In all, 11 teams from Clark County have qualified for their state tournaments

Paul Valencia
ClarkCountyToday.com

Clark County basketball fans will see plenty of action, right here in Clark County, during state basketball tournaments.

Battle Ground is once again a site for state regional matchups and will host five Clark County teams Friday and Saturday.

But there’s more.

Because the Class 3A and 1B tournaments have 20 teams rather than 16, there is an extra round — the round of 20. And in that round, four teams play true home games. Turns out, two Clark County teams will host state tournament games Tuesday: The Evergreen girls (Class 3A) and the Columbia Adventist boys (Class 1B).

In all, there are 10 teams from Clark County that qualified for state. Of those 10, three are guaranteed to go to a dome, assured of being among the final 12 teams at state.

Camas received the No. 1 seed in the Class 4A girls tournament. 

The Columbia River girls are No. 7 in the Class 2A tournament.

The Seton Catholic boys are No. 7 in the Class 1A tournament.

Teams that are seeded in the top eight are guaranteed a trip to the final destination — the Tacoma Dome for 4A and 3A teams and the Yakima Valley SunDome for 2A and 1A teams. Even if they lose in this week’s state regionals, they still qualify for the final 12.

All of the other Clark County teams at state regionals (or the round of 20) must win to advance.

For Camas, the top seed is noteworthy because the team has six losses this season – an unheard of number for a top seed. However, those losses were to some of the best teams in the country. The Papermakers, who finished second in state last year and returned all of their key players, have not lost to a team from Washington this season. 

“We’ve been saying for quite a while it’s us vs. us, using that as motivation to get better every day,” Camas coach Scott Thompson said Monday afternoon. “We didn’t put an emphasis on the top seed.”

After all, it was out of their control.

“Now that it’s here, and we’re No. 1, it’s cool. We appreciate that we were noticed for putting together a really, really tough schedule,” Thompson said.

Still, 1, 2, or 10 seed, the numbers don’t determine a state champion.

“Ultimately, these games are decided on a court and not in a seeding committee,” Thompson said. “Bottom line, whoever is in front of us, we still have work to do.

Here’s a look at this week’s state basketball schedule involving Clark County teams:

Tuesday:

Class 3A Girls: Evergreen (No. 16) will host Eastside Catholic (No. 17), 7 p.m. at Evergreen High School. The winner advances to the state regionals, Saturday vs. No. 9 Lake Washington at Bellevue College. That, too, is an elimination game. 

Class 1B Boys: Columbia Adventist (No. 16) will host Mount Vernon Christian (No. 17), 7 p.m. at Columbia Adventist. The winner advances to the state regionals, Saturday night, vs. No. 9 Tulalip Heritage at Arlington High School. That, too, is an elimination game.

Friday:

Class 4A Girls: No. 16 Skyview vs. No. 9 Lake Stevens, 6 p.m. at Arlington High School. Winner advances to final 12 at Tacoma Dome. Loser is eliminated.

Class 4A Boys: No. 13 Camas vs. No. 12 West Valley of Yakima, 6 p.m. at Davis High School. Winner advances to final 12 at Tacoma Dome. Loser is eliminated.

Class 2A Girls: No. 16 Kingston vs. No. 9 Ridgefield, 6 p.m. at Battle Ground High School. Winner advances to final 12 at Yakima Valley SunDome. Loser is eliminated.

Class 2A Girls: No. 8 Columbia River vs. No. 1 Ellensburg, 8 p.m. at Ellensburg High School. Winner advances directly to state quarterfinals at the Yakima Valley SunDome. Loser goes to the round of 12 at the SunDome.

Class 1A Girls: No. 13 Eatonville vs. No. 12 Seton Catholic, 8 p.m. at Battle Ground High School. Winner advances to final 12 at Yakima Valley SunDome. Loser is eliminated.

Saturday:

Class 4A Boys: No. 14 Woodinville vs. No. 11 Skyview, 2 p.m. at Battle Ground High School. Winner advances to final 12 at Tacoma Dome. Loser is eliminated.

Class 4A Girls: No. 8 Gonzaga Prep vs. No. 1 Camas, 4 p.m. at Battle Ground High School. Winner advances directly to the state quarterfinals at the Tacoma Dome. Loser goes to the round of 12 at the dome. 

Class 2A Boys: No. 13 White River vs. No. 12 Columbia River, 6 p.m. at Battle Ground High School. Winner advances to final 12 at Yakima Valley SunDome. Loser is eliminated.

Class 1A Boys: No. 7 Seton Catholic vs. No. 2 Lynden Christian, 2 p.m. at Lynden High School. Winner advances directly to state quarterfinals at the Yakima Valley SunDome. Loser goes to the round of 12 at the SunDome.