By Kiara Doyal, The Seattle Medium
This afternoon, the Seattle Prep Panthers faced off against their fellow Metro League rival, the Lakeside Lions, in a quarterfinal matchup of the 3A state girls’ basketball tournament at the Tacoma Dome.
Seattle Prep won the tip-off, but both teams struggled to score in the opening minutes, playing tight defense and forcing multiple contested shots. Finally, Amanda Christian was sent to the free-throw line on an and-1, converting the extra point to put the first three points on the board for the Panthers. Shortly after, Lakeside’s Willa Chinn was fouled and knocked down both free throws, making it 3-2 in favor of Seattle Prep. The Panthers extended their lead when Grace Renners drained a three-pointer to push the score to 6-2, but Lakeside responded with a 4-0 run led by Anvi Bhatia, Helena Christofilis, and Chinn, tying the game at 6-6 with three minutes remaining.
In the final minute of the opening quarter, Seattle Prep’s Elise Lydon chipped in two points, but Lakeside surged ahead as Chinn took two trips to the free-throw line, making all four shots. She then capped off an impressive quarter with a buzzer-beater three-pointer, sending the Lions into the second quarter with a 13-8 lead.
In the second quarter, Lakeside started with the ball but didn’t make much movement on their first possession, and the Panthers quickly regained possession. Kinchen drove down for a layup, cutting Lakeside’s lead to 13-10. This quarter was much more fast-paced compared to the first, as each team was connecting on shots on each possession and moving the ball down the court.
Lakeside, leading 15-12, was called for an inbound violation, turning the ball over to Seattle Prep. Following the turnover, once the Panthers got set up on the court, Seattle Prep’s EJ Ovena hit a three-point shot that ignited the Panther crowd, tying the score at 15-15.
Renners then hit another shot, but Lakeside’s Lili Brown responded with a jumper of her own, once again tying the game at 17-17. Christofilis, who was fouled by Seattle Prep’s Elsa Castro, went to the free-throw line and converted both shots to give Lakeside a 19-17 advantage. To close out the first half, the Lions outscored the Panthers 7-3 in the final two minutes to take a 24-20 lead into halftime.
Lakeside opened the second half with the ball, and Kaliya Woodard wasted no time making a close shot under the rim to push the Lions’ lead to 26-20. The Panthers responded quickly, with Addy Jack sinking a three-point shot that reignited Seattle Prep’s momentum and cut the lead to 26-23. Woodard added another basket, while Christian converted one free throw, keeping the Panthers within striking distance at 28-24.
With four minutes remaining in the third quarter, the energy inside the Tacoma Dome was electric, with both fan sections growing louder as the game remained tight. Seattle Prep continued to battle, and a smooth three-pointer from Renners trimmed Lakeside’s lead to 30-27. On the other end, Brown attempted a three but couldn’t connect. However, Bhatia was perfectly positioned for a putback, stretching the Lions’ lead to 32-27.
In the final two minutes of the third quarter, with only a five-point margin separating the teams, both squads fought to gain an edge heading into the final period. Renners added two more points for the Panthers, but Christofilis countered with four points of her own, helping Lakeside enter the fourth quarter with a 36-29 lead.
Seattle Prep inbounded the ball to start the fourth quarter, setting the stage for a fast-moving and intense final eight minutes. Both teams continued to trade baskets, preventing either side from pulling away. Brown opened the quarter with a basket for Lakeside, and Ovena quickly answered with two points for Seattle Prep, keeping the Panthers within seven at 38-31.
With four minutes remaining, Brown was sent to the line on an and-1 opportunity but missed the extra point, bringing the score to 44-33. The Lions tightened up on defense, forcing a crucial shot clock violation on the Panthers—a key stop with limited time left in the game.
Despite this setback, Seattle Prep was still fighting, and Renners stepped up once again, drilling a clutch three-point shot to cut the deficit to 44-36.
In the final 1:40 of the game, Renners continued to shine, scoring two points and then coming up with a huge block on Christofilis to keep the Panthers in the game. Lakeside called a timeout at the one-minute mark, and after the timeout, the time quickly began to wind down. Christofilis took a final trip to the free-throw line and converted both free-throw points, extending Lakeside’s lead to 45-38.
In a losing effort, Ovena added a final basket for Seattle Prep, and Chinn followed with her final trip to the line, converting both shots to secure a 47-40 victory over Seattle Prep.
Chinn led all scorers with 22 points, two rebounds, and one assist for the Lions. Renners led Seattle Prep with 19 points, four rebounds, and one assist.
After the game, before discussing her own team’s performance, Lakeside’s Head Coach Mia Augustavo-Fisher made a point to recognize the strength of the Metro League and commend Seattle Prep on a great effort during the game.
“I’m going to start off by tipping my hat to Seattle Prep and the whole Metro League,” Augustavo-Fisher said. “It’s a battle, and it’s such a competitive league. I think the coaches do a really good job preparing. Throughout the year, Seattle Prep got us ready—we lost to them—so I have nothing but respect for Talia and Eastside Catholic. Everybody does a really good job.”
“It takes a lot of grit and effort, and I’m just so proud of our team for preparing and working hard,” she added. “I love Lakeside. We’re a smaller school, and we’re trying to put girls’ basketball on the map too.”
With the win, Lakeside advances to the semifinals on March 7 at 5:30 p.m., where they will take on the winner of the Bellevue vs. North Thurston game. Seattle Prep moves into the consolation bracket and will face the loser of the Bellevue vs. North Thurston game in a loser-out matchup tomorrow at 10:30 a.m.
