Class 4A Girls | State tournament to hit ground running with showdowns

RENTON — Don't miss a dribble.

The field in this week's Class 4A state girls basketball tournament at the Tacoma Dome is that good.

"This is a special year," Lewis & Clark coach Jim Redmon said after Sunday's draw at the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association headquarters. "You go through the 16 teams, and there's some great talent."

Prairie coach Al Aldridge shook his head at the depth of that talent.

"It's a loaded field again," he said. "I know I say that every year, but there are some really, really quality teams."

Some seasons, fans could sleep through the first round or two before the must-see games developed. Not this year.

"There are some great first-round matchups," said Aldridge, gunning for a 10th consecutive top-four finish with his seventh-ranked Falcons (18-3), who are unbeaten in Washington.

One game pairs top-ranked Kentwood (25-0) against No. 10 Skyview of Vancouver (19-5) at noon. Skyview's only three in-state losses this season have been to Prairie, the last time in double overtime. Then at 2 p.m., No. 6 Jackson of Mill Creek (21-2) faces Mead of Spokane (21-6). Those winners square off in a colossal quarterfinal Thursday at 5 p.m.

"It will be interesting to see how it all plays out," Kentwood coach Keith Hennig said.

Mead finished third in the tough Greater Spokane League behind No. 3 University (23-2) and No. 4 Lewis & Clark (22-3), owing all six losses to those two rivals. The Panthers eliminated No. 8 Pasco and No. 9 Moses Lake — both on Saturday — to get here.

"They're a tough team coming out of a conference where they beat each other up all season," Jackson coach Jeannie Thompson said. "That's definitely a tough first-round matchup for us."

No. 2 Roosevelt (23-0) drew unranked Central Kitsap (14-12) in a 10:30 a.m. opener. Should the Roughriders advance as expected, they likely would meet L-C, the defending champion, in Thursday's quarterfinals. L-C kicks off the tournament against Puyallup (13-13) at 9 a.m.

"I think the Roosevelt-L-C potential the second day is a dandy," Aldridge said.

The bracket is top-heavy with five ranked teams, four of them in the top six.

"That's a loaded upper half, no question," Roosevelt coach Bill Resler said.

If Kentwood and Roosevelt don't stumble, the two unbeatens would meet Friday in the semifinals.

The bottom half of the bracket isn't exactly a breeze, although University, which features Tennessee-bound Angie Bjorklund, might have a clear path to the semifinals.

The Titans, who finished in third place last year, open against Lake Stevens (17-7) at 8:30 Wednesday, then will take on the Bothell-Kentlake winner.

The other quarterfinal likely will pair No. 5 Mount Tahoma of Tacoma (24-1) against Prairie.

Sandy Ringer: 206-464-8294 or sringer@seattletimes.com