Boys Basketball: Clover Park Squares Off Against Defending Champs

What: First Round State Playoff Game

Where: Mt. Tahoma High School

When: Friday, February 25, 8:00 p.m.

Situation: The Washington Interscholastic Activities Association switched things up this year with the state basketball playoff format, switching from the old 16-team, four-day Tacoma Dome event to one that features four different regional rounds
followed by a round of eight the following weekend at the T-Dome.

Each regional site will feature four teams, two of which will advance to the round of eight. Every regional will have one automatic advance game and one loser-out game on Friday. The winner of the loser-out game will then play the loser of the automatic advance game on Saturday for the final spot in the round of eight from the regional.

For example, Port Angeles and Black Hills play in the loser-out game of the Mt. Tahoma regional on Friday, while Clover Park and Squalicum play in the automatic advance game. The winner of the Port Angeles/Black Hills game will advance to play Saturday, while the loser will be eliminated.

The winner of the Clover Park/Squalicum game automatically advances to the round of eight at the Tacoma Dome, while the loser plays the winner of the Port Angeles/Black Hills game on Saturday for the final spot in the round of eight out of the region.

Teams: Clover Park (23-2) – The record speaks for itself when it comes to the Warriors. Clover Park moved down to the 2A classification this year and tore through the league, losing only once to a 2A opponent (a one-
point loss to Fife in January). Freshmen guards David Crisp and Ahmaad Rorie team with senior captain Tana Pritchard to handle the scoring load for Clover Park.

Squalicum (13-9) – Squalicum is limping into the state tournament, having finished the season with three losses in its last four games. However the Storm had won nine straight before that finish, so which Squalicum team shows up on Friday will be interesting to see.