KingCo 4A Girls Basketball | Bothell wins, gets Roosevelt in final

KIRKLAND — Mandy Saintz, Bothell's 6-foot-2 junior center, rules the post, and Ballard was the latest victim of her domination Friday night.

Saintz poured in a season-high 22 points with tough play inside, and the Cougars chewed up the Beavers 51-37 in the KingCo 4A girls basketball tournament at Juanita High School.

"I was just really proud of how the team worked together," Saintz said. "We worked hard, and I think we earned it."

Bothell (15-7) earned a spot in the state tournament and will face second-ranked Roosevelt, a 64-43 winner over Eastlake Friday night, in the KingCo championship game next Friday. Roosevelt also qualified for state.

Ballard (10-12) will play Garfield in a loser-out game Tuesday at 6:30 at Juanita.

A state-tournament berth was not what Bothell coach Rich Klee had in mind coming into the season.

"I would have thought there was a slim chance [to reach state] because we were coming back with three starters, three really talented starters, but I really didn't know what we had around that," Klee said. "The progress the whole team has made has enabled us to get to this point."

Bothell parlayed a 12-3 run at the end of the second quarter into a 27-17 halftime advantage and rode the wave of momentum into an 11-4 run after the break. The Cougars led by 16 going into the fourth quarter.

Evangeline Spracklin led Ballard with 11 points and had two three-pointers in the fourth quarter, but Bothell was in control.

"We didn't have our focus, and we obviously had a lot of turnovers," Ballard coach Karen Blair said. "This is kind of uncharted territory for a Ballard program, so we've got to learn from it, regroup and try to come back through the losers' bracket."

Other games

Roosevelt 64, Eastlake 43 (winner to state)

The second-ranked Roughriders (22-0) got 21 points from 6-3, UW-bound Mackenzie Argens, but coach Bill Resler praised Ariel Evans' 13 rebounds and six steals.

"All the girls view her as the heart and soul of our team," Resler said of Evans. "In terms of what this game was about, it was all the incredible boards and steals that Ariel Evans got."

Eastlake (12-9) plays a loser-out game against Inglemoor at 4:45 p.m. Tuesday at Juanita.

Inglemoor 66, Woodinville 58 (loser out)

Sarah Ena's 18 points led four Vikings (16-6) in double figures as they bounced back from their upset loss to Ballard in the first round. Amanda Best scored 21 for Woodinville (14-8) in its final game.

Garfield 64, Franklin 49 (loser out)

The Bulldogs recovered from a 15-8 deficit after one quarter to go on a 21-5 run before halftime. Briana Lewis had 17 points and Chanieka Williams 16 for Garfield (15-7), which meets Ballard in a loser-out game Tuesday. The Quakers finished 11-11.