3/6/2026
(Yakima, WA) Our Yakima reporter Sandy Ringer has put together some additional coverage from the Yakima SunDome with a Semifinal preview. Here’s a further breakdown for Friday’s round of semifinals.
2A Girls Semifinal Preview #1 (1) Lynden vs (4) Clarkston 3:45pm on Friday
The winning streak continues for Lynden.
The top-seeded Lions hope their championship streak will, too. They are looking to become the first to sweep three consecutive Class 2A state girls basketball titles this week at the Yakima SunDome.
But there’s still work to be done to get to the Saturday final.
Lynden (25-0) clashes with No. 4 Clarkston (22-3) in the semifinals Friday at 3:45 p.m. The Lions dispatched No. 2 Deer Park in the quarterfinals Thursday, 58-33, to get there. It was their 73rd consecutive victory – the second longest current streak in the nation.
Clarkston advanced with a lopsided, 63-30 win over No. 11 Nathan Hale, holding dynamic Zia-Daye Anderson to 14 points after she went off for a tournament-record 52 Wednesday.
The Bantams missed last year’s tourney after taking third in 2024, when they fell to Lynden in the semis.
Deer Park (21-4) and Nathan Hale (15-10) play Friday at 9 a.m. in a loser-out game.
2A Girls Semifinal Preview #2 (3) Prosser vs (7) Ellensburg 5:30pm on Friday
The semifinals haven’t been kind to Prosser the past four seasons.
Could the fifth time be the charm?
The third-seeded Mustangs (23-3) earned the opportunity to find out by spanking No. 5 Archbishop in Thursday’s quarterfinals, 76-41.
They play No. 7 Ellensburg (21-5) Friday at 5:30 p.m. with a chance to get back to the championship game, which they won in 2011.
Ellensburg moved along after beating No. 8 Selah Thursday, 57-48.
It will be their fourth match-up of the season. The Mustangs have won the previous three – most recently 67-56 on Feb. 18.
Prosser has pulled up short in each of the last four semis. Last year it was Lynden. Ellensburg played spoiler in both 2024 and ’23, while Burlington-Edison ended the title hopes in 2022.
The Bulldogs won titles in 2022 and ’23, then lost in the final to Lynden the last two years.
Archbishop Murphy (19-7) and Selah (20-8) meet Friday at 10:30 a.m. in the consolation round, where the winner is assured of a trophy (fourth or sixth) and the loser goes home.
1A Boys Semifinal Preview #1 (3) Royal vs (1) Zillah 3:45pm on Friday
There will be no repeat for Annie Wright.
Royal made sure of that Thursday with a resounding, 63-37 victory over last year’s champs in the quarterfinals of the Class 1A state boys basketball tournament at the Yakima SunDome.
The third-seeded Knights (23-4) face No. 1 Zillah (35-0) Friday at 3:45 p.m. with a spot in Saturday’s title game on the line.
The Leopards used a big second half to beat No. 7 Chelan Thursday, 68-53.
It’s the second consecutive trip to the semifinals for Royal, which lost to Lynden Christian last season and wound up fifth. The Knights have never won a state title and have played in just one championship game, falling to Lynden Christian in 1976.
Annie Wright (16-10), which lost in the 2024 final to Zillah, still has a chance to claim a third straight trophy. The Gators take on Chelan in a loser-out game Friday at 9 a.m. The winner of that one plays Saturday for fourth and sixth places.
Zillah is now assured of a fifth straight trophy. They finished third last year after losing in the semis to Annie Wright and won it all in 2024.
1A Boys Semifinal Preview #2 (6) King’s vs (2) Lynden Christian 5:30pm on Friday
There seems to be a magnetism between the Lynden Christian and King’s boys basketball programs.
Year after year, they tend to come together at state.
It happens again Friday at 5:30 p.m. as they clash in the semifinals of the 1A tournament at the Yakima SunDome.
Lynden Christian (24-1), the second seed behind undefeated Zillah, beat No. 8 Seattle Christian Thursday, 84-56, to earn its spot. No. 6 King’s (19-6) took care of No. 4 The Bear Creek School to advance, 50-29.
The Lyncs knocked off King’s in the quarterfinals both last season and in 2024. The two teams met in the ’22 and ’23 title games with L-C winning both. In 2020, the Knights topped Lynden Christian to earn the crown. That was a rematch of the 2015 finale, also won by King’s, which went on to repeat in 2016 (Freeman was the runner-up).
The Knights are hungry for more hardware after going home empty the past two seasons. L-C, which owns seven titles, was second to Annie Wright a year ago.
The Bear Creek School (19-10) plays Seattle Christian (19-6) in an elimination contest at 10:30 a.m. Friday.
1A Girls Semifinal Preview #1 (5) Royal vs (1) King’s 7:15pm on Friday
This never gets old for the King’s Knights.
The Royal Knights would like to get used to it, too.
But while No. 1 King’s (22-4) is quite at home in the semifinals of the Class 1A state girls basketball tournament at the Yakima SunDome, No. 5 Royal (22-4) could be a little rusty. Those Knights, who are back in the tournament for the first time since 2001, have just one other semifinal appearance, back in 1978 when they won it all.
They got this opportunity to knocking off last year’s champion, Bellevue Christian, 51-42. King’s rallied to beat Seton Catholic in the quarterfinals, 54-36, after a shaky first quarter.
Royal and King’s battle Friday at 7:15 p.m., looking for a chance to play for the title Saturday.
King’s was the runner-up a year ago and also reached the semis in 2023, ultimately placing fifth.
No. 6 Bellevue Christian (17-8) and No. 7 Seton Catholic (22-3) meet at 12:15 p.m. Friday in a loser-out contest.
1A Girls Semifinal Preview #2 9pm on Friday
Lynden Christian isn’t accustomed to droughts. Not when it comes to 1A state girls basketball championships.
The Lyncs have a slew of them – 14 to be exact. But they haven’t won one since going back-to-back in 2020 and ’22 (there was no tournament in 2021 due to COVID).
They refused to let this year’s opportunity slip away in Thursday’s quarterfinals.
No. 3 Lynden Christian held off No. 4 Annie Wright in double-overtime, 66-59, to remain in the winner’s bracket. The Lyncs (23-3), who placed third last year, play No. 2 Zillah (24-2) at 9 p.m. Friday with a championship berth at stake.
Zillah, in pursuit of its first state title, had an easy time against No. 8 Lakeside of Nine Mile Falls, 60-24.
Annie Wright (19-7) and Lakeside (16-7) play an elimination contest at 2 p.m. Friday.
2A Boys Semifinal Preview #1 (11) Columbia River vs (1) Bremerton 7:15pm on Friday
Bremerton’s back-to-back quest is achievable.
Columbia River would like to dash that dream.
The two go toe-to-toe in the semifinals of the Class 2A state boys basketball tournament Friday at 7:15 p.m. at the Yakima SunDome.
No. 1 Bremerton (22-2) survived a scare from No. 7 Grandview Thursday to remain in contention. No. 11 Columbia River (20-7) upset No. 4 Pullman in the quarterfinals, 54-48, to advance to the semis for the first time since 2009, when the team lost to Selah and finished fourth.
It was Selah that beat the Rapids in the quarterfinals here last season.
Pullman (20-4) and Grandview (19-8) are still in the trophy chase. They play Friday at 12:15 p.m. in a loser-out game. The winner can finish as high as fourth.
2A Boys Semifinal Preview #2 (6) Anacortes vs (2) RA Long 9pm on Friday
Is the 2A state boys basketball tournament ready for some new blood?
R.A. Long and Anacortes certainly hope so.
One of them will get the opportunity to play for their first state championship. They battle for that right Friday at 9 p.m. at the Yakima SunDome.
The unbeaten Lumberjacks (26-0, seeded second behind Bremerton, the defending champion) topped No. 8 Renton in the quarterfinals Thursday, while No. 6 Anacortes (22-4), took care of No. 5 Tumwater, 71-61.
The Seahawks have played for the title four times but come up short, most recently losing to Clarkston in 2015. R.A. Long has never finished better than third.
Tumwater (22-4) plays Renton (13-12) at 2 p.m. Friday with a trophy on the line. The loser goes home empty-handed, while the winner gets one more game, deciding fourth and sixth places.
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