Dave Nichols: The good – and not-as-good – news about local state opening round basketball pairings
On Sunday, the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association announced the pairings for the opening round of state basketball, to be held this week at still-to-be released days, times and venues across the state.
While all the participants are happy to be in the field – it’s validation for five months of hard work and dedication – the allocated seeds for local teams were good news for some, not as much for others.
First, a reminder – the top eight seeds to the tournaments are “protected.” Those seeds face each other (1 vs. 8, etc.) in the opening round, and the winner moves straight to a quarterfinal. The loser plays in a “Round of 12” elimination game at the state venue.
The lower seeds – eight in 4A, 2A, 1A and 2B; 12 in 3A and 1B – play elimination games in the opening round to determine the other four teams in each bracket to reach the Round of 12 at each venue.
It’s a weird setup, where some teams in the field play double elimination in the opening round while others are playing single elimination. But with two classifications playing at each state venue, the WIAA can’t accommodate traditional fields of 16 and have to limit it to 12 teams that move on to the state venues.
Nine Greater Spokane League teams qualified for the opening round – out of a possible 14 to come out of District 6 in 4A, 3A and 2A. Some received very advantageous seeds, some look to be seeded commensurate with their resume, and some, well, to be frank, kind of got a raw deal.
A caveat: I am not on one of the seeding committees. But if I was, you wouldn’t know about it because the WIAA doesn’t make that information, or the exact criteria they use to develop the seedings, public. It’s a difficult job every year. But still, some of the decisions every year are head scratchers, to say the least.
My analysis is based on watching hundreds of high school basketball games and other publicly available information, including the state’s touted/flouted RPI system.
It’s supplemented by conversations with coaches, players, administrators and media across the state.
The good
The Gonzaga Prep boys team (22-2) received the No. 1 seed in 4A. They’ve had a very good season – undefeated in the GSL and no losses in the state (losses came at Post Falls in December and to the host of a Hawaii tournament over the holidays).
It’s remarkable what the Bullpups have done this year. They lost two of their best players before school even started, with seasonlong injuries to senior post Nate Christy and pure-shooting junior Dylynn Groves and still won their seventh district title in nine years.
The Mt. Spokane boys (17-7) won the district title on Saturday, leading three GSL 3A teams into state, joined by Central Valley (12-11) and North Central (17-7), which played a 2A league schedule but went 10-4 against “bigger” schools – including a win over Post Falls and four out of five games at districts.
The Wildcats earned the No. 2 seed to the bracket, which is a little strange for a seven-loss team. But they played a robust nonleague schedule, including winning the high-profile Curtis Holiday Tournament in Tacoma.
The Central Valley girls (23-0), and rightfully so, are the No. 1 seed in that bracket. They probably would have qualified for state regardless, but when they added the top prospect in the state on transfer at the start of the season the Bears became prohibitive favorites in the classification. Brynn McGaughy and her teammates have been on a mission, and are primed for a big run in Tacoma.
The bad
The Mead girls (16-7) lost an instant classic to Chiawana (the bracket’s No. 3 seed) in the 4A district title game, then bounced back to knock off Kamiakin to reach state. For their troubles, the Panthers – who have played on Saturday at state in each of the last three tournaments – must fight for their lives with a loser-out game in the opening round. What stings more? They are the No. 9 seed. Just one spot higher and they would have been protected.
Same thing for Ridgeline girls – the Falcons (20-4) own just four losses this season, one to CV and to two out-of-state teams in “The Fitz” tourney to kick off the season. They are the fifth-ranked team via RPI, yet received the dreaded No. 9 seed. And nobody west of the Cascades must have watched the Deer Park girls play this year. I did.
They led Idaho 6A fourth-place Coeur d’Alene 31-4 after the first quarter and beat them by 20, among many other impressive wins against bigger schools, en route to 23-0 record. And I know 2A girls is a strong bracket. But yet, the No. 3 seed must feel like motivation for the Stags. Oh, by the way, they just moved up from 1A this season.
The matchups
Location/day/time TBD. Please check spokesman.com/high-school-sports for complete schedules.
Boys
4A: (1) Gonzaga Prep vs (8) Puyallup. 3A: (2) Mt. Spokane vs (7) Seattle Prep; (16) Central Valley vs (17) Prairie; (18) North Central vs (15) Gig Harbor. 2A: (4) West Valley vs (5) Selah. 1A: (10) Riverside vs (15) Overlake.
Girls
4A: (9) Mead vs (16) Eastmont. 3A: (1) Central Valley vs (8) Meadowdale; (9) Ridgeline vs (16) Bellevue/(17) Auburn Mountainview. 2A: (3) Deer Park vs (6) Prosser. 1A: (13) Lakeside vs (12) Cedar Park Christian.