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Kennedy (21-3)
The defending state champions are firing on all cylinders as they enter the state tournament. The Lancers have won 17 straight games and have only lost to one in-state team – 4A champion Auburn Riverside. Forward Aminah Williams and guards Alli Madison, Yaz Fuller and Jasmine Lemon are all scoring at least 12 points per game, giving Kennedy Catholic plenty of offensive weapons. The Lancers have played in the last two title games, but face an obstacle-ridden path to get to a third. Potential matchups with No. 3 Mercer Island and No. 4 White River loom in the quarterfinals and semifinals.

Holy Names (23-2)
The second-ranked Cougars might have the most talented player in the state on their roster in wing Erika Johnson. The 6-foot-1 junior had a coming-out party at state last season when Holy Names placed third. Johnson (12.6 ppg) isn’t the Cougars’ leading scorer – Claire Conricode has that honor at 14.5 points per game – but that’s more a product of her unselfishness. Holy Names is loaded with underclassmen.

Contenders
Prairie (18-6)
Only two of the Falcons’ six losses came to in-state teams and one of those defeats was at the hands of top-ranked Kennedy Catholic. Prairie is a perennial state contender, but it had to overcome a season-ending injury to guard Heather Corral to return to the Tacoma Dome. Point guard Lauren Goecke and guard Angie Gelhar were first-team all-Greater St. Helens League selections and have tournament experience. Prairie has a potential rematch with Kennedy in the quarterfinals.

White River (20-5)
The SPSL 3A champions don’t have much difficulty scoring – three players are averaging double-figures. League MVP Brooke Paulson leads the team with 15.5 points and 7.5 rebounds per game. Sabra Sproul and Megan McKune combine to pitch in 24 points per game. White River won a loser-out games against a state-caliber Auburn Mountainview squad to qualify for the state tournament for the 10th time in 13 seasons.

Mercer Island (20-5)
The KingCo 3A champion Islanders might be at less than 100 percent when they tip-off against Mount Rainier today. Leading scorer Hannah Lilly (12.6 ppg) sprained an ankle last week and was on crutches over the weekend. Mercer Island still has a few talented two-year starters to rely on in league MVP Hailey Gullstad (10.8 ppg, 3 apg, 3 spg), guard Jae Shin (9.9 ppg), Kate Dapron (7.4 ppg, 6 rpg) and Sarah Taylor. Four of Mercer Island’s losses came against teams that qualified for state tournaments.

Shadle Park (16-8)
The Highlanders reached the championship game last season and a pair of two-year starting guards – Kendra Knutson (10 ppg, 6 rpg, 4 apg) and Chelsea Chandler (12.6 ppg, 5 rpg) – are back. First-year starting post/guard Aleisha Hathaway averages a double-double with 14.4 points and 10 rebounds per game. Those three underclassmen headline a roster that, according to coach Chad Dezellem, is full of scorers.

Darkhorses
Bonney Lake (19-5)
The Panthers are the first Bonney Lake basketball team, boys or girls, to qualify for the state tournament. Senior guard Marcel Pounds, co-MVP of the SPSL 3A, does most of the scoring, averaging 21 points per game. Rani Wiegand contributes on offense and defense, averaging nine points and eight rebounds per game. In the first round, the Panthers face a Seattle Prep team that finished fourth in its district. Metro League schools do well at state, however, as all four placed last season.

Lakes (18-7)
First-year coach Daniel Guy and the Lancers got hot at the right time, winning eight of their last nine games. Lakes lacks height, but makes up for it with plenty of speed and its brand of pressing defense. Shooting guard Stevonna Scott (13 ppg) and point guard Brit-tani Terry (12 ppg) are the team’s top scorers, but Braile Fields, Rodericka Ware and Aubre Mitchell are also top contributors. With only one senior starter, Lakes could be setting the stage to make a deep run in the coming seasons.

Seattle Prep (16-9)
Three two-year starters in guards Kari Luttinen and Brittany McMillan and guard/forward Lindsay Brown will carry the Panthers. Luttinen is one of the tournament’s top scorers, averaging 18.2 points per game. The Panthers are the No. 4 seed from the Sea-King District, but Metro League teams have a history of doing well at state.

Cleveland (18-7)
The Eagles can turn to a handful of players for scoring. Guard Cheyenne Wilson leads the team with 17.9 points per game and posts Whitney Wilson and Kobe Jenkins each average about 12 points per game. Cleveland is athletic and has a solid inside-outside attack. The Eagles have won five of their last six, the only stumble being a loss to No. 2 Holy Names.

Capital (17-8)
The Western Cascades Conference champions have one of the most dynamic players in the tournament in guard Tosha Hollingsworth. The three-year starter and WCC MVP averages 22.5 points per game and gets help from forward Aria Goodman, who averages 10.0 points per game. Six of the No. 10 Cougars’ eight losses came to teams that qualified for the 3A or 2A state tournaments.

Mount Rainier (18-6)
The Rams should not be starry-eyed when they take the court against No. 3 Mercer Island today. Mount Rainier has played defending champion Kennedy Catholic three times and No. 8 Bonney Lake twice. Marisa Blair, a first-team all-Seamount League guard, is a playmaker, averaging 14.3 points, four assists and five steals per game.

Shorecrest (17-7)
The Scots are making their first appearance at the state tournament in school history. Winners of the Northwest District, Shorecrest is loaded with underclassmen that make big contributions. Sophomore guard Brianna Lasconia (10.1 ppg) is the leading scorer and guard Rachel Schrote is a three-year starter who can provide leadership. At 6-foot-1, sophomore post India Matheson gives Shorecrest an inside presence.

Long Shots
Yelm (18-7)
After enduring a 19-year state-tournament drought, coach Russ Riches has guided the Tornados back to the Tacoma Dome for the second year in a row. Yelm won two straight loser-out games to qualify. Senior post Katelyn Smith (16.8 ppg, 8 rpg, 3 bpg) is a focal point and wing Austin Schorno (8.6 ppg, 8 rpg, 7 apg) provides Yelm an outside offensive presence. The Tornados received a difficult draw – they face No. 2 Holy Names in the first round – and must play a near-perfect game to advance.

Lynnwood (14-12)
The Royals finished seventh in the 10-team WesCo South, but hit their stride at the end of the season, winning five out of six games. Sophomore forward Mokum Fajemisin is the team’s leading scorer with 13 points per game. Coach Everett Edwards says the team’s strength is its ability to come up with rebounds.

Spokane East Valley (9-17)
The Knights showed they’re capable of playing with the best when they upset ninth-ranked Yakima West Valley in the Eastern Regional tournament to earn the school’s second trip to the state tournament. East Valley began the season with seven consecutive losses and never won more than three games in a row.