Top Teams in the State – 3A (End of January)

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>In this article I just wanted to talk about who are some top teams as we head into the end of January and move closer to state tournament time. Here we will be starting with 3A.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>Bellevue HS</em></strong>: Current Record: 16-3 </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Bellevue plays in such a tough conference, filled with some of the top 4A teams in the entire state but this team could be the best in the conference. Their one conference loss came to Bothell but they have wins over Lake Washington, Eastside Catholic, Woodinville, Eastlake, and Sumner. They even have some impressive wins that they took down in California during the holiday break. They lost to Seirra Canyon, barely, but have also lost to top 4A squad Davis HS. They should end the regular season with some more wins and enter post season play ready to complete against 3A competition and not 4A. [player_tooltip player_id='985970' first='Dilynn' last='Johnson'] and [player_tooltip player_id='586268' first='Syesha' last='Simanton'] have been playing phenomenal for their squad with [player_tooltip player_id='1259625' first='Trinity' last='Palmer-Wilson'] and [player_tooltip player_id='898163' first='Lauryn' last='Keilman'] being some upperclassman to rely on. They are filled with young talent but are also win now, being a unique situation. We will be seeing a lot of Bellevue in the coming weeks and even, years. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em><strong>Roosevelt HS</strong></em>: Current Record: 14-2</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Roosevelt is a team that only holds 2 losses, one of which being the very first game of the season against a great 4A Woodinville. They hold wins against Bothell, Seattle Prep, Archbishop-Murphy, and Eastlake. They did lose a close conference game to Lakeside (Seattle) in a hard fought game. The anticipated matchup of that game will come January 30th. Roosevelt has a great chance to win out while being led by star [player_tooltip player_id='580530' first='Ellery' last='Burke-Brown']. She's a player who gets it done from all 3 levels and makes impactful plays throughout. [player_tooltip player_id='580529' first='Giselle' last='Dollar'] does the same and adds craftiness to the court with her ability to shift through the defense and get easy buckets. With these two D1 players leading the team, they'll be tough to stop down the stretch. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>White River HS</em></strong>: Current Record: 12-4</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>This White River team has no current seniors, meaning they will be back again next year to compete for a 3A state championship. To focus on this year, [player_tooltip player_id='751222' first='Maggee' last='Schmitz'], [player_tooltip player_id='861885' first='Kaitlyn' last='Hewlett'], and Malia Fromke are a trio that is hard to stop. They play so well together and all compliment each other nicely on the court. They started off the season with a big conference loss to Decatur early in the year but bounced back to have some great games after. They struggled against top 1A program Lynden Christian when traveling north to play against them during the holiday break but, a lot of teams have trouble with the Lyncs. They pulled out a tough, big win over Enumclaw after the new year and haven't slowed down since, only dropping one non-conference game to Issaquah. The anticipated matchup between Decatur is tomorrow, January 27th with another tough matchup against Enumclaw to finish the regular season. White River has a chance to get rolling before postseason action begins. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>Gig Harbor HS</em></strong>: Current Record: 13-3</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Gig Harbor took a couple losses early in the season to North Thurston and Lincoln (Tacoma) but did bounce back to beat Lincoln in the 2nd matchup of the season. They should finish the year out without losing a game and should head into district play ready to face high level competition. [player_tooltip player_id='1232929' first='Willow' last='Bonnici'] is a top junior in the state, being able to get smooth buckets and effect the game for the better on the court and with only have 2 seniors on the roster, they should be a competitive team once again next year.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em><strong>North Thurston HS:</strong></em> Current Record: 13-3</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>This squad started off the year with 3 huge matchups and they unfortunately dropped 2 of them. Since then they have rattled off 12 wins in 13 games and have beaten Lincoln (Tacoma), Black Hills, and Bellarmine Prep. Their only loss coming to a tough Tualatin team in Oregon. They seem destined to win out the regular season and enter postseason play SCORCHING hot. [player_tooltip player_id='579809' first='Shayla' last='Cordis'] is one of my favorite players to watch and she just continues to get better. She plays with patience and knows how to get buckets in a variety of ways. Her sister Sierra is ready to be the teams top option next year and knows how to play well for her sister. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->