Class 3A/4A State Basketball Semifinal Updates
News and notes from Friday's action at the Tacoma Dome.
TACOMA – Jamal Crawford was wearing headphones.
If you want to understand the significance of a Rainier Beach-Garfield Class 3A semifinal matchup, just know this: When Crawford has his headphones on, he’s locked in. And if he’s ready, the Vikings are ready.
The Hood Classic shifted about an hour south to the Tacoma Dome on Friday night. It was black and purple vs. blue and orange. It was coaching staffs filled with local legends. It was a showcase of some of the state’s top talent – programs built to win state titles.
The tension inside the Tacoma Dome was palpable. And the game didn’t disappoint. Rainier Beach rallied from an early deficit to secure a 59-47 victory, earning a spot in Saturday’s state championship game at 5 p.m. against Edmonds-Woodway.
“This was right up there with the best of them,” Rainier Beach coach Mike Bethea said. “It reminds me of 2016, when we came from 14 down, beat Garfield in the semis, and then won the championship.”
Garfield led by 10 after the first quarter, sending a clear message – the Bulldogs had no intention of losing to the Vikings for a fourth time this season.
Then, Bethea sent senior Nyale Robinson into the game. He settled the Vikings down as they chipped away at the Bulldogs’ lead.
“I’ll be honest with you, the silent assassin today was Nyale Robinson,” Bethea said. “If I were giving out a game ball, I’d give it to Nyale because he calmed us down and did exactly what he’s supposed to do as a point guard.”
By halftime, the Vikings had taken the lead, and they never looked back.
“It doesn’t get any bigger than that,” Bethea said, describing the atmosphere. “I’ve still got to make sure we have some gas left for tomorrow, but I don’t think that’s going to be a problem.”
While Robinson handled the little things, Kaden Powers took care of the scoring, finishing with a game-high 20 points.
“Whatever the team needs from me, I’ve got it,” Powers said.
Girls: Lakeside 42, North Thurston 40
Willa Chinn stepped to the free-throw line with 2.9 seconds left in a tie game, with a trip to the Class 3A state championship on the line.
There was no one else in the gym more prepared to take those free throws.
The senior calmly sank the first. She knocked down the second. And just like that, she led Lakeside to the Class 3A state championship game with a 42-40 win over North Thurston. The Lions will face Central Valley in tomorrow’s title game.
“Willa has done that over and over again,” Lakeside coach Mia Agustavo-Fisher said. “Willa knows how to win games, whether it’s taking a charge or leading her teammates. Her IQ is off the charts. She’ll do whatever it takes.”
That’s exactly what Chinn did, guiding the Lions to their first state championship game since 2003.
When asked about the pressure of those free throws, Chinn said it came down to preparation.
“There’s a lot of pressure, but I practice for these moments, you know,” she said. “I shoot a lot of free throws in practice, and I knew my team worked so hard in this game. I couldn’t let them down in the last moment.”
That’s the mark of a great leader. She didn’t need the free throws for her stat line. She didn’t need the credit. She just wanted another opportunity to celebrate with her teammates.
“We’ve had a lot of great teams,” Chinn said when asked about finally breaking through to the state championship game. “This is for them.”
Girls: Central Valley 51, Garfield 49
With timing winding down on Garfield’s state-title chances, Lena Most did everything she could to rally the Bulldogs.
The junior buried a three with 14 seconds to play and, with her team trailing by two in the final seconds, drove to the basket and drew contact, but didn’t get the foul and the Bulldogs fell to Central Valley, 51-49, in the Class 3A semifinals on Friday.
“I’m going to tell them they played hard, fought all the way to the end,” Garfield coach Roydell Smiley said. “There’s not much you can say for their effort except good job.”
For the first time since 2019, the four-time defending state champions will not be playing in the championship game.
“We felt like we had the best team in the state,” Smiley said. “We’re always going to fight and compete for championships. That’s just who we are. My girls, they blocked out all the noise. They showed up and played hard.”
Girls: Sumner 46, Woodinville 39
On Thursday night Woodinville shot almost 52 percent from the floor to advance to the semifinals. One night later, though, Sumner held the typically hot-shooting Falcons (they averaged 42 percent throughout the season) to just 37.5 percent (25 percent in the second half) and fell to the Spartans, 46-39, on Friday night.
Hailey Quiggle led the Falcons with 19 points.
Despite their shooting struggles, Woodinville was able to cut the deficit to a single point in the fourth quarter, but couldn’t finish the comeback.
After back-to-back, fourth-place finishes, the Falcons can finish third in 2025 with a win in tomorrow’s consolation game.
Boys: Seattle Prep 85, Bellevue 73
Beckham King scored a game-high 28 points, while Nirvaan Misra added 18 to lead Seattle Prep past Bellevue in a consolation game. The Panthers will play Bellarmine in the 4th/6th game at 9:30 a.m. Saturday.