By ROGER UNDERWOOD
YAKIMA HERALD-REPUBLIC

Since his team didn’t lose to an opponent from Washington all season, King’s girls coach Eric Rasmussen had a pretty good idea that his Knights would be here for the Class 2A state tournament.

This despite King’s having moved up from Class 1A, where it went to state 14 times and won a championship in 1997.

So Rasmussen long ago began acquiring game film and/or scouting reports on 2A teams throughout the state, giving information he added to while watching first-round play Wednesday in the SunDome.

“One thing that’s obvious is that the CWAC is a very good conference,” Rasmussen said. “East Valley wasn’t 22-0 going into the district championship for no reason. And even though they were at the top level there appeared to be a good amount of parity not far beneath them.”

Rasmussen might have been taking the opportunity for some public diplomacy following the Knights’ 58-40 defeat of La Center since his team will play CWAC participant Ephrata Thursday in a 7:30 p.m. quarterfinal.

On the other hand, he seemed to have a solid grasp of tournament math.

“After tonight there will be eight teams left,” Rasmussen said, “and it could be a tossup as far as who might win it.”

King’s did nothing to diminish its status as a contender, rolling up a 50-25 lead after three quarters. Rasmussen, then, was able to rest his starters, including 5-foot-9 junior Sara Mosiman who had 19 points and six rebounds in less than 16 minutes of playing time.

The Knights improved to 23-1, with their lone loss a 70-62 setback to Alameda, Calif.

Defending champion Chelan, meanwhile, had little trouble dispatching Elma 54-33 and Lynden Christian seemed as good as advertised in a 71-37 rout of Eatonville.

East Valley, however, went scoreless over the final 3:10 of its game with Riverside and lost to the Rams 36-30 in the day’s most significant upset.

Ephrata earned its shot at King’s by forcing 26 turnovers and limiting Woodland to 28 percent shooting in a 48-41 victory led by Laura Tinnell’s 19 points.

Lynden Christian, which will oppose Riverside in another quarterfinal at 9, got 18 points from Kristin De Haan, outrebounded the Cruisers 46-30 and outshot them 46 percent to 23 percent.

Ahead 38-22 at halftime, the Lyncs outscored Eatonville 20-5 during the third quarter to ice it.

Earlier winner’s bracket games will match Chewelah opposite Ridgefield at 4 p.m. and Chelan against Mount Baker at 5:30.

Wednesday’s early games saw only one surprise, and that was a mild one.

Darkhorse Ridgefield overcame a 52-32 rebounding deficit by turning the ball over only 10 times and placing four scorers in double figures en route to a 61-56 victory over Steilacoom, rated as a team that might surprise coming in.

The Sentinels’ Mele Rich, though only 5-foot-5, grabbed 20 boards and diminutive dynamo Darcelle Esmeralda scored 15 points, but Steilacoom shot only 35 percent while the Spudders shot 44.

Brooke Lowery, a 5-10 senior, led Ridgefield with 22 points.

Otherwise, Chelan dominated Elma by forcing 29 turnovers and limiting the Eagles to 39 percent shooting. Cassy Pilkington, a 5-11 junior, was the Goats only double-figure scorer with a game-high 20 points, though she needed 25 shots to reach that total.

Connell’s 58-50 loss to Mount Baker was traceable to 32 percent shooting, including 1-for-19 from 3-point range. The Eagles were also outrebounded 44-33, although they did force 27 turnovers.

And remember, the 15-9 Mountaineers dealt Lynden Christian two of its three losses including a 50-47 defeat in district play.

And Chewelah’s 78-31 rout of Chimacum featured an 8-for-10 shooting performance by reserve Jenny Polm, a 5-8 sophomore, who totaled a game-high 16 points.

Jen Leick, another nonstarter, added 12 points and 11 rebounds for the Cougars, who shot 50 percent to the Cowboys’ 24, outboarded them 45-31 and forced 23 turnovers while committing just 14.