1A/2A Boys State Tournament Previews
- Ted House
- 4 days ago
- 8 min read
We are just one day away from the start of regional play in the 2026 state basketball tournaments. Here is look at what to expect on the boys floor through next week.
1A Boys State Tournament Preview
Camas High School, Vancouver, Friday, February 27, 600pm
The Trappers broke through last year, appearing in their first state basketball tournament since the 1990 4A state tournament. Their stay as the #13 seed was brief, losing to #12 Bellevue Christian in the regional round. The Pioneers are making their first state tournament appearance since a sixth-place finish in 2011.
This year, the Trappers ran away with the 1A Trico League, going undefeated and finishing with a four-game lead. They won the district tournament with a four-point win over Montesano, who has the #13 seed in the tournament. They have won 15 straight games.
The Pioneers sharing it and shooting it, and are playing their best basketball of the season. They played their best game of the season in their 71-43 state qualifying win over Meridian.
The Trappers, as a district champion and were left out of the top eight seeds. However, the only team that passed them, based on the final RPI standings, was #5 Annie Wright. The Trappers strength of schedule may have been in question.
Nooksack’s 10-14 record could be their ace in the hole in this game. If the Pioneers can put aside the travel distance and just focus on the X’s and the O’s, I think they have a shot at this one. It would make for a nice and leisurely 285-mile ride home.
The winner must win again to stay alive. That game will be on Wednesday, March 4, at 200pm, against the loser of #8 Seattle Christian and #1 Zillah.
Lynden High School, Saturday, February 28, 400pm
Absent from state since 2011, the Goats finished sixth in 2025 as the #9 seed, losing to Meridian on the final day. This will be their 13th 1A state tournament appearance.
This year, the Goats have just two seniors, and go 6-7 in the middle, but average size after that. They posted a 66-64 win over Oak Harbor during the holidays. They have a seven-point loss against #1 Zillah and beat Cashmere by two points in their winner to state game.
The Lyncs have been in high gear all season and have currently won 21 straight games. They finished second to Annie Wright in 2025, after defeating Kings and Royal along the way. Prior to the Annie Wright championship in 2025, only Zillah, Kings, and Lynden Christian had won 1A state championships over the previous ten tournaments.
The Lyncs have only three seniors but always have a heavy amount of state tournament experience. This will be the Lyncs 34th state tournament appearance. They have seven 1A state championships, and one 2A championship. Their quickness and overall basketball IQ are two traits that few, if any in this tournament, can match.
The winner advances to the state quarterfinals, Thursday, March 5, at 200pm. They would most likely play either Seattle Christian, Nooksack Valley, or Fort Vancouver.
The losing team will play a loser out game on Wednesday, March 4, at 1030am. The opponent will be between #15 King’s Way Christian and #10 Cascade Christian.
1A Boys Outlook
Chelan should give the Lyncs a good test, but a win there would put the Lyncs in a good spot to advance to the semifinals. There, they could face #3 Royal, a team that has given Zillah fits this year.
The Leopards enter the tourney with a 23-0 record. They have three wins over #3 Royal this year. The first was by 20 points, but after that, the Leopards squeezed past the Knights by four points, then by two points in the district championship game. The top three seeds don’t seem to have much separation.
The semifinal opponent on the Zillah side could be one of two teams from the Emerald Sound Conference. Kings and The Bear Creek School, could match up in the quarterfinals, and it would be their fourth meeting of the season.
#4 The Bear Creek School has taken two of three games against the #6 Kings Knights, including a 15-point win in the district championship game. If Bear Creek can beat #5 Annie Wright, they will advance to the quarters. If Kings loses to Royal, then wins their loser out game, they would face Bear Creek. One of those would go on to play Zillah in the semis.
Then there are the defending champions, Annie Wright. The Gators are hiding quietly in the swamp with their 15-9 record, but several of those losses are to 3A and 4A teams. They had heavy roster turnover, losing ten seniors from the class of 2025.
Let’s put the Lyncs and Leopards in the finals, and let them go at it. Again.
2A Boys State Tournament Preview
Lynden High School, Friday, February 27, 800pm
The Cardinals of the South Puget Sound 2A League participated in many 3A and 4A state tournaments through 2010. They are making their fifth appearance in the 2A state tournament and they have never placed. In 2025, after wins against Bainbridge and West Valley-Spokane, losses to Bremerton and Mark Morris stopped them short of a trophy.
After finishing third in the SPSL behind Fife and Clover Park, the Cardinals defeated Port Angeles in their District 3 winner to state game.
The Cardinals, third place in the South Puget Sound 2A League, split two games with the top two teams, Fife, and #14 Clover Park this season. Their best win may be a 69-68 non-league win over 1A #5 Annie Wright. The Cardinals lost to Nooksack Valley, 57-53, on New Year’s Eve.
After winning five of six state tournaments, and winning their first 23 games last season, the Lions lost their first two games in Yakima and were denied a trophy for the first time since 2015. They are now as healthy as they have been all season and have a regional contest on their home floor.
The Cardinals and the Lions are playing a loser out game, with the winner advancing to another loser out game on Wednesday, March 4, at 900pm. They will play the loser between #1 Bremerton and #8 Renton.
Davis High School, Yakima, Saturday, February 28, 1000am
The Vikings absorbed their third loss of the season in the district championship game to Grandview, a team they had beaten twice in league play. Since the 2A reclassification in 2006-07, this is their sixth appearance, having placed second twice. They finished fifth last year, as the #5 seed.
If you are familiar with Selah, you are familiar with the name, “Pepper.” There were three brothers that seemingly took a decade or longer to pass through the Selah program as all were varsity players as freshmen. Now, there is Oliver Pepper, who to my understanding, is a cousin of the other three, and built just like the rest. Sturdy, 6’3”, strong, and athletic, and can score like crazy from anywhere on the floor. Oliver is a junior. The Vikings have four seniors, and two are starters.
One senior starter is 6-7 senior forward, Finnegan Tait, who with his size, brings exceptional athleticism to the court.
Besides the district loss to Grandview, their other two losses were to West Valley-Yakima, the #8 seed in the 4A state tournament, and 3A Mercer Island, who missed out on the 3A state tournament, but finished with a 16-4 record.
Selah defeated Lynden 68-62 on day two of the 2025 SunDome Shootout. The Lions were without Ty Jorgenson and Spencer Adams. The Lions had an early lead, then in the second quarter, they lost junior forward Lewis Whitney to a broken hand.
The depth of competitive programs in the CWAC has increased over the years, but there seems to be a big difference between the top two, and the rest of the league this year. They used to be mainly a run-and-gun league, but now they can play defense as well as anyone, which is the main reason the league has strengthened so much.
After a year away from the Dome, the Seahawks return to the 2A state tournament for the 11th time. Their highest finish was second place, twice. Once was in 2015. The other was in 2013, when second year head coach AJ Yost averaged 11 points a game.
This is not a loser out game. The winner advances to the state quarterfinals, Thursday, March 5, at 715pm. Their opponent could be anyone from Tumwater, to Pullman, to Lakewood, to West Valley-Spokane.
The loser will play a loser out game on Wednesday, March 4, at 345pm. Their opponent will be Columbia River or Clover Park.
Mount Vernon High School, Saturday, February 28, 1000am
The Eagles entered the 2025 tournament at the #4 seed and were eliminated after a regional loss to Selah, and a Wednesday loss to Franklin Pierce. They are making their seventh 2A state tournament appearance, and they have earned one sixth place trophy.
The Cougars entered the 2025 state tournament as the District 1 champions, which earned them the #6 seed. Unfortunately, in the regional round, they went up against #3, and soon to be state champion, Bremerton. The loss to the Knights was followed by a loss to Columbia River, which ended the Cougars season on Wednesday. This year is the Cougars’ fourth appearance in the 2A state tournament.
Their rosters are very similar, with the Eagles having a slight size advantage, but nothing that the Cougars can’t overcome. If you have never had to defended Caleb Greenland, you’re in for a real treat. Both teams have only two seniors.
This is a loser out game, with the winner advancing to a loser out game on Wednesday, March 4, at 715pm, against the loser between #4 Pullman and #5 Tumwater.
2A Boys Outlook
Bremerton entered the 2025 state tournament as the #3 seed and took home the Gold Ball. The had the best player in the tournament, and one of the top players in the state, Jalen Davis. He is back for his junior year, making the Knights the tourney favorite.
Last year, the 2A boy’s tournament was deep and balanced. Prosser, the #10 seed, reached the finals. There were several other that could have. Trophies 1-6 went in this order by seed: #3; #10; #2; #11; #5; #8.
This year, while the Knights (21-2) have to be the favorite, the next best has to be #2 RA Long (24-0). The Lumberjacks lost to the Knights in the semifinals last year.
With Bremerton and RA Long on the top line, the next layer of teams is quite bulky. #5 Tumwater comes in with only two losses, one was to RA Long in the district championship. #3 Selah will be a tough team to beat, with #4 Pullman, #6 Anacortes, and #7 Grandview, also Saturday contenders.
It’s tough for those in regional loser out games to break through, but, as pointed out above, teams do it every year. Lakewood at #12 will have to go against a #4 or #5 to advance to Thursday. And #9 Lynden would get #8 Renton, if they lose to Bremerton, in a Wednesday, loser out game.
Renton is a well-respected wildcard team that many have been watching closely this year. Many state basketball polls have kept the RedHawks at or near their top ten all season, despite being at or near a .500 record all season. Their current 14-11 record is misleading, as they are the only 2A team in a 3A-4A league. Of the 11 teams in the Kingco Crown-Crest League, six have at least 17 wins, and all six are in their respective 3A and 4A state tournaments, with none lower than a #12 seed. The RedHawks were competitive with those six teams, but did not beat any of them.
From the league’s first season in 2006-07, Northwest Conference teams have had their names attached to boys and girls state championship trophies 27 times.
There was a big run of three each year (out of four) from 2022-24. The Lynden girls came through as a single last year. The league has not been shut out since 2015.
~ Ted House
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