Washington high school (WIAA) 4A/3A girls basketball tournament: Semifinal recaps, highlights, top performers

Four final-four games on the west court going on all day at the Tacoma Dome. High School On SI Washington will keep you updated

Aaron Lommers | Mar 8, 2025

Eden Sander, 11, and the No. 1 Central Valley girls are in the Class 3A girls semifinals Friday. / Photo by Lane Mathews

TACOMA, Wash. - The bright lights of the Tacoma Dome are on - and let's get ready for Day 3 of the WIAA Class 4A and 3A girls basketball championships.

High School On SI Washington will provide game recaps, video highlight and top performers throughout Friday in semifinal round games.

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CLASS 3A (Bracket)

Top seed Central Valley, led by Brynn McGaughy, holds off four-time defending state champion in WIAA Class 4A girls semifinals Friday. / Photo by Todd Milles

Central Valley 51, Garfield 49: It took a defensive stand as time expired, but Central Valley survived, 51-49, to earn its spot in Saturday night’s championship game at the Tacoma Dome.

“It took everything we had,” Central Valley girls coach Jason Wilson said. “Four-time champs. The tradition. They’ve got great athletes and a great coach. We knew if we didn’t get give everything we had, it was going to be tough. And we did. That was by far the best offensive team we’ve played all year.

“They’re not going to go out easy,” Wilson added. “When you’re that level of program, that’s not easy. The fact that they’re a 19-seed is kind of amazing.”

Wilson also said the Bulldogs are the most physical team the Bears have played all year, which was evident late in the fourth quarter when Garfield had to claw its way back into the game.

“We haven’t played a team like that all year,” Wilson said. “The physicality and the athleticism. It’s amazing. If that’s what the (Metro) league is like every night, holy cow.”

The Bears took their biggest lead of the game at 49-39 with 4:36 remaining. Garfield had several shots falter in the early minutes of the fourth quarter that allowed the Bears to build up the lead.

But the Bulldogs had one final push left.

They scored the next seven points to get the game back to a one-possession difference.

After two Central Valley free throws, Garfield junior Lena Most hit a straightaway 3-pointer to cut the deficit back to two. Garfield was forced to foul Central Valley senior Brynn McGaughy with 10.3 seconds left, but McGaughy missed both free throws giving Garfield one final chance to tie or take the lead.

Garfield ran a high pick-and-roll with Most and junior forward Star Smiley. Most drove the lane, but lost the ball and the Bears secured it as time expired.

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Lakeside of Seattle won a Class 3A girls basketball semifinal over North Thurston on Friday. / Photo by Todd Milles

Lakeside 42, North Thurston 40: The Lions led the Rams by one after the first quarter and the game was tied at halftime and at the end of the third quarter, but the Lions finally snatched control of the game when it mattered most. They went on an 8-1 run to start the fourth quarter and take a 40-33 lead.

“It’s a game of runs,” Lakeside senior guard Willa Chinn said. “I’m really proud of how everyone stuck with it, even when things weren’t going our way and just battling. That’s what I love about this team, is we just work so hard.”

The Rams answered with a 7-0 run capped off by a jumper by Soraya Ogaldez with 27 seconds remaining to tie it at 40-40.

But the Lions had the final possession with a chance to win the game. Chinn drove the lane and was fouled with 2.9 seconds left. She made both free throws to take the lead and North Thurston’s desperation heave at the buzzer was short, sending the Lions to the title game.

“It’s awesome,” Chinn said. “It was nice for it to be a tie game. It’s less pressure. I practice a lot of free throws. Getting to the state finals was a huge goal of ours, so I just couldn’t let my team down there.”

Chinn led the Lions with 12 points. Junior Shayla Cordis led the Rams with 15 points, but fouled out in the late moments prior to Lakeside’s final possession.

The loss ended North Thurston’s 28-game winning streak.

The Lions will face No. 1 and undefeated Central Valley (26-0) at 3 p.m. on Saturday in the state championship game.

“We can’t wait,” Chinn said. “We’ve been kind of anticipating that matchup for a long time. We’re just super-excited to get into that game.”

North Thurston will face No. 19 Garfield (17-10) at 11:15 on Saturday in the third-fifth place game..

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Championship game

1-seed Central Valley (26-0) vs. 6-seed Lakeside of Seattle (25-4), 3 p.m.

Saturday schedule

Fourth/Sixth at 8 a.m. Third/Fifth at 11:15 a.m. Championship Saturday is at 3 p.m.

TOP PERFORMERS

June Fiander, Kennewick

19 points, 9-10 FT, 8 rebounds

Dilynn Johnson, Bellevue

17 points, 6-14 FGs

Shayla Cordis, North Thurston

15 points, 5-13 FGs

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CLASS 4A (Bracket)

Sumner's Olivia Collins, 10, and Kawehi Borden combined for 39 points in Sumner's 4A semifinal win over Woodinville.

Sumner's Olivia Collins, 10, and Kawehi Borden combined for 39 points in Sumner's semifinal win over Woodinville in Class 4A girls tournament. / Photo by Todd Milles

Sumner 46, Woodinville 39: In all her years as the Sumner girls coach, Katie Hyppa refuses to rewatch one game - the Class 4A girls championship loss to Woodinville in 2022.

Especially after what she witnessed live Friday night in a WIAA tournament semifinal rematch.

This time, it was her Spartans who made the plays down the stretch in sending down the Falcons, and stamping their second title-game date in the past four seasons.

Olivia Collins scored a game-high 25 points, including her team's final eight points over the last four minutes to pull away.

"She has the ability to take over, and she did," Hyppa said.

Kawehi Borden added 15 points, but perhaps the biggest shining star was Sumner's perimeter defense, holding arguably the state's top 3-point shooting team to a 4-of-19 showing.

Still, the Spartans were locked in a close game - 40-39 - after Jazzy Wilkerson's basket for Woodinville with 2:39 remaining.

Collins answered with a putback basket 1:10 later, and put the game away when the Falcons brought up pressure, and she slipped behind the defense for an easy laying with 13 seconds remaining.

"We are peaking at the right time," Hyppa said.

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Underdog Glacier Peak played No. 1 Davis of Yakima tough for a half before falling in the Class 4A girls semifinals Friday. / Photo by Todd Milles

Davis of Yakima 76, Glacier Peak 38: The Grizzly magic ran out in Friday’s semifinal.

After upset victories over No. 5 Union on Wednesday and No. 3 Chiawana on Thursday, the Grizzlies couldn’t duplicate that success for a third day with an upset over No. 1 Davis.

Glacier Peak trailed by just six at the half, but Davis came alive in the third quarter, proving worthy of its No. 1 seed, and cruised into Saturday’s championship game.

“I felt like we were a little hectic (in the first half),” junior guard Deets Parrish said. “We kind of just slowed it down and we got really good buckets. And we played better as a team. We connected better.”

Parrish scored 19 points to lead the Pirates. Sophomore Cheyenne Hull added 18 and sophomore Isa Garcia had 17.

“When we have things working together, I think we are the best trio in Washington, Parrish said. “We’ve all been playing with each other, so we all know how each other plays. We just connect well. We have that chemistry.”

Senior Brynna Pukis had 11 points to lead the Grizzlies. Freshman Lillian Riechelson added 10.

Davis will play No. 8 Sumner (25-4) at 7 p.m. Saturday in the state championship game. The two teams are familiar with each other, having played twice last year and once in the regional round of the state playoffs this year. Sumner won that matchup, 67-62.

“We’re looking forward for us all to come ready to play and bring it all and just leave it all on the court,” Parrish said.

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