TWIST Notes 2026
- Ted House
- Mar 3
- 6 min read
(This Week In (the) State Tournament)
The long and winding, definitely windy, and sometimes snowy, road to the Yakima County SunDome began right after Thanksgiving, 2025. There are four tournaments and 48 teams remaining from all those that had this dream, months ago.
The remaining Northwest Conference representatives include the Lynden and Lynden Christian boys and girl’s teams, along with the Anacortes and Nooksack Valley boy’s teams.
Wednesday Games
1A Boys, 200pm
The Pioneers will squeak their shoes on the SunDome floor for the first time since 2011. They are certainly playing their best basketball of the season, having won three of their last four games, and were on the way up prior to that. Their 54-45 win over Fort Vancouver on Friday is certainly one of the Pioneers’ biggest wins in many years. To eliminate a team who had posted 20 wins and seemed to have many things going their way, says a lot about what the Pioneers did.
Now, they take on the #8 Warriors in another elimination game. The Warriors took a 9-2 lead over #1 Zillah on Saturday, but the Leopards ran past them in the second quarter to take a 64-55 win.
Seattle Christian is sound, strong, and well coached group. Their size shouldn’t be an issue for the Pioneers, as four starters match up well in that area. The Warriors best forward is 6-4 senior, Sam Althoff. Ashton Ward, a 6-6 senior, comes off the bench.
As good teams do, the Pioneers come up with different scoring combinations each night. Their nucleus of Cole Coppinger, Crew Bauman, Jayden Anderson, and Owen Wichers could be just the right mixture to get past the Warriors.
Seattle Christian last appeared in the state tournament in 2023. The Pioneers will have to continue their ascending journey. As I said before their game with the Trappers, maybe their record is their ace in the hole.
This is an elimination game, with the winner advancing to the quarterfinals, where they would play the Lynden Christian Lyncs on Thursday, at 200pm.
2A Boys, 900pm
The same could be said about Renton, as far as their 14-12 record goes. But people have had their eye on the RedHawks all season, always hanging around the basketball polls, rated anywhere from 8-12, despite the number in their loss column. They play in a league full of 3A and 4A teams, and good ones like Mount Si, Bellevue, Lake Washington, Redmond, Woodinville, and Liberty.
They lost to everyone’s favorite in 2A, Bremerton, 75-57 on Saturday. The RedHawks are quick and athletic. It will be a test to see if Lynden can control tempo, keep it a half-court game, and let their system win out.
If they can, they will have a size advantage inside with 6-7 Ty Jorgenson and 6-6 Spencer Adams. And 6-7 Lewis Whitney, is now healthy coming off the bench. The Lions continually broke the defensive pressure put up by Franklin Pierce on Friday, in their best all around game of the season. Their 44-point win over the Cardinals is ten points larger than the RedHawks win over the Cardinals in December.
The RedHawks are the wildcard of the tournament. They play in a league with several teams currently in the 3A and 4A state tournaments. They came close a few times but did not get any wins over those teams.
As the #14 seed last year, the RedHawks were eliminated by Columbia River in the regional round.
This is an elimination game with the winner advancing to play #2 RA Long, Thursday at 900pm, in a quarterfinal game.
Thursday Games
2A Girls, 1030am
The undefeated Lions, winners of the last two 2A girls state championships, will take on the winner of Wednesday’s elimination game between Deer Park and Mark Morris.
The #10 Monarchs (18-6) beat #15 Kingston in the regional round, while the #2 Stags (21-3) were upset by #7 Ellensburg (20-5).
Deer Park lost in the 1A girls championship game to Nooksack Valley two years ago, then lost to Ellensburg in the 2A semifinals last year.
A Stags win would set up a quarterfinal game between the top two seeds in the tournament. The bracket has been set up this way for several years, whereas if the #2 seed loses their regional game, then wins on Wednesday, they face the #1. The question being, if the #2 lost to the #7, then was that a legitimate #2 team? We will see what happens on Wednesday, but the answer is probably, “yes.”
It’s definitely a tough matchup for Lynden, but you could also say it’s a tougher matchup for Deer Park. The Stags have shown how good they are over the last two years, even with most of the roster standing between 5-6 and 5-8. This is a very deep 2A girls’ tournament, and if Lynden can get through another one unscathed, they could end up playing the #2, #4, and #3 seeds on consecutive days, if of course, seeds hold true.
The winner advances to the state semifinals at 345pm on Friday.
1A Girls, 715pm
The Bulldogs knocked off #12 Cedar Park Christian and will now take on the Gators at 715pm on Wednesday, with the winner advancing to play the Lyncs in the quarterfinals.
The Lyncs beat the Gators for 3rd and 5th in last year’s tournament and should be matched up on Thursday. The Gators had a 13-game winning streak snapped by #5 Royal in the regional round.
The Lyncs have won five straight games and have held eight teams under 30 points this season.
The winner advances to the semifinals, which could be a face off with #2 Zillah, Friday at 900pm.
2A Boys, 715pm
#6 Anacortes Seahawks (21-4) vs #5 Tumwater Thunderbirds (21-3) or #13 West Valley-Spokane Eagles (16-7)
The Seahawks regional win over Selah in their back yard got them through to the quarterfinals where they will watch the Thunderbirds and the Eagles on Wednesday.
Tumwater breezed through a schedule that did not offer many tests. In their district championship game against #2 RA Long, the Thunderbirds were down by more than 20 points in the first half before coming back to lose 59-53. In the regional game, they were overwhelmed by #4 Pullman, 74-38.
Don’t count out the Eagles in Wednesday’s game. They played really well in beating Lakewood on Saturday. They are a physically tough team, that knows how to play the game. Both teams have only two seniors on their roster.
The Seahawks won’t be surprised by any occurrence this week. That’s from the competitiveness of the Northwest Conference each year. The leadership of seniors Micah Dickison and Brennan Morgenthaler is a good starting point for the Seahawks.
1A Boys, 200pm
#2 Lynden Christian Lyncs (23-1) vs #8 Seattle Christian Warriors (17-6) or #16 Nooksack Valley Pioneers (11-14)
The Lyncs await what could possibly be a third game with the Pioneers. Whatever the case, the Lyncs will play their game which flows quickly and efficiently through the guard play of juniors Dawson Hintz and Gunnar Dykstra. Junor forward Kaden Veldman, at 6-4, is one of the best rim protectors around, with an uncanny shot blocking ability.
A win in the quarterfinals would send them to the semifinals, where another familiar foe, the Kings Knights could be waiting. The #6 Knights upset #3 Royal in the regional round.
1A Boys Outlook
This started as a three-team race between #1 Zillah, #2 Lynden Christian, and #3 Royal. But Royal will have to work to get back to the semis after their loss to Kings, which now puts the Knights in the mix.
I have seen Zillah twice, and Lynden Christian several times. I think the Leopards and the Lyncs are on another collision course, and I think the Lyncs have just a little bit more in them this year.
1A Girls Outlook
We speak of the #2 Leopards and the #3 Lyncs again as the girls teams could also end up in a semifinal matchup. But Kings may be King in this bracket behind 6-1 senior, Kaleo Anderson.
2A Boys Outlook
This one looks like Bremerton, and everyone else. Although RA Long came close to the Knights in last year’s semifinals. However, Jalen Davis, last year’s state tournament MVP, is cranking it up again.
The race for second place is wide open to the field, and remember how many lower seeds placed in last year’s tournament? Led by #10 Prosser, who lost to Bremerton in the championship game.
2A Girls Outlook
This is the deepest tournament of the four in the SunDome. Yes, Lynden may be the prohibitive favorite, but this will be no scroll through the apple orchards.
This tournament reminds me of last year’s 2A boy’s tournament. Bremerton, though the #3 seed, was the favorite, the rest were up for grabs, and that’s what happened. I see the same thing with this year’s 2A girl’s tourney.
Take seeds two through eight and mix them up and draw them out. It would be a different result every time.
Safe travels to all. The weather looks good, so let’s pack the Dome.
And, finally, don’t forget to check out my instructions on claiming your STATE TOURNAMENT PROGRAMS. Don’t say I didn’t warn ya!
~ Ted House
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