Road to regionals: Washington high school (WIAA) 1B boys basketball preview, game picks

Can all three protected District i squads - Lummi, Tulalip Heritage and Neah Bay - win regional games to advance to the quarterfinals?

Nolan Grindy and Almira-Coulee-Hartline boys are the overall top seed in the Class 1B boys basketball tournament. / Photo by Jennifer Schuh

Only one more game separates WIAA state-championship hopefuls from the destination spot for Class 1B basketball: Spokane Arena

Starting Friday, 16 teams play in the regional round of the WIAA playoffs - with 12 schools advancing to the state tournament in Spokane.

Here is the Class 1B regional boys basketball primer:

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CLASS 1B SCHEDULE (Bracket)

PROTECTED

1-seed Almira-Coulee-Hartline (22-1) vs. 8-seed Ocosta, 6 p.m. Friday, Wenatchee HS

2-seed Lummi Nation (22-3) vs. 7-seed Moses Lake Christian (19-2), 6 p.m. Friday, Mount Vernon HS

3-seed Willapa Valley (21-2) vs. 6-seed Tulalip Heritage (20-3), 8 p.m. Friday, W.F. West HS, Chehalis

4-seed DeSales (22-1) vs. 5-seed Neah Bay (18-4), 6 p.m. Friday, Richland HS

LOSER-OUT

9-seed Wellpinit (18-6) vs. No. 17 Sound Christian, 8 p.m. Saturday, West Valley HS, Spokane

10-seed Muckleshoot Tribal (18-5) vs. No. 18 Riverside Christian, 4 p.m. Saturday, Auburn Mountainview HS

11-seed Wahkiakum (14-10) vs. No. 14 Summit Classic Christian, 6 p.m. Friday, Mark Morris HS, Longview

12-seed Garfield-Palouse (17-6) vs. No. 13 Sunnyside Christian, 6 p.m. Friday, Cheney HS.

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TOP DOG

Since an early loss to Wellpinit, Almira-Coulee-Hartline has won 19 games in a row, including topping No. 2 DeSales for the District 6 championship. Everything runs through sophomore Max Grindy, who missed last season because of a knee injury, and younger brother, Nolan, an eighth grader.

CAN FILL IT UP

Senior guard Spencer Green already has set the single-game DeSales school scoring record with 49 points against Liberty Christian, and cracked 1,000 career points as well. He can pull up and shoot it from anywhere inside halfcourt.

CAN'T-MISS MATCHUP

In a rematch of last season's state-tournament game for third place, Neah Bay will be looking for redemption from that loss after blowing lead in fourth quarter. Tyler Swan, Mikayla Chambers and Daniel Cumming all scored in double digits in that game, and are back for Red Devils.

GAME PICKS

Almira-Coulee-Hartline over Ocosta

Lummi Nation over Moses Lake Christian

Tulalip Heritage over Willapa Valley

DeSales over Neah Bay

Wellpinit vs. Columbia Adventist/Sound Christian winner

Muckleshoot Tribal vs. Inchelium/Riverside Christian winner

Wahkiakum vs. Summit Classic Christian/Wilbur-Creston-Keller winner

Garfield-Palouse vs. Sunnyside Christian/Waterville-Mansfield winner

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Playoff Pick 'Em

High School on Si 2025 Playoff Pick 'Em Challenge / Graphic illustration by Jesus Baca

Playoff Pick 'Em is a brand-new bracket prediction challenge for high school sports, where users compete to pick the most accurate bracket. The contest is free-to-play and is available nationwide for most sports on High School On SI. Enter today and pick your favorite teams to take home the title!

High School On SI is celebrating the WIAA Hardwood Classic and the road to the Tacoma Dome with a $500 prize to the winners of the 4A Boys and 4A Girls brackets in the Playoff Pick 'Em Challenge. Enter for free today!

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SBLIVE FINAL WASHINGTON BOYS BASKETBALL RANKINGS

CLASS 4A RANKINGS

1. Richland (23-1)

2. Glacier Peak (21-2)

3. Auburn (23-2)

4. Gonzaga Prep (22-2)

5. Mount Si (19-7)

6. Camas (18-4)

7. West Valley of Yakima (17-5)

8. Puyallup (20-6)

9. Davis of Yakima (20-3)

10. Kentwood (19-6)

Others: Olympia (21-5), Arlington (19-7), Lake Washington (20-7), Emerald Ridge (19-7).

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CLASS 3A RANKINGS

1. Rainier Beach (24-2)

2. Bellevue (21-5)

3. Garfield (18-7)

4. Lincoln of Tacoma (25-3)

5. Edmonds-Woodway (23-2)

6. Seattle Prep (17-10)

7. Mount Spokane (17-7)

8. Monroe (21-3)

9. Shorecrest (21-3)

10. Auburn Mountainview (22-2)

Others: Federal Way (19-4), Eastside Catholic (13-14), Liberty of Issaquah (16-8). Bellarmine Prep (22-7).

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CLASS 2A RANKINGS

1. Lynden (23-1)

2. R.A. Long (22-1)

3. Selah (19-4)

4. Bremerton (18-5)

5. Prosser (19-7)

6. Mark Morris (20-4)

7. West Valley of Spokane (20-3)

8. Lakewood (18-6)

9. Columbia River (18-5)

10. Franklin Pierce (19-4)

Others: Bainbridge (18-5), Sequim (18-4), Ridgefield (15-8), Foster (18-7)

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CLASS 1A RANKINGS

1. Annie Wright (19-2)

2. Lynden Christian (21-2)

3. Royal (23-1)

4. Zillah (19-4)

5. King's (18-4)

6. Seton Catholic (18-5)

7. Riverside (16-5)

8. Meridian (17-7)

9. Bear Creek (18-5)

10. Chelan (21-5)

Others: Bellevue Christian (18-5), Cashmere (18-8), Fort Vancouver (17-6), Wapato (15-10).

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CLASS 2B RANKINGS

1. Columbia of Burbank (23-1)

2. Freeman (20-3)

3. Reardan (21-2)

4. Colfax (20-3)

5. Lake Roosevelt (21-4)

6. Northwest Christian of Colbert (18-7)

7. Toledo (22-3)

8. Tri-Cities Prep (20-5)

9. Napavine (21-3)

10. Okanogan (19-6)

Others: Adna (19-5), La Salle (18-7), Liberty Bell (15-10), Rainier (15-10).

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CLASS 1B RANKINGS

1. Almira-Coulee-Hartline (22-1)

2. DeSales (22-1)

3. Moses Lake Christian (19-2)

4. Lummi (22-3)

5. Willapa Valley (21-2)

6. Tulalip Heritage (20-3)

7. Neah Bay (18-4)

8. Wellpinit (18-6)

9. Summit Classical (21-6)

10. Columbia Adventist (18-4)

Others: Muckleshoot Tribal (18-5), Inchelium (17-4), Sound Christian Academy (19-6), Sunnyside Christian (18-8).

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