SEATTLE — The East Jefferson girls basketball team beat Seattle Christian 51-41, ensuring that the Rivals will finish the season with a .500 record or better.
The Rivals can also lock up a winning regular season and a fourth-place finish in the tough Nisqually League with a victory tonight at Vashon.
East Jefferson got five 3-pointers from Dylin Shockley, who led the team with 21 points. Penina Vailolo had a double-double with 14 points and 12 rebounds, while Kaydence Plotner had a good all-around game with six points, eight rebounds and five steals. Teri Wiley had five steals and Kay Botkin seven rebounds.
The Rivals (3-4, 10-9) play at Vashon (2-5, 4-13) at 5:30 p.m. today. If they win, they get at least a share of fourth with six seeds making the District 3 1A tournament.
That is especially impressive considering that the top three teams in the Nisqually League — Bellevue Christian, Annie Wright and Cascade Christian — are all ranked in the top 15 in the state in Ratings Percentage Index with Bellevue Christian ranked No. 1.
East Jefferson 51, Seattle Chr. 41
EJ 14 14 18 5 — 51
SC 7 9 10 15 — 41
East Jefferson (51) — Shockley 21, Vailolo 14, Plotner 6, Botkin 3, Wiley 3, Harris 4.
Napavine 63, Forks 20
ROCHESTER — The Forks girls basketball team struggled after a long layoff in its District 4 tournament opener, getting buried by defending state champion Napavine 63-20.
“It was a little bit of everything. We were sick as dogs. They were an elite team, and we weren’t ready for them,” said coach David Hurn.
It was Forks’ first game since Jan. 30. As Pacific 2B League champion, the Spartans had a first-round bye in the District 4 tournament.
The Spartans are still very much alive in the tournament, but now they must win three straight games in the consolation bracket to qualify for the 2B state tournament. Forks next plays Chief Leschi at 7:30 p.m. today at Rochester. The Spartans handled Chief Leschi fairly easily earlier this season in a 46-24 victory.
“It’s the exact same thing as the last two years,” Hurn said, as Forks battled through the consolation bracket to qualify for state in 2022 and 2023. “We just can’t get over that hump and win that first game. We just have to wipe that game off the slate and move on.”
Hurn does like the Spartans’ chances in the consolation bracket. The toughest team likely facing Forks in the bracket could be Raymond-South Bend, which beat the Spartans 54-47 earlier this year.
The District 4 tournament is incredibly tough with the No. 1 team in the state in RPI, Adna, in the tournament, and the state’s No. 2 team, Rainier, which beat 17-1 Neah Bay. Defending state champion Napavine is a No. 3 seed and ranked No. 6 in the state in RPI.
The Spartans were led in scoring by Chloe Gaydeski and Pearl Salazar, who each had four.
Napavine 63, Forks 20
Forks 6 3 3 8 — 20
NV 27 16 14 6 — 63
Forks (20) — Gaydeski 4, Salazar 4, Neel 3, Hampton 3, Johnson 2, Peters 2, Crowder 2.
