Local teams head into postseason hoops

Many teams are ready to head into districts and state; the Bonney Lake boys have ended their season, and the Enumclaw girls are qualifying for their district berth on Tuesday, Feb. 5.

By Kevin Hanson • February 5, 2019 11:15 am
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Enumclaw and White River programs got together again this year for an evening of Unified Special Olympics basketball, unrelated to their schools’ postseason. A game was first played in Buckley and then, a week later on Jan. 30, in the EHS gymnasium. Here, Enumclaw’s Desiree Peterson scrambles for a loose ball, along with White River peer tutor Rashida Badri, an exchange student from Morocco. Also pictured are Enumclaw’s Danny Martin (16) and Delaney Murphy (7) and White River peer tutor Tyson Campbell (15). Photo by Kevin Hanson
Enumclaw and White River programs got together again this year for an evening of Unified Special Olympics basketball, unrelated to their schools’ postseason. A game was first played in Buckley and then, a week later on Jan. 30, in the EHS gymnasium. Here, Enumclaw’s Desiree Peterson scrambles for a loose ball, along with White River peer tutor Rashida Badri, an exchange student from Morocco. Also pictured are Enumclaw’s Danny Martin (16) and Delaney Murphy (7) and White River peer tutor Tyson Campbell (15). Photo by Kevin Hanson

With the regular season now just a memory, basketball teams from throughout the state are beginning the postseason process of determining who advances and who goes home.

Here’s a look at where this area’s teams stand as of Monday morning.

WHITE RIVER GIRLS

The White River girls captured the South Puget Sound League 2A tournament title, earned a first-round bye in the upcoming district tourney and need just one victory to land a berth in the state championships.

The squad will next play Saturday, Feb. 9, hosting either Sequim or Lindbergh. The winner will be assured of a top-four district placing and a state entry; the loser will need to win a pair of loser’s bracket contests to make it to state.

In the district tourney, the Hornets won the title Feb. 2 with a 58-45 victory over Foster. That followed a 55-43 semifinal win over Renton and a lopsided, opening-round 63-10 triumph over Tyee.

The Hornet girls continued their run of success, entering tourney play after posting another undefeated league record. This year’s 11-0 mark gives Chris Gibson’s teams five full seasons without a league loss.

The last league defeat for the Hornet girls came during the 2013-14 campaign.

WHITE RIVER BOYS

The White River High boys advanced to the district tournament Feb. 1 courtesy of a 74-57 victory over the Clover Park Warriors.

District play for the Hornets begins at 7 tonight at Fife High. The winner moves to a Feb. 8 quarterfinal contest and the loser will play Feb. 12 in a loser-out contest at Curtis High.

In district play, White River posted a 75-54, opening-round, home-court victory. But round two brought a 76-65 loss to tough Franklin Pierce.

The Hornet boys, under first-year coach Zach Johnson, placed second in the South Puget Sound League with an 8-5 record. For the entire regular season, the team went 11-6.

ENUMCLAW BOYS

The Hornet boys open district play Thursday night, traveling to Puyallup High for a 7 p.m. game against the Vikings. The winner will move one step closer to a coveted berth in the Class 4A state tourney, while the loser faces a longer, tougher road.

Enumclaw advanced to district play as the No. 5 seed from the North Puget Sound League tourney. That came thanks to a 58-49 victory over Kentwood High on Feb. 1.

Postseason play follows a regular season that saw the Hornets capture third place in the North Puget Sound league with a 9-5 record. The team went 9-11 for the entire regular season.

ENUMCLAW GIRLS

The fate of the Enumclaw High girls team rests in the outcome of a play-in game earlier this week. On Tuesday, the Hornets faced Skyview at Olympia High in a loser-out contest.

Tuesday’s winner moves into district play and sees action at 7 tonight (Wednesday), hitting the road to take on Bellarmine Prep. A win would bring another game Feb. 8 against Union High or Kentwood; a loss tonight would push the Hornets into a Feb. 11, loser-out game, also on Feb. 8

Enumclaw’s girls had finished the North Puget Sound League season with an 8-6 record, tied with Auburn behind Todd Beamer and Thomas Jefferson. The Hornets dropped a Jan. 29 game that was for seeding purposes only. Overall, Ted Carlson’s squad finished the regular season 9-11.

SUMNER BOYS

The Spartans open postseason play Wednesday night against Union High, tipping off at 7 p.m. in Camas. A victory over the Tigers would send Sumner to a Saturday quarterfinal contest; a loss to Union would bring a loser-out contest on Saturday.

The Sumner boys wrapped up the regular season Friday night with a 38-34 victory over South Kitsap. That left the Spartans with a league record of 8-8 and an overall, regular-season mark of 10-10.

SUMNER GIRLS

The Spartan girls open district play with a long road trip, heading south tonight (Wednesday) for a tussle with the Camas Papermakers. Tipoff is at 7 p.m.

Win or lose, the Spartans will play again Friday night as part of a grouping that includes Hazen and Curtis.

The Spartan girls finished the regular season with an overall record of 11-9, including a 9-7 mark in South Puget Sound League play.

BONNEY LAKE GIRLS

The Panther girls defeated Spanaway Lake Feb. 2 in a seeding game, earning a berth into the district tournament that will eventually advance five squads to regionals.

Bonney Lake opens district play at 7 p.m.. Thursday, taking on either Gig Harbor or Lincoln. A victory would send Bonney Lake to a Saturday game at Prairie (Vancouver), while a loss would mean a loser-out game on Feb. 13.

The Panthers ended up 7-7 in Pierce County League play, tied for fourth with Spanaway Lake. After Saturday’s seeding-game victory, Bonney Lake was 12-9 on the season.

BONNEY LAKE BOYS

It was a tough campaign for the Panther boys, who saw their 2018-19 campaign come to a close the evening of Jan. 31. A 64-56 loss to the Stadium Tigers left the Panthers with a Pierce County League record of 2-12 and 5-15 overall.

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