One game at a time

By SCOTT SANDSBERRY
YAKIMA HERALD-REPUBLIC

When Lynden Christian edged Seattle Christian 41-40 in a Northwest Tri-District game last Friday, much of the Class 1A girls basketball community considered it a preview of coming attractions.

That is, a preview of what many expect will be Saturday night's state championship game in the SunDome.

Certainly, there are other teams that will have a say in the matter. At the top of that list is unbeaten, second-ranked Freeman (23-0), and Connell (21-2), Zillah (19-4), Chelan (20-5) and Granger (19-4) will each have a significant say in who moves into the semifinals and finals.

But Seattle Christian (22-1) and Lynden Christian (21-3, with all three defeats at the hands of 2A and 3A teams) have played this season likes teams of greatness, and their district matchup lived up to the hype. The defending champion Lyncs won 41-40, with all-stater Kenzie DeBoer scoring the go-ahead basket with 15 seconds remaining and Seattle Christian's stellar freshman, Katie Collier, barely missing a shot at the buzzer that would have given victory to the Warriors.

"It was a fantastic game," Seattle Christian coach Bob Kickner said. "I think both teams probably feel they can play better. We left feeling very confident; I think they left with some respect for us, not having seen us or known us.

"Lynden Christian, it's their tournament until somebody knocks them off. Their pedigree is well-known. All we've done is put ourselves back on the radar screen."

Lynden Christian is in the upper bracket and Seattle Christian is in the lower bracket. But Lyncs coach Curt DeHaan isn't already looking forward to a Saturday night championship rematch with the Warriors. There's too much work yet to be done.

"I'm just focused on Wednesday," said DeHaan, whose teams have won seven state titles in his 29 years as head coach. "That (rematch) is not on my mind. My mind is on (first-round opponent) Rainier right now.

"We've got some of the top-ranked teams in our bracket -- Connell's there, Granger, Chelan. And Zillah and Freeman are in the other bracket with Seattle Christian, so I think it's pretty balanced as far as the brackets go. It should be an exciting tournament."

The most intriguing first-round matchup is actually the earliest game of the day, with Chelan, winners of 13 of its last 15 games, facing Connell, whose only two losses have come against Zillah.

Looming ahead are some possible quarterfinal matchups worth the price of admission -- Lynden Christian against Granger, last year's third-place finishers; Freeman against Bellevue Christian, whose only losses in its last 20 games have been the Lynden Christian and Seattle Christian; and Seattle Christian against Zillah or perennial contender King's.