West Seattle, Washington
22 Friday
In the Tri-Districts high-school basketball tournament tonight in Mount Vernon, a win for the Seattle Lutheran High School boys, 63-52 over Tulalip Heritage. That means the Saints play there again tomorrow, this time for third place, 4:15 pm Saturday vs. Shorewood Christian.
The West Seattle High School boys’ basketball team had a promising season, making it into the playoffs until a season-ending loss last Saturday, and is already looking at how to improve next year. Toward that end, head coach Keffrey Fazio sends word of a benefit golf tournament April 11th at Riverbend Golf Complex in Kent to raise money for the players to attend the University of Gonzaga‘s basketball-team camp. The tournament will have an “8 am shotgun start, 4-person scramble format with handicaps enforced.” You can register online by going here.
Also in district basketball postseason play tonight, the Seattle Lutheran High School boys lost to Lummi Nation, 62-48 in Mount Vernon. They play again there tomorrow, facing Tulalip Heritage at 6:30 pm.
(WSB photo: Foreground, WSHS & Juanita’s leading scorers, Emily Fiso and Tea Adams; background at right, Charli Elliott)
7:58 PM: So close – but not close enough. In a game that just ended at Bellevue College, the West Seattle High School girls fell just short against Juanita, which got the district semi-final win, 51-48. The Wildcats were down by as much as 13 but fought back in the second half, falling just three points short. They play next for district third place, 1:15 pm Saturday vs. Cleveland, also at Bellevue College.
ADDED 1:12 AM: Here’s how Thursday night’s game played out:
(WSB photos by Patrick Sand; above, WSHS’s Emily Fiso)
9:59 PM: The West Seattle High School girls have won again. In a district-tournament basketball game at the Chief Sealth International High School gym, the Wildcats beat Bishop Blanchet, 55-45. Photos and more to come.
PHOTOS ADDED 12:42 AM: Though Blanchet got out to a fast start, WSHS regrouped after a timeout.
(WSB photos by Patrick Sand)
9:47 PM: At home tonight, another postseason basketball win for the Seattle Lutheran High School boys – 65-52 over Providence Classical Christian. Photos and more to come.
PHOTOS ADDED, 11:52 PM: Junior Xavier Turner led the Saints’ scoring with 23 points, including the late-game dunk below:
Roberto Duenaz was next with 13, followed by Isaiah Dowding-Albrecht and Josh Meyer (below) with 12 each.
Head coach Brett Kapels and the SLHS boys next face Lummi Nation, 8:15 pm Thursday at Mount Vernon Christian.
(L-R, Coach Buiford, Coach Daven, Gonzalo Guzman, Ryan Davis, Coach D, Daron Camacho, Coach LT; photo by Lynn Ogdon-Perrine)
Thanks to Lynn Ogdon-Perrine for an update on Chief Sealth International High School wrestlers who are headed into state competition:
In the big regional competition at Sealth on Saturday, Daron Camacho won first in his weight class and has been named Metro League Wrestler of the Year. Lynn adds that Antonio Childs placed 3rd in regionals in his weight class, and that Ryan Davis is first alternate in his weight class and Gonzalo Guzman is second alternate for state in his weight class.
Meantime, after girls’ regionals on Saturday in Bellingham, Sealth’s Makayla Dorn is also going to state:
(Makayla Dorn; photo by Brad Kelln)
She placed third. State competition is next Friday and Saturday at the Tacoma Dome.
(WSB photos by Patrick Sand)
9:24 PM SATURDAY: We’re at Eastside Catholic, where the West Seattle High School boys’ basketball season just ended with a 79-56 loss in a loser-out district playoff game. Photos and summary later.
ADDED SUNDAY MORNING: For one, sophomore star Nate Pryor (#1, above) took a while to get up to speed:
(WSB photos by Patrick Sand)
School’s out until Wednesday for Seattle Public Schools, and dozens of students at Roxhill Elementary went home with fun memories from their last PE class before the break. PE teacher Chellie LaFayette brought in University of Washington soccer players to meet and work with her afternoon classes.
The visitors, left to right with Roxhill’s “Buddy Bench” (made famous by another distinguished visitor) and Ms. Lafayette below, were Amanda, Kate, Kat, Paige, and Madi:
You can find out more about them on the UW’s roster page. They talked with students about what it takes to get into college as well as about playing sports.
(REPORT #1 with postgame-celebration video is here)
(League MVP Lydia Giomi)
Story by Tracy Record
Photos by Patrick Sand
West Seattle Blog co-publishers
It was the kind of game that left spectators as breathless as the players whose battle they had just witnessed.
The Metro League girls-basketball title game won by West Seattle High School over Cleveland was as close throughout as the 49-48 final score implied.
Playing at the Seattle Pacific University gym in north Queen Anne, Cleveland led for much of the game but never threatened to run away with it. WSHS opened its biggest lead toward the game’s end but Cleveland – last year’s state champion – fought back to within one and had the ball when time ran out. The defense was intense from start to finish, and that led to more than a few foul shots for both sides – 13 of the Wildcats’ 49 points came from the free-throw line.
West Seattle’s first scoring came on a 3-pointer by senior Annalisa Ursino about a third of the way through the first quarter, and that tied the score 3-3. Cleveland answered with one of its own to restore its three-point lead. And so it went. WSHS’s first lead came with just over 2 minutes to go in the first quarter, 9-8 after a basket by senior Emily Fiso (above), the Wildcats’ #2 scorer of the night with 12 points in all.
That was the only time WSHS led during the first half.
(Video of game-ending celebration, close-up YouTube version substituted for previously published Instagram clip)
7:15 PM: A nailbiter game has just ended at Seattle Pacific University with the West Seattle High School girls winning the Metro League title in a memorable basketball battle – 49-48 over last year’s state champs, Cleveland. Their first game in districts is Tuesday night at Sealth – time/opponent TBA. Photos and more, to come.
9:51 PM: We’ll tell the story of the game in a separate report that we’re working on right now. But in the meantime, here are the champs right after the game:
Postgame celebrations also included each player taking a turn cutting part of the net – and then finally one more loop for head coach Sonya Elliott:
A ceremony before the game honored her as Metro League Coach of the Year as well as all-league players including, from the Wildcats, league MVP Lydia Giomi and all-league team members Lexi Ioane and Emily Fiso.
6 AM: Our second report with photos and full details is here.
From the postseason-basketball scoreboard: West Seattle High School‘s boys-varsity team beat Bainbridge tonight, 67-62, led by Nate Pryor with 28 points. Head coach Keffrey Fazio‘s Wildcat boys play at Eastside Catholic, (update) 8 pm Saturday … Seattle Lutheran High School‘s girls won against Muckleshoot Tribal School, 46-40, led by Abbi Sanders with 24 points; we’re checking to see what’s next for the Saints.
(Photos by Steph Brusig for WSB)
The West Seattle High School girls-varsity basketball team moves on to the Metro League championship game after a hard-fought win Wednesday night, 53-39 over Holy Names. Lexi Ioane led the scoring with 20 points:
But this wasn’t just about the numbers:
Quick updates on tonight’s West Seattle High School basketball playoff games:
GIRLS WIN: The Wildcat women beat Holy Names 53-39 at Nathan Hale, per the update just in from Seattle Times (WSB partner) sports reporter Sandy Ringer. The game was close until the fourth quarter, when, she reports, Holy Names failed to score. Photographer Steph Brusig was at the game for WSB and we’ll have another report later with photos. (Update: Here’s that link.)
BOYS LOSE BUT STILL IN IT: Earlier, the WSHS boys lost to Lakeside, 68-50, but they are still in it, with a game at 5:45 pm tomorrow vs. Bainbridge, loser out, winner to districts. That game will be played at Garfield HS.
(WSHS baseball team at Safeco Field in 2013; photo by Greg Slader)
Here’s a chance to see the Mariners this year while giving a boost to local high-school athletes! From Caryn Johnson:
The West Seattle Boosters are supporting a fundraising event for the West Seattle High School baseball team. The team is selling tickets for $12/each to an upcoming Seattle Mariners baseball game (Mon, June 22 vs. the Kansas City Royals at 7:10) to raise money for the team as well as to qualify to play at the annual High School Baseball Classic at Safeco Field in the spring of 2016.
If you would like to support the West Seattle High School Baseball team please e-mail wshsmarinerstickets@gmail.com. Someone will be in contact with you on how to purchase tickets. The fundraiser is due to end at the end of April, so purchase your tickets now. Last year the team was able to sell enough tickets during the same fundraiser to qualify to play at Safeco Field this spring. West Seattle High School will be playing Sedro Woolley on Saturday, March 28th at 12:30. Admission to this event is FREE!
We look forward to a great season this spring and will keep everyone posted on game dates, times and locations. Thank you for your support. Go, Wildcats!
The high-school-basketball postseason is on. Chief Sealth International High School‘s boys-varsity team played a loser-out game against Ingraham tonight – a team they had handily defeated in the regular season, and beat again tonight, 74-49. L.J. Burns led Sealth scoring with 18 points, followed by Hafid Yassin with 15. Tomorrow night, coach Colin Slingsby‘s Seahawk boys play at Lakeside, 7 pm.
The big local sports story over the weekend was the West Seattle High School girls-varsity basketball team ending the regular season with a perfect record in their conference and head coach Sonya Elliott being named Metro League coach of the year for the second time in three years (WSB coverage here). Coach Elliott says their first playoff game is Wednesday night (February 11), 7:30 pm at Nathan Hale HS, against the winner of tonight’s Holy Names/Ballard game. P.S. Our partners at The Seattle Times have published the full Metro brackets for girls and boys.
ADDED: The Times’ latest rankings have WSHS at #2 statewide for girls’ 3A.
Thanks to Lynn Ogdon-Perrine for sharing news of Chief Sealth International High School‘s boys-wrestling results at the Metro League tournament, plus word of CSIHS hosting a big subregional tournament next Saturday:
Results from boys’s Metros are in. The following boys will be representing Sealth at Sub-Regionals on 2/14 :
(Photo by Brad Kelln)
*Daron Camacho (photo above) placed first*Antonio Childs placed third
*Frank Brown placed fourth
*Ryan Davis and Heriberto DeLuna both placed seventh in their weight class
*Gonzalo Guzman, Anthony Mallard, and Tommy Bui are alternates
On February 14th, Sealth is hosting Sub-Regionals for boys. 18 teams will be at Sealth to compete for the opportunity to go to state. Come watch great wrestling! Sealth Parking lot will be closed off and filled with food trucks including Extreme Thai. Come on by!
CSIHS is at 2600 SW Thistle.
The West Seattle High School boys’ varsity basketball team is looking ahead to a postseason game against O’Dea next Tuesday, they announced the day after a hard-fought loss to Franklin.
(WSB photos/video by Tracy Record)
Standing at right above, that’s West Seattle High School girls-varsity head coach Sonya Elliott, who has been honored as Metro League Coach of the Year for the second time in three years, according to the school’s announcement on Twitter. Another tweet says junior Lydia Giomi has been named league MVP. Our top photo is from right after the team ended the first stage of a stellar season with a 62-20 victory last night over the visiting Franklin Quakers. In case you haven’t seen the Wildcat women play yet this year, here’s a minute we caught on video:
As the final home game of the regular season, last night was also Senior Night:
An especially poignant Senior Night for Coach Elliott, whose departing senior mainstays include her daughter Charli Elliott:
Also honored, Emily Fiso …
Annalisa Ursino …
Rachel Devore …
And Kristine La:
On to the game.
Fiso scored the first five points and finished as the scoring leader with 18.
Lexi Ioane was next with 15.
P.S. The cheer squad’s seniors were honored too – including the new Miss Seattle, Taryn Smith, who sang the national anthem before each game:
We’re now waiting to hear when/where the girls will start postseason play.
(WSSC photo: GU-10 at Walt Hundley Playfield on opening day of 2014 spring season)
Another local youth-sports league has just opened up signups for its next season: West Seattle Soccer Club. WSSC’s Tim McMonigle tells WSB that spring soccer registration will continue all month long – but if you’re not signed up by month’s end, it’ll be “space-available basis” only, so the sooner you sign up, the better. Find info/links here.
The West Seattle Racquetball Association is looking for a place to play. Commissioner Ben Weagraff explains, 
“We are a group that started with a handful of racquetball players and now have nearly 60 members. We play two tournaments a year at the YMCA (one for singles and one for doubles) plus many times a week and every weekend. We represent all levels of play and a cross-section of the diverse community that is West Seattle.” They’ve known for a while that the Y (WSB sponsor) is dropping racquetball (as mentioned here) as part of its renovation. Weagraff says they had planned to move to the under-construction LA Fitness but have been told it won’t have racquetball courts after all. So, he says, “While this is not a crisis of epic proportions, our group is wondering if there are other options on the Peninsula for us to play racquetball — it truly is a great and empowering, albeit under-appreciated, sport.” Suggestions, anyone?
More local fans! Starting with the ultimate pre-game rally, in Upper Alki:
Thanks to Barb for inviting us to her neighborhood, where members of the Seahawks’ drumline Blue Thunder played for a pregame rally a short time ago!
Yes, part of the group did go to Arizona. But others who stayed home had a few gigs like this one.
As for the neighbors – it’s not every Super Bowl Sunday you get to make some great memories BEFORE the game.
Elsewhere in West Seattle:
From the inbox, two more sets of young fans – from Manuela:
From Deborah:
Now, a case of fan creativity: Ian sent “a photo of West Seattle’s own Michelle Heck‘s snackadium. Note the iPhone jumbotron!”
And we just found this on Instagram – @Webcami’s photo from Alki:
Go, Hawks!
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