Full Day For Gsl At State G-Prep Draws Toughest Assignment With Opener Against No. 2 Mountain View

As blind draws go, the Greater Spokane League didn’t do too bad Sunday afternoon.

When the pairings were made for the State AAA basketball tournaments, which begin Wednesday in the Kingdome, the GSL teams were spared the most unfavorable times, there are no conflicts and, if they run close to schedule, there may even be enough time to avoid a Kingdog and have a decent meal while seeing every GSL team.

Gonzaga Prep (20-6) appears to have the toughest opener, facing No. 2 Mountain View (22-1), fourth a year ago, at noon in the girls tournament.

Shadle Park (19-7) plays No. 10 Lincoln (19-4) at 1:30 in the boys tournament.

Next up is No. 4 Central Valley (21-5), which opens the second session of the girls tournament at 5 p.m. against Marysville (15-9).

The last GSL game is No. 3 Ferris (22-2) against defending boys champion Sehome (17-8) at 8 p.m.

Gonzaga Prep: The Bullpups have a big assignment for their first state appearance since finishing sixth in 1983.

Mountain View is led by 6-foot-3 Angelina Wolvert, who has already signed with Oregon. The other key veteran for the Thunder is 5-8 guard Briana Abrahamsen.

“How did Mountain View get to be a No. 2 seed?” Gonzaga Prep coach Mike Arte asked.

Waiting in the wings will probably be fifth-ranked Enumclaw (23-1), which finished eighth a year ago. The Hornets are led by 6-foot junior Erin Johansson and have 6-4 Valerie Nater on the bench.

Central Valley: The Bears haven’t been to state since 1994, when they went 1-2, ending a string four-straight top four finishes.

A second-round game against top-ranked Kamiakin (24-0) is likely and the Bears have to hope the third time is a charm. The Braves beat the Bears by four points the first weekend of the season and again by four in the first round of the regional.

“It’s a decent draw,” CV coach Dale Poffenroth said. “It’s not like we’re going against somebody who has been ranked all year.”

Poffenroth was disappointed a probable second-round foe would be a familiar one. Kamiakin plays Sehome (17-10) at 6:30 p.m.

Shadle Park: The Highlanders have a good draw, if only because the teams most mentioned as favorites don’t show up in their bracket. “It looks pretty even,” Shadle Park coach Darcy Weisner said. “Mount Vernon and Ferris are on one side, Richland and Mercer Island are on the other.

“That’s the top four, but it’s pretty balanced. I like the four teams in our section. If we can get by the first one, who knows what happens.”

The second round foe comes from the matchup of No. 6 Prairie (20-2) and Bothell (17-9).

Richland could be a semifinal foe. The Bombers (22-2) open the tournament against Garfield (15-9) at 9 a.m.

Ferris: Lewis and Clark, the only GSL representative, opened with Sehome last year, but that was a different Mariners team.

Sehome set a handful of tournament records on its way to an undefeated season.

“They did graduate all those starters, that’s the good news,” Ferris coach Wayne Gilman said. “The bad news is they probably had somebody waiting in the wings.”

The last two teams Ferris lost in the Eastern AAA regional finals, the Saxons finished second at state. The road to the championship game, though, is rugged. No. 7 Port Angeles (22-1) could be a second-round foe, then Mount Vernon (top-ranked and 25-0) in the semifinals.

, DataTimes MEMO: This sidebar appeared with the story: STATE AAA Wednesday’s boys openers at the Kingdome Game 1: Garfield (15-9) vs. Richland (22-2), 9 a.m. Game 2: Curtis (22-3) vs. Mercer Island (24-2), 10:30 a.m. Game 3: Bothell (17-9) vs. Prairie (20-2), Noon Game 4: Shadle Park (19-7) vs. Lincoln (19-4), 1:30 p.m. Game 5: Decatur (19-7) vs. Mount Vernon (25-0), 5 p.m. Game 6: Lake Washington (18-8) vs. Auburn (21-4), 6:30 p.m. Game 7: Sehome (17-8) vs. Ferris (22-2), 8 p.m. Game 8: Columbia River (17-7) vs. Port Angeles (21-1), 9:30 p.m.

Wednesday’s girls openers at the Kingdome Game 1: Bothell (24-2) vs. Federal Way (23-3), 9 a.m. Game 2: South Kitsap (22-4) vs. Lake Washington (20-6), 10:30 a.m. Game 3: Mountain View (22-1) vs. Gonzaga (20-6), Noon Game 4: Eastlake (18-8) vs. Enumclaw (23-1), 1:30 p.m. Game 5: Central Valley (21-5) vs. Marysville (15-9), 5 p.m. Game 6: Sehome (17-10) vs. Kamiakin (24-0), 6:30 p.m. Game 7: Foss (22-3) vs. Tumwater (22-1), 8 p.m. Game 8: Shorewood (21-5) vs. Auburn (20-5), 9:30 p.m.