jeff Wilson said. “It’s the unselfishness that has made us good this year.”

And in a tactical master class, Wilson employed three different halfcourt defenses and four different fullcourt presses to stymie Stanwood.

“We don’t want teams to be able to get in a rhythm against us,” Wilson said.

That strategy could pay dividends for Lake Washington at next week’s state tournament, as opponents prepare for the quick and bouncy Kangaroos.

“That was a lot of fun to switch it up a little bit,” Hani said of the myriad of defenses employed.

In addition to Hani’s 16, Jolie Sim and Riley Buke each added 10 points. In total, Lake Washington made 14 3-pointers.

Chloe Santeford paced Stanwood with a game-high 17 points and Grace Walker added 10.