From the Athletic Director 3.2.26

Girls Basketball

Knights use 3’s and stiffling defense to advance to State Quarterfinals

Knight Nation took over North Creek High School on Friday night as the Lady Knights began their much anticipated State run. It would be the heavily favored #1 seed Knights vs #8 seed Lakeside of 9 Mile Falls in Spokane. It was all Knights right out of the gate, leading 18-8 after 1 quarter thanks to four 3’s combined from Kaleo Anderson, Eleanor Gaydos, and 2 from Kaitlin Cramer. The Knights are well known for their 3 point shooting, but it was their inside finishes that led the way in the 2nd quarter with 6/8 shooting from inside the arc.

The Knights went into halftime in control 38-20. That padded lead and tough defense carried the Knights the rest of the way, as they secured the win to send them to the State Quarterfinals in Yakima. Lakeside would go scoreless from 3 all night, going 0/15 from behind the arc due in large part of the Knights defensive gameplan. Kaitlin Cramer led the Knights with 23 points and 8 rebounds. Kaleo Anderson had 21 and 7 boards, and Eleanor Gaydos had 8 points of her own. Adeline Cox led the Knights with 5 steals and Kaleo Anderson had 3 of her own. The free throw line was kind to the Knights, shooting 13/14 en route to the dominating 61-38 win.

The Knights will take on the winner of Seton Catholic vs Cascade Christian, played Wednesday at 5:30pm. Quarterfinals are set for Thursday at 5:30pm for the Knights first game at Yakima Valley SunDome. Should the Knights advance, they would continue in State Semifinals and State Championship games the following 2 days.

Be sure to follow @GoKingsKnights on instagram and if you can’t make it out to Yakima, watch all games on the NFHS Network (subscription required).

Next Up: Thursday, March 5 at 5:30pm | Yakima Valley SunDome | WIAA State Quarterfinals

State Playoff Bracket

Boys Basketball

Knights get out to big lead, hold on to upset Royal

The Knights showed up to Davis High School on Saturday as clear underdogs in the 3 vs 6 matchup. Royal came in with only 3 losses on the season, all to undefeated Zillah. The King’s Knights came in at 17-6 on the season and off a tough loss to Bear Creek in the district championships. On paper, Royal had most advantages in this matchup. But someone forgot to tell these King’s Knights. Drew Evans got the offense started for the Knights, with a corner 3, followed by Andrew Gerbig with some big time finishes and Zaphie Cooper’s fadeaway jumper. The Knights led 13-9 after 1, thanks to a strong zone defense that kept Royal’s high-powered offense at bay. The momentum kept going for the Knights, with John Bjella’s two big buckets, a pick and roll bucket for Needham, and a couple of big 3’s from Cooper and Evans. It was 28-17 King’s Knights at halftime.

The 3rd quarter was a toughness test and King’s passed, thanks to 6 points from Andrew Gerbig that helped carry King’s to an 8 point lead to the final quarter of play. Leading by as many as 18, King’s would need to hold off the favorites as momentum shifted to Royal’s side. A big time drive and score from Dozie Asinobi, a corner 3 from Drew Evans, and a silky smooth up and under finish from Andrew Gerbig were the only buckets the Knights would get in the 4th. In fact, the Gerbig finish with 4:08 on the clock would be the last points the Knights would put on the board, leading 48-38 at the time. Their defense and ball security would need to be relied on to secure the win. A chaotic few possessions led to a Royal play on the baseline with a foul call giving two free throws to potentially tie the game with 0.2 on the clock. The first would go in off the front of the rim leading to the game-tying attempt. A collective gasp from the Knight faithful who made the trip as it hit the air, with either Overtime or a King’s win as it left the freshman’s hands. Fate would be with King’s this afternoon, as it bounced off the back of the rim launching the KING’S Knights into the State Quarterfinals. A gritty, tough, battle tested King’s team would come away with the upset win, setting themselves up nicely for a run at the Dome.

The Knights will play the winner of Wapato vs Bear Creek, played Wednesday at 12:15pm. Quarterfinals are set for Thursday at 12:15pm for the Knights.

Be sure to follow @GoKingsKnights  on instagram and if you can’t make it out to Yakima, watch all games on the NFHS Network (subscription required).

Next Up: Thursday, March 5 at 12:15pm | Yakima Valley SunDome | WIAA State Quarterfinals

State Playoff Bracket

Photos by Ben McGeever

Article by King’s Athletic Director Dave Gerig

GO KNIGHTS!