As the NPSL regular season came to a close in the first week of February, the teams are now preparing for the district tournament as their hopes to reach the Tacoma Dome start to become clearer than ever.
Here are the local matchups in the West Central District Tournament.
Boys 4A
• Feb. 13: No. 16 Spanaway Lake (7-13) @ No. 1 Auburn (19-2)
Last meeting: First ever meeting.
Insight: Just one in-state blemish on the Auburn resume, which came on Jan. 23 on the road against Kentridge. Since then, Auburn has won by 32 points, 18 points and 44 points. Auburn has a three-headed monster in Daniel Johnson, Miles Henry and Isaiah Englund who defend really well and possibly score better than they play defense.
Auburn has allowed just five teams to score over 60 points all season: Renton, Stadium, Kennedy Catholic and Tahoma (twice). The Trojans have shown they can convert late in games and find separation early. It seems like they still haven’t hit their peak and have been steamrolling teams all season. They can be a very exciting team to watch.
• Feb. 13: No. 12 Union (10-11) @ No. 5 Kentridge (17-4)
Last meeting: Feb. 15, 2023. West Central District second round: Union 55, Kentridge 47
Insight: It’s looking like Kentridge is peaking at the right time, and in Coach Zac Webb’s third season the Chargers are knocking on the door of the state tournament. Led by senior Gio Moimoi, Kentridge’s silky smooth big man can take over any game at any point. He fouled out against Kentwood in the Chargers’ final regular season game, which allowed Kentwood to find their stride late in the game defensively.
For Kentridge to make a run, Moimoi will shoulder much of the offense. Any contribution from the Keowlas or even Isiah Dash or Damien Diaz will certainly be enough to push the Chargers past Union. The Titans scuffled the back half of their season, winning three of seven, but they have beaten Battle Ground and Skyview in their last two outings.
• Feb. 13: No. 11 Olympia (13-6) @ No. 6 Kentwood (13-8)
Last meeting: Feb. 14, 2025. West Central District second round: Olympia 76, Kentwood 50
Insight: How far can Brandon Tagle take the Conks? That will be the question everyone will be asking as Kentwood looks to avenge last year’s postseason woes and return to the Tacoma Dome. Tagle is the final senior of a loaded crop of underclassmen that head coach Blake Solomon has ushered in. Solomon and Tagle have their sights set on the Dome and it rests heavily on their shoulders.
Kentwood seemed to weather the storm after losing four games in a row, but a stinker of a game against Kennedy raised some eyebrows as Kentwood scored just 37 in the 37-point loss. However, Kentwood defeated red-hot rival Kentridge in their regular season finale. Could this be a sign of things to come? Olympia has lost just one game since Jan. 17.
Boys 3A
Auburn Mountainview as the NPSL runner-ups was given a first round bye and the No. 4 seed in the West Central District tournament. The Lions await the winner of No. 12 Peninsula at No. 5 Gig Harbor and will play said winner on Feb. 17 at home. Auburn Mountainview has never played a boys basketball game inside the Tacoma Dome. The champions, Enumclaw, who beat out Auburn Mountainview via tiebreaker, await the winner of No. 7 White River hosting No. 10 Lakes. Enumclaw will play on Feb. 17 at home with another battle of the bridge on the horizon.
• Feb. 14: No. 11 Timberline @ No. 6 Todd Beamer
Last meeting: Feb. 18, 2025 West Central District tournament third round: Timberline 60, Todd Beamer 59
Insight: With the 3A NPSL leading scorer Doni Burkett, the Titans can beat anybody. But the supplemental pieces will reveal how far Todd Beamer can go. De Tre Walker is a prime example of this. Against White River, Walker had a double double with 25 points and 10 rebounds and helped the Titans win by 22. Before the fourth quarter, he had just seven points against Enumclaw, and he can be a difference maker.
Jeremiah Johnson, Michael Edwards and Walker are the only Titans that played on last year’s team that lost to Timberline. As for Johnson, he’s the glue that holds Todd Beamer together, and if he can get going, and the Titans are healthy, then Todd Beamer should take care of business on Saturday. Also, watch out for Oscar Garcia. His three point shooting can get Beamer going as the winner of this game takes on Lincoln (Tacoma) in a winner-to-state contest.
• Feb. 14: No. 10 Lakes (13-7) @ No. 7 White River (13-8)
Last meeting: Dec. 15, 2009 Lakes 81 White River 37
Insight: White River was at one point in the running for a league title but dropped two games to Todd Beamer that really hampered that opportunity. But instead of folding, the Hornets finished the year on a high note, beating Federal Way and then trouncing Enumclaw in their own house 65-48.
Logan Senon has the potential to take any game over. Against Todd Beamer the 5-foot-8 guard hit six threes, keeping his side in the game. A win against Lakes would guarantee a winner-to-state battle of the bridge for the first time since 1993.
• Feb. 14: No. 9 Federal Way (11-7) @ No. 8 River Ridge (12-9)
Last meeting: Nov. 27, 2012. Federal Way 73, River Ridge 49
Insight: Federal Way High School has been in unfamiliar territory all season. The Eagles went 7-7 in league play, which is their lowest win percentage since the 1999-2000 season. But Federal Way did show they can compete with league champion Enumclaw, taking them to double overtime in the Eagles’ penultimate game of the season.
It’s hard to count out Federal Way when the calendar hits February just because there is such a rich history of success. But for the Eagles to reach the state tournament, they’ll have to beat the No. 8 and No. 1 seed Bellarmine. Or possibly the No. 4 or No. 5 team in the district tournament. Against teams with a winning record this year, Federal Way is an abnormal 1-7 with their one win coming against 2A Foster.
Girls 4A
• Feb. 12: No. 14 Spanaway Lake (13-7) @ No. 3 Auburn (18-2)
Last meeting: First ever meeting
Insight: Spanaway Lake started the year off winning nine of their first 10 games, but have cooled off a bit down the stretch. Auburn on the other hand has been blistering hot all season, and the loss to Tahoma looks more like an outlier as the days go by. Avery Hansen in her junior year is getting somehow better and better, and the wins are stacking up in an ever so impressive way. The addition of Ari Deloney is going to make Auburn even more dangerous.
Auburn has played a softer league schedule than head coach Jessica Hansen would have liked. But games against Kentridge, and especially Tahoma, have prepped the Trojans for the postseason. Coach Hansen has the Trojans rearing to go but Spanaway Lake will be no easy game.
• Feb. 12: No. 15 Kentridge (9-11) @ No. 2 Sumner (21-2)
Last meeting: Feb. 13, 2025. West Central District tournament first round.
Insight: In first year head coach Jawan Stepney’s first season, the Chargers are back in the playoffs against the same team they took on last season at this moment in time. Kentridge might not have marquee wins on the schedule, but their two games against Auburn are the slimmest margins the Trojans played against a team not named Tahoma.
The Chargers’ loss to Kentwood to end the season should have left a bad taste in their mouths and could be some extra motivation heading into the postseason. Andrea Pop and LaJaya Brown have the talent, but Sumner poses a threat that not many teams can handle.
• Feb. 12: No. 16 Kentwood (8-10) @ No. 1 Union (20-2) (after press time)
Last meeting: Feb. 17, 2024. West Central District tournament winner-to-state. Kentwood 58, Union 54
Insight: Similar to Kentridge, Kentwood also is under a head coach in the first year of their tenure Diago Hunter. The Conks have been fighting uphill all season after losing their first three games of the year. Kentwood went on another losing streak, losing five in a row from Jan. 6 to Jan. 19. But a win over Kentridge to cap off the regular season can be a momentum builder for Kentwood.
Union’s two losses are to Tualatin (OR) and Bartlett (AK).
Girls 3A
Both Enumclaw and White River were given top four seeds and received first-round byes in the district tournament. White River will play the winner of Auburn Mountainview and No. 5 Bellarmine. Enumclaw, the reigning NPSL champs and the No. 2 overall seed, will play the winner of No. 10 Silas and No. 7 Lakes. Both White River and Enumclaw will play their games at home on Feb. 16.
• Feb. 13: No. 9 Lincoln (8-10) @ No. 8 Decatur (12-8)
Last meeting: Dec. 2, 2023. Lincoln 59, Decatur 29
Insight: For Mo Anderson’s side, the Gators had league title aspirations. Especially when the Gators defeated White River in their first meeting of the season. But the gauntlet of non-league games consisting of Auburn, Spanaway Lake, Kennedy and Archbishop Murphy gave the Gators lots of problems.
Decatur has yet to make the Tacoma Dome under Anderson, but with freshman Avaieya Sinclair and senior Iyanna Waltar, Decatur has an opportunity to make a run. But it won’t be easy as if they beat the Abes and University of Tennessee commit Oliviyah Edwards. The No. 1 seed North Thurston Rams are their next opponent.
• Feb. 13: No. 11 Thomas Jefferson (10-10) @ No. 6 River Ridge (13-8)
Last meeting: First ever meeting.
Insight: In a top heavy 3A NPSL, Thomas Jefferson High School was the best of that next tier. Shun “Flip” Austin has turned Thomas Jefferson into a perennial playoff team as they have made the postseason three out of the last four seasons. Before Austin took the team over, the Raiders hadn’t made the district tournament since 2019.
Scoring against teams with winning records has been a struggle for the Raiders this season and it will be a challenge against River Ridge. Against Decatur, Enumclaw and White River, the most points Thomas Jefferson scored was 36, and they were 0-6 against those three opponents, which accounted for all six league losses.
• Feb. 13: No. 12 Auburn Mountainview (6-11) @ No. 5 Bellarmine (14-6)
Last meeting: First ever meeting
Insight: Bellarmine is the clear favorite in this game, and their five losses are against both the No. 1 3A and 4A team (North Thurston, Union) in the district tournaments. The other three are against Gig Harbor twice and Lincoln twice with a loss to Gonzaga Prep in the middle. For Auburn Mountainview, their best win this season is a 20-point win against Federal Way, who went 2-18.
The Lions played 13-8 Issaquah back on Dec. 20 at Tahoma and only managed to score 10 points. Take Peninsula, a team with a similar RPI rank (43) to Auburn Mountainview (50). Bellarmine held Peninsula to just 34 points. In the 11 losses, Auburn Mountainview has scored an average of 18.7 points.
