Washington (WIAA) high school 2A basketball state playoffs: Two-time defending champions Ellensburg girls, Lynden boys survive, advance to title game
Day 3 of the WIAA Class 2A boys and girls basketball championships resumed Friday at 9 a.m. with consolation and semifinal games in the Yakima Valley SunDome.
WIAA BOYS BASKETBALL SCORES | WIAA GIRLS BASKETBALL SCORES
Semifinal winners move on to the WIAA championship games Saturday.
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Photo by Sean Carter
CLASS 2A GIRLS SEMIFINAL SUMMARIES (Bracket)
Semifinal: No. 1 Ellensburg (24-0) 44 vs. No. 4 Prosser (21-6) 31
Up next: vs. No. 2 Lynden in Saturday championship, 5 p.m.
After 74 straight victories, a team has undoubtedly won in every imaginable way.
Chalk up Friday's victory over CWAC rival Prosser to the slugfest variety.
The Bulldogs close on a 16-2 run to earn their shot at a third state championship in a row.
"Stay the course," Ellensburg coach Tim Ravet said. "People think this thing is easy but nobody understands how hard it is to come out every single day and people’s excitement to try to beat you and we just stayed the course."
Prosser has fallen to the Bulldogs four times this season, but also has had the best shot of ending Ellensburg's winning streak.
The Mustangs took a 29-28 lead on Naomi Chavez's three-point play 15 seconds into the fourth quarter.
An Alana Marrs wide-open layin gave the lead back to the Bulldogs, and CWAC MVP Jamison Philip knocked down a straightaway 3-pointer moments later.
"We’ve been preparing all year to have this opportunity to make it to another championship," Philip said.
Layne Rogel and Bella Standish each scored 19 points and Marrs totaled seven points and 10 rebounds for Ellensburg (25-0).
Deidra Phillips had nine points and six rebounds for the Mustangs (21-7), who face Clarkston for third and fifth place at 11:15 a.m. Saturday.
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Semifinal: No. 2 Lynden 61, No. 5 Clarkston 43
Up next: vs. No. 1 in Saturday championship, 5 p.m.
Rob Adams' return to the Lynden sidelines after a three-year hiatus has met a familiar destination - Saturday night's championship game in the Yakima Valley SunDome.
The Lions held the Bantams to 19 points in the second half and pulled away for the victory under Adams, who guided Lynden to three titles before stepping down.
Payton Mills had 18 points and 12 rebounds for the Lions, who will play for their first championship since 2020.
The loss sends the Bantams (25-2) into a rematch with No. 4 Prosser for third and fifth place at 11:15 Saturday morning. The Mustangs handed Clarkston its first loss of the season, 49-43, in last weekend’s regional round.
Ryan Combs scored a team-high 10 points for the Bantams, which shot just 25.5 percent for the game.
Clarkston earned its first trophy since its 2012 championship.
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Consolation final: No. 7 White River 57, No. 3 W.F. West 53
Consolation final: No. 6 Archbishop Murphy 46, No. 8 Columbia River 32
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CLASS 2A BOYS SEMIFINAL SUMMARIES (Bracket)
Semifinal: No. 1 Lynden 53, No. 11 Bremerton 52
Up next: vs. No. 2 Grandview in Saturday championship, 3 p.m.
The two-time defending champions got all it could handle from the upstart Knights, but it was Anthony Canales, the MVP of the past two tournaments, who lifted the Lions back to the final.
The senior finished with 24 points, giving the Lions the lead midway through the fourth quarter with a dunk, and would-be game-winning shot for Bremerton fell short.
Lynden (23-4) is in the championship for the fourth time in the past five tournaments and will be seeking its 13th championship.
Bremerton freshman Jalen Davis continued to announce his arrival, pouring in 33 points on 12-for-15 shooting, including 4 of 6 3-pointers.
He is averaging 28 points in the three games in the Yakima Valley SunDome for the Knights (20-7).
Bremerton will play No. 3 North Kitsap at 1 p.m. for third and fifth place.
The Vikings won both meetings this season between the Olympic League rivals.
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Semifinal: No. 2 Grandview 71, North Kitsap 64
Up next: vs. No. 1 Lynden in Saturday championship, 3 p.m.
The Greyhounds capped a wild night on the boys court by rallying from 17 points down in the third quarter to earn their first berth in the 2A final since winning the championship in 2002.
Lino Armendariz and Cameron Draculan scored 24 points apiece for Grandview, which trailed 46-29 late in the third quarter.
After battling back to take a seven-point lead with just less than two minutes left in the game, Grandview saw North Kitsap pull to within two within 30 seconds.
The Vikings, however, would get no closer.
Cade Orness had 18 points and seven rebounds for North Kitsap (22-5), and Harry Davies added 16 and Jordan Williams chipped in 12,
Levi Dorsett scored 12 points before fouling out for the Greyhounds (22-3).
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Consolation: No. 4 Renton 67, No. 10 Sammamish 47
Consolation: No. 8 Prosser 61, No. 5 Anacortes 53
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TOP BOYS PERFORMERS
Lino Armendariz and Cameron Draculan, Grandview
Each scored 24 points as the Greyhounds rallied their way into the title game
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Anthony Canales, Lynden
24 points for the two-time tourney MVP in a semifinal victory
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Jalen Davis, Bremerton
33 points on Friday, and is averaging 28 points in three games in the Dome
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Dennis Johnson, Renton
22 points, 8 rebounds
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Kory McClure, Prosser
19 points on 7-for-10 shooting
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TOP GIRLS PERFORMERS
Taylor Cushing, Archbishop Murphy
15 points
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Julia Dalan, White River
17 points, 15 rebounds, 6 blocked shots
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Payton Mills, Lynden
18 points, 12 rebounds as the 2020 champions returned to the state final
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Jamison Philip, Ellensburg
13 points, 8 rebounds in leading the Bulldogs to their third straight title game
