Girls 4A tournament: No breathers for girls contenders

Al Aldridge is not easily wowed.

But the veteran coach from Prairie admits the field in this week's Class 4A state girls basketball tournament at the Tacoma Dome is almost breathtaking.

"Wow, it's going to be a dandy," Aldridge said. "If everybody comes to play every day, this will be a sensational tournament."

The 16 qualifiers include all but one of the state's top 10 and the one absence was inevitable. Five of the 10 played in the East Regional, which has just four berths. No. 8 Mead was left home.

The list includes the state's last unbeaten 4A girls team in Redmond (23-0), a two-time defending champion in Central Valley (24-1) as well as a Kentlake team (23-2) that has not lost to a Washington opponent.

Central Valley and Kentlake square off in today's first round at 10:30 a.m. Half of the teams have four or fewer losses apiece.

"There are about 10 teams in this tournament that have a good chance," Kennewick Coach Scott Parker said.

That would include his Lions (22-3), who handed Central Valley its lone loss in the East Regional semifinals and have one of the tournament's most exciting players in 5-foot-5 guard Leilani Mitchell. If the Lions win their 9 a.m. opener against an entertaining Monroe squad that features 6-6 sophomore Kirsten Thompson, they'll get the CV-Kentlake winner in the quarterfinals.

There will be no breathers.

"There are so many good teams at this tournament, I'm just proud to be one of them," Puyallup Coach Collette Stewart said.

The Vikings (21-4) play today's finale against Redmond at 8:30 p.m. The Mustangs are on a mission after finishing second in 2001 and fourth in 2002.

"We have one more chance to get that title, and that's what we're looking for," senior guard Ashley Graham said.

Redmond played a rugged nonleague schedule that included No. 5 Enumclaw (21-4), two top-eight 3A teams (Issaquah and Bellevue) and three victories over No. 9 Garfield. Still, the Mustangs aren't taking anything for granted.

"They know they may be unbeaten, but they still have to get through a tough state tournament," Redmond Coach Pat Bangasser said of his players. "There's always an upset or two at state. But we've worked hard to get here and we're peaking at the right time."

Kentlake also comes in with a lot of confidence, riding an 18-game winning streak since losing twice in California over the holidays. It's a highly competitive group led by soccer phenom Shuree Hyatt (University of San Francisco) and volleyball sensation Courtney Thompson (Washington). The Falcons proved last year they can play some basketball, advancing to the semifinals before losing.

Kentlake Coach Chris Carr doesn't expect Kentlake to back down from Central Valley, which is looking to become the first 4A or 3A school to win three state titles in a row (the Lincoln boys attempt the same feat).

"Our kids will come out ready to go and fired up," Carr said. "They're competitive. They'll do it."

The feisty Falcons battled from nine points down in the fourth quarter to beat Prairie in the West Central District championship game. Ah, yes, Prairie. The Falcons (24-2), from Brush Prairie in suburban Vancouver, rarely fly off course at state and were finalists last year.

And then there's a 24-1 Pasco team that has everyone whispering. How good is the Tri-Cities team? Good enough to beat Kennewick three out of four times — yep, that same Kennewick team that stunned Central Valley.

As for Central Valley, the Bears from Spokane are bristling and there's no one better to help them claw their way back to the top than Arizona State-bound Emily Westerberg, last year's tournament MVP and Seattle Times 4A State Player of the Year

"It's still their crown, and their girls don't want to give up that title," Pasco Coach Steve Davis said.