Road to regionals: Washington high school (WIAA) 3A boys basketball preview, game picks

Tournament favorite Rainier Beach takes on Bellarmine Prep while defending state champion Eastside Catholic plays in a loser-out game

JuJu Ervin and Garfield are the No. 3 seeds in the Class 3A championships in 2024-25. / Photo by Todd Milles

Only one more game separates WIAA state-championship hopefuls from the destination spot for Class 3A basketball: Tacoma Dome.

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

Here is the Class 3A regional boys basketball primer:

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CLASS 3A SCHEDULE (Bracket)

PROTECTED

1-seed Rainier Beach (24-2) vs. 8-seed Bellarmine Prep (22-7), 6 p.m. Saturday, Bellevue College

2-seed Mount Spokane (17-7) vs. 7-seed Seattle Prep (17-10), 2 p.m. Saturday, West Valley HS, Spokane

3-seed Garfield (18-7) vs. 6-seed Lincoln of Tacoma (25-3), 8 p.m. Saturday, Bellevue College

4-seed Bellevue (21-5) vs. 5-seed Edmonds-Woodway (23-2), 2 p.m. Saturday, Bellevue College

LOSER-OUT

9-seed Eastside Catholic (13-14) vs. No. 17 Prairie (17-8), 4 p.m. Saturday, Issaquah HS

10-seed Monroe (21-3) vs. No. 15 Gig Harbor (17-11), 6 p.m. Friday, Arlington HS

11-seed Auburn Mountainview (22-2) vs. No. 14 Federal Way (20-4), 6 p.m. Saturday, Auburn Mountainview HS

12-seed Shorecrest (21-3) vs. No. 13 Liberty (17-8), 8 p.m. Friday, Jackson HS, Mill Creek

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TOP DOG

When you sweep 3A Metro play with 15 double-digit wins out of 17 games such as Rainier Beach did, you deserve blockbuster billing. The Vikings are an offensive juggernaut, and it will take an off-night shooting the ball for somebody to knock them off.

CAN FILL IT UP

It is difficult to decided between the Rainier Beach duo of Jaylen Petty and Kaden Powers. Petty has a more explosive scoring prowess, like scoring in bunches. Powers is so steady, and showcases one of the mid-range games this state has seen in a while.

CAN'T-MISS MATCHUP

Sea-King semifinalist Seattle Prep is streaky, but it is one of the few schools that can match up with Wildcats' bouncy top-scoring forward Jaden Ghoreishi around the hoop. The Panthers have Beckham King, the son of ex-NBA player Rich King who is also 6-foot-8.

GAME PICKS

Rainier Beach over Bellarmine Prep

Seattle Prep over Mount Spokane

Garfield over Lincoln of Tacoma

Bellevue over Edmonds-Woodway

Eastside Catholic over Prairie

Monroe over Gig Harbor

Federal Way over Auburn Mountainview

Shorecrest over Liberty of Issaquah

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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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