Seattle Prep Drops Tough Matchup To Stanwood, Faces Must-Win Game At Tacoma Dome

By Kiara Doyal, The Seattle Medium

Last night, the Seattle Prep Panthers headed to Arlington High School to take on the Stanwood Spartans in round two of the 3A state girls’ basketball tournament. While both teams will advance to next week’s championships at the Tacoma Dome, the winner would claim a spot in the quarterfinal rounds, while the loser would advance to the “Round of 12,” where they would have to fight their way into the quarterfinal in a loser-out matchup.

Seattle Prep came out strong in the opening quarter, playing with cohesion and energy. Amanda Christian and Kylin Kinchen set the tone early, scoring the first four points of the night to give the Panthers an early edge. Meanwhile, Stanwood struggled to find its rhythm on both ends of the court, appearing to be a step behind Seattle Prep until Jazmyn Legg knocked down her first three-pointer of the night, cutting the deficit to 4-3 with half of the quarter remaining.

Legg’s shot seemed to spark Stanwood’s offense, and moments later, Grace Renners fouled Ellalee Wortham, sending her to the free-throw line, where she converted both attempts to tie the game at 4-4.

In the final three minutes of the quarter, both teams traded baskets in a fast-paced exchange of possessions. Neither side was able to establish a significant lead, and as the buzzer sounded, the score was tied at 11-11 heading into the second quarter.

In the second quarter, Stanwood looked like a completely different team on the court, as they were knocking down shots, crashing the boards to get rebounds, and not backing down to Seattle Prep’s relentless defensive pressure. Both teams kept pace with each other early in the quarter, trading baskets in a tightly contested matchup. However, Stanwood would begin to take control of the game midway through the second quarter. Led by Legg, who scored 14 first-half points, including four three-pointers, the Spartans found their rhythm, began pulling away, and took a 31-22 halftime lead over the Panthers.

Stanwood opened the second half with possession but quickly turned the ball over. Capitalizing on the miscue, Seattle Prep went on a 6-0 run to open the quarter and cut the deficit to 31-28.

As defensive pressure intensified on both sides, Seattle Prep suffered a setback when Kylin Kinchen picked up her fourth foul and had to sub out for a much-needed break. Seizing the opportunity, Stanwood put a halt to the Panthers’ momentum as Wortham knocked down a three-point shot to extend the Spartans’ lead to 34-28.

Stanwood continued to build momentum, as Stella Berrett, Wortham, and Jazmyn Legg combined for nine points during the final two minutes of the quarter. Seattle Prep got three points from Ella Castro, making the score 43-31 in favor of Stanwood going into the final quarter.

Seattle Prep came out firing in a thrilling fourth quarter, going on a 6-0 run that included an and-1 from Kylin Kinchen and a three-point shot by Addy Jack, cutting the deficit to 43-37. The Panthers’ early burst of energy forced Stanwood to call a timeout to regroup.

Following the timeout, Legg powered through the paint for a smooth layup. Stanwood, behind the efforts of Legg and Wortham, would slowly take control of the game as they built a 50-41 lead over Seattle Prep.

In the final 35 seconds of the game, Stanwood’s Ava DePew took two trips to the line, where she converted all four points. Kinchen added one final point for Seattle Prep at the line, and Stanwood ended the game with a strong blocked shot on Kinchen’s last shot attempt before the buzzer, securing Stanwood’s 54-42 victory.

Legg finished the night with 24 points, and Wortham finished with 18 points to lead Stanwood. Seattle Prep was led by Renners, who finished the night with 16 points, and Kinchen, who chipped in 9 points to lead Seattle Prep.

Despite the loss, Seattle Prep head coach Talia Walton commended Stanwood for their well-played game and said that, despite being on the wrong end of the score, the game will help prepare her team for the championship tournament next week at the Tacoma Dome.

“Stanwood is a great team and well-coached,” said Walton. “We didn’t execute our game plan as well as I would have liked, but even though we didn’t get the outcome we wanted, this game made us better and will help prepare us for Wednesday at the Dome!”