You don’t have to go to an arena or be in front of a screen to see national-championship basketball this weekend. It’s happening at West Seattle High School starting tonight – Seattle Adaptive Sports and the Seattle Storm wheelchair basketball team are hosting the National Wheelchair Basketball Association Women’s Championships tonight, Saturday, and Sunday. Teams from around the country will be here, including the Denver Lady Nuggets defending their title; many of the athletes are Team USA Paralympians. Games are tonight at 5, Saturday at 8, 9:45, 11:30, 1:15, and 3 pm, Sunday at 9 am, championship game at 11 am, awards at 1 pm; no admission charge. WSHS is at 3000 California SW.

Our second report on the start of high-school-baseball season: Close game for West Seattle High School, opening the season with an extra-inning loss this afternoon at Hiawatha, vs. Highline. The photo and report are from Caryn Johnson:

Wednesday afternoon officially opened the West Seattle High School Baseball season. It was a beautiful, but cold afternoon for baseball. Jamie Maples (#6 – photo above) started on the mound for Westside, pitching three innings. The Wildcats got off to a slow start, falling behind until the bottom of the 6th inning, where they took advantage of some costly errors by the Pirates, scoring 3 runs to go up heading into the last inning. Yet, in the end, errors on the West Seattle side let Highline back into the game, pushing it into extra innings.

In the end, the Wildcats fell just short, losing 8-7 in eight innings.

The next game is scheduled on Friday at 3:30 against Rainier Beach at Hiawatha Playfield.

See the full season schedule here.

First of two high-school-baseball reports: Chief Sealth International High School opened the season today with a 3-0 win on the road against Tyee HS in SeaTac. Head coach Ernest Policarpio (who is also Sealth’s athletic director) sent the box score – Sealth pitcher Nik Turcinec got the win, 7 shutout innings with 8 strikeouts. Offensive star was Jonathan Pashby, who went 2 for 2, with 2 RBIs, 1 run, 1 walk. Next up, the Seahawks play Ingraham at 4 pm Friday at the Northwest Athletic Complex; see the full schedule here.

(Photo by Richard Figgins)

The Seattle Lutheran High School boys’ basketball season has ended, with a sixth-place finish at the 1B state tournament in Spokane. This morning, the Saints lost to Garfield-Palouse, 59-54. It was the end of an incredible season, as you can see by the full list of game results here. SLHS plays in the Sea-Tac League, which honored head coach Brett Kapels as Coach of the Year, with Xavier Turner and Josh Meyer making the all-league first team.

Thanks to Mike Jensen for the report from the state 1B boys-basketball tournament in Spokane: Final score, Seattle Lutheran High School 52, Shorewood Christian 47. SLHS plays for fourth place at 8 am tomorrow, vs. Garfield-Palouse.

At 10:30 Friday morning in Spokane, it’s the next state-tournament game for two boys-basketball teams whose schools are just a few miles apart – Seattle Lutheran (north of The Junction) and Shorewood Christian (east of Arbor Heights). Both lost their opening games on Thursday afternoon – the Saints falling to Almira-Coulee-Hartline, 50-44, and the Lions to Yakama Nation, 59-49. Friday’s winner will advance to the 4th-place game on Saturday morning.

That’s the West Seattle High School baseball team on the day they played in the annual HS Baseball Classic at Safeco Field last year. Caryn Johnson shared it in honor of the team getting ready for the 2016 season – with updates including their annual sales of tickets to an M’s game:

Bring on BASEBALL!! The West Seattle High School Wildcats took to Hiawatha Monday afternoon for their first practice of the season. It is a great turnout of boys and they all, including the longtime coaching staff, can’t wait for the season to begin. A jamboree is scheduled for Saturday, March 12th at Liberty High School and the first game is the following Wednesday, March 15th, vs Highline at Moshier Field.

We would also like to pass along some information on the team as well as our annual fundraisers. The team has a new website – www.westseattlehsbaseball.org It is still “a work in progress”, but we hope to get more information about the team uploaded soon. On the website you will find information about our big Mariners Ticket fundraiser. Selling Mariners tickets not only raises funds for the team, it also qualifies them to play in the annual High School Baseball Classic at Safeco Field. We are always so excited to see our boys play at this spectacular venue. You can find information on the new site about how to purchase tickets to support the team as well as when to come out to Safeco to watch this FREE game. Any inquiries about M’s tickets can also be sent to westseattlemarinerstickets@gmail.com.

The other fundraiser is our annual silent auction/spaghetti dinner hosted by the baseball team on Saturday, April 9th, at West Side Presbyterian Church from 5:00 – 9:00 PM. Again, we’ll be posting information about this fun event on our website as it becomes available. Here’s to a great season. Thank you for your support.

(UPDATED SUNDAY AFTERNOON with info on state games for SLHS, SCHS)

(WSB video: SLHS starters’ introduction)

8:15 PM: We’re at Renton High School, where the first quarter is over and the Seattle Lutheran High School boys are ahead of Columbia Adventist Academy, 15-7, in the regional playoffs. SLHS went out to a 11-0 lead before the Kodiaks got on the board. With tough defense by the Saints, at six seconds left in the quarter, Columbia Adventist ran out of time and notched a shot-clock violation. Winner of this game goes to state, while the other team’s season will be over. We’ll be updating each quarter.

8:31 PM: Halftime, and the Saints lead the Kodiaks, 31-13. (Photo above, basket in progress by Josh Meyer, midway through the second quarter.)

8:54 PM: End of the third quarter now, and Seattle Lutheran is up 51-26. Highlights during this quarter included two back-to-back baskets by Meyer, including a three-pointer.

9:10 PM: The Saints kept building their lead, and have just won the game 71-32:

They’re headed to the state tournament in Spokane; we should find out tomorrow who they’ll play and when. We’ll add more photos and game stats when we’re back at HQ. (added) Leading scorers: Meyer with 20, Xavier Turner (below) with 19:

Simon Solomon scored 9 points.

ADDED SUNDAY AFTERNOON: The opening round in the state 1B boys’ basketball tournament is set: Seattle Lutheran will play Almira-Coulee-Hartline at 2 pm Thursday, right after Shorewood Christian (which is just east of Arbor Heights) plays Yakima Tribal at 12:15 pm. (Both SLHS and SCHS made it to the state tournament last year, with Seattle Lutheran finishing third, Shorewood Christian finishing fifth.

Somebody in your family playing youth baseball this season? Here’s a new way to get geared up – a swap event at Second Gear Sports (WSB sponsor) coming up one week from today. To get ready for it, SGS is accepting gear starting TOMORROW! Here’s the announcement:

Second Gear Sports and West Seattle Baseball are hosting a first annual cleat and gear swap extravaganza on March 5, 4-7 p.m.

Join us to trade in outgrown cleats for newer ones! Get the first shot at this season’s best used and new baseball gear at a special price. This event is open to all families with baseball players.

Before the exchange, bring clean, gently used baseball gear (cleats, bats, mitts, helmets, pants, bags, etc.) to Second Gear Sports for drop-off between Feb. 28 – March 3. Items will be inventoried and gear (except for cleats) will be priced.

During the exchange, every attending family can take free cleats from the swap table. Free cleats will only be available during the event on a first-come, first-served basis. Other baseball gear will be available for sale at great prices, as well as additional in-store discounts, complimentary snacks and drinks.

After the exchange, remaining cleats/gear will move into store inventory, subject to regular consignment terms.

Questions? Contact Second Gear Sports at 206-935-3552 or info@secondgearsports.com

Second Gear Sports is at 6529 California SW in Morgan Junction, open 11 am-5 pm Sundays, 10 am-6 pm Mondays-Saturdays.

Another season-ending loss for a local team this afternoon: The Seattle Lutheran High School girls’ winning season has come to a close, with their regional-playoffs loss to Mount Vernon Christian, 36-24, at Mount Vernon HS. Here are the Saints’ full-season results. (Thanks to Mike Jensen for all the updates!)

P.S. The SLHS boys are playing their regional game at 8 tonight at Renton HS, vs. Columbia Adventist Academy (from Battle Ground in SW Washington).

(WSB video: Introduction of the starting lineups)

12:04 PM: We’re at the Everett Community College gym, 38 miles from home, where the regional playoff game between the West Seattle High School girls and defending state champ Lynnwood HS has just tipped off. It’s a loser-out game – winner goes to the state tournament. In case you couldn’t make it up here, we’ll be updating live.

WSHS scores first – basket by #30 Lexi Ioane. Lynnwood ties it at 6:40 to go in the first quarter, 2-2.

12:07 PM: Two more baskets, after many trades of possession, and Lynnwood’s up 6-2 with 4:33 to go in the quarter. WSHS is defending tough, two-on-one under the Royals’ basket. They’ve fouled Lynnwood twice, resulting in one foul shot, and it’s now 7-2.

12:11 PM: Another basket by Ioane, quickly answered by two from Lynnwood, and it’s 11-4. Shortly afterward, Grace Sarver nets a basket, and it’s 11-6:

Lynnwood followed (they’re the home team, by the way, for this game), bringing it to 13-6. The Wildcats are doing a good job of rebounding but shooting is a bit of a challenge.

12:15 PM, END OF FIRST QUARTER: With a basket almost on the buzzer by Lynnwood, at the end of the first quarter, they lead 15-6.

12:18 PM: The Wildcats’ first basket of the second quarter is by #3 Izzy Turk, and it’s now 15-8.

12:23 PM: Lynnwood’s now up 21-11 after two unanswered baskets, and WSHS calls a time-out. 4:13 to go in the half.

12:27 PM: It’s been a tough few minutes for the Wildcats, now down 28-13, with the most recent two points on two foul shots by Ioane.

12:32 PM: The Lynnwood girls are slowing down to run out the rest of the half – and then a steal by WSHS. The Royals smothered Ioane as she attempted a shot, and she was fouled. Shooting two, she gets both, and it’s 31-15 with a minute left in the half. … Less than half a minute later, WSHS’s Gabby Sarver gets her third foul, and Lynnwood gets another point out of that, 32-15.

HALFTIME, 12:35 PM: That’s the score at halftime – Lynnwood 32, WSHS 15.

*************

SECOND HALF, 12:46 PM: WSHS opened with the ball but couldn’t convert and Lynnwood scored first, now up 34-15. When players moved back under the WSHS basket, a struggle for the ball ensued, and Lynnwood gets possession on the jump ball. The Royals called a timeout first.

12:52 PM: WSHS continues to have trouble shooting and hasn’t scored yet, more than halfway through the second quarter. Lynnwood’s now leading 36-15 and has just been fouled – making both shots, 38-15 now. Grace Sarver then scores a quick basket, the Wildcats’ first of the second half, 38-17.

Shortly afterward, #10 Jenna McPhee is fouled. She gets the second of two shots, score now 38-18. Two foul shots for Lynnwood bring it to 40-18.

12:57 PM: With two minutes to go, the Wildcats pick up two points from Turk, who was fouled. 42-20 now. On a subsequent possession, they lose control of the ball by their basket, so it goes back to Lynnwood, now trying again to slow things down, with a minute to go in the third quarter – and then a three-pointer, so they’re now up 45-20.

Grace Sarver, fouled shortly thereafter, gets the second shot, and it’s Lynnwood 45, WSHS 21.

END OF THE THIRD QUARTER, 1 PM: Lynnwood 47, WSHS 21.

1:03 PM: Kelsey Lenzie scores first for the Wildcats in the fourth quarter, with a three-pointer, and it’s 48-24. Lynnwood gets two fast baskets after that, 52-24, and draws a foul, missing the shot.

1:07 PM: Just over six minutes to go in the game, and both Sarvers now have four fouls. Lynnwood just got two foul shots, up by 30 now, 54-24. #32 Lydia Giomi, often the Wildcats’ leading scorer, just now got her first 2 points, on a layup. Lynnwood answered again quickly, and it’s 56-26.

1:11 PM: Another ferocious fight for the ball, and WSHS gets possession. Basket by Rilcy Newsome follows, 59-28 Lynnwood with three minutes in the game. The Wildcats are still battling, but time’s running out.

Giomi is fouled and makes the second shot (above), 59-29 with two minutes to go. Shortly afterward, Lynnwood calls a timeout.

1:15 PM: Right after that, Jenna McPhee steals, and Lenzie gets a three-pointer, 59-32. One minute to go, and Ioane gets another basket. 59-34, half a minute to go.

1:19 PM: That’s the final score, and the WSHS girls’ excellent season comes to an end. We’ll add game stats shortly. (added) Here they are:

WSHS scoring leaders – Ioane 10, Turk 7, Lenzie 6
WSHS rebound leaders – Giomi 9, Turk 6, Ioane 5

First-year head coach Darnell Taylor‘s team went to 21-0, undefeated in the regular season plus the first offseason game, before their first loss (see the schedule/results here). Today’s game was their only double-digit loss.

Thanks to Lynn Ogdon-Perrine for the update on the Chief Sealth International High School wrestlers who went to the state tournament in Tacoma this weekend: Daron Camacho (left) placed third in the 195 class, Joe Kereti (right) placed eighth in the 220 class. With them in the photo (by Buiford Martin) is Coach Maurice Dolberry. Full results are here.

(Photo by Mike Jensen – both teams during the pre-game anthem)

11:56 PM SATURDAY: The two schools that played for the Tri-District boys-basketball championship tonight are less than 5 miles apart, but they played on a court more than 110 miles from home. Shorewood Christian from just east of Arbor Heights goes home with the win over Seattle Lutheran from just north of The Junction, 65-57, at Lummi Nation High School in Bellingham. Both will play in the 1B regional round, opponents/locations TBA, Friday or Saturday.

10:30 PM SUNDAY: The bracket for regional games is set – Seattle Lutheran will play Columbia Adventist at 8 pm Saturday (February 27th) at Renton High School (400 S. 2nd); same location for Shorewood Christian’s 2 pm game Saturday vs. Naselle. All regional games are winner to state, loser out.

(UPDATED SUNDAY with details of WSHS’s next game)

(WSB photos: WSHS #20 Grace Sarver)

4:58 PM: As we left the Bellevue College gym following the West Seattle High School girls’ 48-44 loss to Mercer Island this afternoon, WSHS principal Ruth Medsker pointed something out:

The team is exactly where it was at this point last year – taking fourth place in the district playoffs.

The next game, in the “regional round” to winnow the field for the 3A state tournament, is must-win. The Wildcats have at least six days to rest up for it, after the grueling past two weeks of tournament play, which have been rocky, with their only three losses of the year, following an undefeated regular season and a long list of Metro League honors.

Today’s game ended in nerve-wracking fashion for WSHS fans. Things looked a little gloomy at the end of the first quarter, down 20-7. They got within two points and then went into the locker room at the half down 28-24.

Midway through the third quarter, they pulled even at 28-28. But shooting trouble and multiple traveling violations didn’t help their case and they were down four points again at the end of the third. They stepped up the defense to keep the Islanders from pulling away, but even the foul shots weren’t going in. Nonetheless, the battle continued, and within 18 seconds left they were just one basket down, 46-44. Mercer Island took the ball from there, and to keep them from running the clock out, there was nothing to do but foul, and both shots went in. WSHS couldn’t convert after that, and the game ended 48-44.

Today’s top scorers: #32 Lydia Giomi with 22, #30 Lexi Ioane with 10, #20 Gabby Sarver with 5, #21 Grace Sarver with 4, #3 Izzy Turk with 3.

The Wildcats’ next game will be listed here when the regional field is set.

12:16 AM UPDATE: According to the bracket, WSHS will play the defending 3A state champions, undefeated Lynnwood, at regionals, time/location still TBA.

4:49 PM SUNDAY UPDATE: Time and place now set – WSHS will face Lynnwood at 2 pm NOON next Saturday (February 27th) at Mountlake Terrace HS EVERETT COMMUNITY COLLEGE (2000 Tower).

12:11 PM: First of today’s three district-playoff games involving local high-school basketball teams is over: The Seattle Lutheran girls finished fifth in the Tri-District playoffs with a 51-42 victory over Mount Rainier Lutheran. The Saints are now off to regional competition, the last step before the state tournament, next game TBA, next Friday or Saturday – we’ll update when we have that info.

12:50 PM: Photo added – shared by Mike Jensen via Twitter.

ADDED SUNDAY NIGHT: As Mike reported in comments, the girls will play Mount Vernon Christian in Mount Vernon on Saturday (February 27th) at noon.

4:31 PM: The buzzer has just sounded in the gym at Bellevue College, and it brought an end to the West Seattle High School boys’ season, with an 71-40 loss to Rainier Beach. The Wildcats’ season under head coach Keffrey Fazio will be remembered for highlights including its early 8-game winning streak (see the season schedule/results here).

7:51 PM: Photos added. #22 Yusuf Mohamed led WSHS scoring with 13 points, followed by #5 Abdullahi Mohamed with 7, #24 Carter Golgart and #4 Chaaka Trahan with 6 each, and #2 Kendall Green with 5. WSHS brought a spirited cheering section:

You might notice some familiar faces – from the WSHS girls’ basketball team, which plays Mercer Island tomorrow for third place in the district playoffs, 1:15 pm at Bellevue College.

One more high-school basketball playoff game involving a local team tonight: The Seattle Lutheran High School girls lost their second consecutive Tri-District Tournament game, falling to Neah Bay, 43-35, at Evergreen Lutheran in Tacoma. They play Mount Rainier Lutheran for fifth place in the tournament at 10 am Saturday.

(WSB photo: WSHS #30, Lexi Ioane, and #4, Kelsey Lenzie)

6:11 PM: A formidable opponent for the West Seattle High School girls’ basketball team this afternoon at Bellevue College – top-ranked Bellevue HS. While the Wildcats hit halftime with a five-point lead over the Wolverines, an intense third quarter ensued, and Bellevue pulled ahead, ending with an eight-point victory in the district-playoff game, 58-50. West Seattle will play next for third place in districts, 1:15 pm Saturday vs. the winner of tonight’s Mercer Island-Bishop Blanchet game. We’ll add more from today’s game later.

ADDED 9:56 PM: Scoring for the Wildcats – 17 points for #30 Lexi Ioane, 10 for #3 Izzy Turk, 9 for #20 Grace Sarver, 8 for #32 Lydia Giomi.

We now know their Saturday opponent will be Mercer Island.

(Photo by Daven Camacho)

We’ve been featuring local athletes who are headed to state competition, and here are five more! Thanks to Lynn Ogdon-Perrine for sharing news of the Chief Sealth International High School wrestlers set for state matches this Friday and Saturday. Above, Regional and Metro champions from Sealth, from left: Daron Camacho at 195 weight class, Hameed Maktoof at 152 weight class, and Joe Kereti at 220 weight class. Next photo features Antonio Chiles (left), who placed 3rd at Regionals and is headed to state at 182 weight class:

(Photo by David Perrine)

Lynn says Gonzalo Cruise also placed 3rd at Regionals and heads to state at 120 weight class. The state tournament is this Friday and Saturday at the Tacoma Dome. Good luck to all!

Two more playoff games tonight for local high-school basketball teams:

SEATTLE LUTHERAN GIRLS VS. TULALIP HERITAGE: This game ended with a loss for the Saints, 48-37, in Mount Vernon. The SLHS girls’ next game will be at 6 pm Thursday vs. Neah Bay, at Evergreen Lutheran in Tacoma.

WEST SEATTLE BOYS VS. BELLEVUE: This was a rollercoaster game for the Wildcats, eventually losing 64-57. They went into the locker room down 36-10 at the half but rallied to a one point lead early in the fourth quarter, leading to raucous cheers from the bench:

(WSB photos)

The defense toughened up in the second half, too, as head coach Keffrey Fazio‘s boys kept battling:

#22 Yusuf Mohamed was the scoring leader with 14, followed by #4 Chaaka Trahan with 11.

The next game is a must-win – 3 pm Friday vs. Rainier Beach, again at Bellevue College.

(WSB photos: WSHS players from left, #32 Lydia Giomi, #3 Izzy Turk, #21 Gabby Sarver)

4:26 PM: We’re in the gym at Bellevue College, where the West Seattle High School girls have just made it into the district-playoff quarterfinals with a win over Juanita, 73-66. Top scorer: WSHS senior Lydia Giomi, with 32 points. The Wildcats’ next game will be at 3 pm Thursday, against the winner of tonight’s Lakeside-Bellevue game.

(#30 Lexi Ioane)

5:55 PM: We’re back at HQ now and adding photos.

The scoring was rounded out by #30 Lexi Ioane with 12, #21 Gabby Sarver with 10, #3 Izzy Turk with 8, #20 Grace Sarver with 6, and #10 Jenna McPhee with 5.

Head coach Darnell Taylor‘s Wildcats led by as many as 20 points during the course of the game, but Juanita kept battling back. At halftime, the Wildcats were up 38-28, and added 7 unanswered points at the start of the second half, with the 50-30 lead not long after that. Juanita then scrapped its way to within five points, 52-47, but WSHS kept fighting and took the win.

The Seattle Lutheran High School boys are in the Tri-District basketball championship game. That’s after a 76-65 victory tonight vs. Neah Bay at Mount Vernon Christian (thanks to Mike Jensen for the updates). The Saints will face crosstown rival Shorewood Christian in the championship game next Saturday (February 20th), 7:15 pm, at Lummi Nation High School in Bellingham.

TOMORROW’S PLAYOFF GAMES: The SLHS girls play Tulalip Heritage, 6:15 pm in Mount Vernon. And both West Seattle High School teams play district games at Bellevue College (3000 Landerholm Circle SE) on Tuesday – the girls at 3 pm vs. Juanita and the boys at 8:15 pm vs. Bellevue.