Class 4A girls tournament: Championship showdown on Day 1?

RENTON — Chris Carr knows there is no easy trail to a state championship.

But the Kentlake girls basketball coach was hoping the trek wouldn't start quite so treacherously.

The fourth-ranked Falcons (23-2) face No. 1 Central Valley (24-1) in the first round of the Class 4A tournament at 10:30 a.m. Wednesday at the Tacoma Dome.

"That's the thanks we get for finishing first in our district," Carr said after yesterday's draw at the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association headquarters. "I made the comment that the WIAA decided to invert the bracket and play the championship at 10:30 in the morning."

It's the blockbuster game of Day One in what is expected to be one of the best tournaments in recent history, top to bottom. Nine of the state's top-10 are in the 16-team field with only No. 8 Mead missing — thanks to Central Valley. The Bears, winners of the past two state championships, got back to the tournament by eliminating Mead, a two-time champion.

Second-ranked Redmond (23-0), the only unbeaten team in the field, is in the opposite half of the bracket and has the tournament nightcap against Puyallup (21-4) at 8:30 p.m. The Mustangs, fourth last year, could wind up meeting No. 5 Enumclaw in the quarterfinals. No. 9 Garfield (19-5) gets a 2 p.m. tipoff against Jefferson (18-7).

Kentlake really has Kennewick to thank for this match-up. The sixth-ranked Lions (22-3) upset the order by toppling Central Valley in the East Regional tournament, ending the Bears' record-tying 56-game winning streak. That cost CV a top seed and meant a likely first-round showdown with a district champion. As the draw progressed, Central Valley was left facing either Kentlake or Jefferson, the No. 4 seed out of the West Central District tournament (which Kentlake won). When it came time to determine Kentlake's opponent, with the names of Central Valley and Garfield in the bowl, Central Valley Coach Dale Poffenroth was asked to do the honors.

"I drew the wrong name out of the hat," Poffenroth said.

The early match-up had everyone shaking their heads.

"It's going to be a great game," Prairie Coach Al Aldridge said. "It's going to be a war."

Things won't get much easier for the survivor. Next up will be the winner of the 9 a.m. game between Kennewick (22-3) and Monroe (19-5). After upsetting Central Valley, Kennewick then lost the East Regional championship to Pasco (24-1).

Pasco is expected to make its presence felt. The Bulldogs, who dropped their final game of the regular season to Kennewick, open against Olympia (18-7) and could be headed for a quarterfinal clash with No. 3 Prairie (24-2), which lost last year's state-championship game to Central Valley and is a perennial power.