Here's a quick list of the best performers from the first day of the 4A state tournaments.

Boys
Gary Winston, Walla Walla
25 points, 6 rebounds

Ryan Nicholas, Gonzaga Prep
22 points, 8-for-8 FTs

Darnell Williams, Curtis
21 points, hit game-winner

Kevin Davis, Beamer
16 points, 13 rebounds

Deandre Sutton, Foss
11 points, 10 rebounds

Girls
Carly Noyes, Moses Lake
20 points, 6 rebounds

Tyshana Burgers, Federal Way
15 points, 8 rebounds

Kylie Huerta, Kentwood
11 points, 8 assists, 6 rebounds

Joanna Balin, Snohomish
14 rebounds, 8 assists

Jordan Loera, Moses Lake
16 points, 10 rebounds

Erin Nicol, Issaquah
18 points, 6-for-6 FTs

Kat Cooper, Auburn Riverside
12 points, 6 rebounds

Nyasha Sarju, Garfield
15 points, 10 rebounds

The third-ranked Bulldogs never got into a rhythm, but they were good enough to hold off the Vikings to advance to the quarterfinals.

The Vikings hung with the Bulldogs for most of the first three quarters. Late in the third quarter, Garfield clung to a 32-29 lead before outscoring Lake Stevens 18-10 in the fourth quarter.

Three Bulldogs – DeAndre Taylor, DesJuan Newton and Kellen Landry – scored eight points. Sophomore Tony Wroten finished with seven points. Wroten sat out for much of the first half because of foul trouble and played only 20 minutes.

Vikings forward Sean Stickney scored a game-high 16 points and Shane Kaska added 11.

The Bulldogs will play No. 6 Gonzaga Prep in the quarterfinals at 8:30 p.m. today.

So much for having no state experience. Seventh-ranked Federal Way stunned No. 3 Lewis & Clark, the three-time defending champions, 61-48.

The Eagles will play No. 9 Issaquah at 8:30 p.m. Thursday in the quarterfinals.

The Bulldogs have started to pull away from Lake Stevens, thanks to some full-court pressure and several of the reserve players. With Tony Wroten, Kellen Landry and Glen Brooks on the bench, Garfield put together a 8-0 run to start to pull away.

Great photo from TNT photographer Lui Kit Wong.

Kylie Huerta's headband falls over her eyes as she prepares to shoot and Kamiak's Kelsey Patrick flies by.

The game is a lot closer than it should be. Most figured Garfield would blow out the Vikings. But to be honest, Lake Stevens played harder than the Bulldogs for much of the first half. It would be tough to imagine the Vikings to play at this level or with this much intensity for four quarter.

Garfield did stretch the lead for a few moments, using some full-court pressure to force a few turnovers and a couple transition baskets.

Tony Wroten has five points and two rebounds, while Kellen Landry has six points and three rebounds.

Lake Stevens got 10 points and four rebounds from Sean Stickney.

An ugly game so far, it was 6-6 for much of the first quarter. But Garfield put together a late string of baskets to take the 12-6 lead.

Tony Wroten took a hard spill on an alley-oop attempt and sat out for more than two minutes but he's back in there.

Garfield seems a little disinterested right now and Lake Stevens is trying scrap and claw to stay in the game

Well, there goes my pick to win the tournament. Gonzaga Prep has done in Decatur, toppling the Gators 60-54.

The Gators had a chance to tie or take the lead, but Jerron Smith's 3-point hit the front of the rim with 15.8 seconds left.

I haven't tallied it up yet, but I think Bullpups forward Ryan Nicholas has been perfect at the free throw line tonight.

Nicholas finished with 22 points on 7-of-12 shooting from the field and 8-of-8 shooting from the free-throw line. He also had six rebounds.

G-Prep also got 11 points from Sean Fischer and 13 points, seven rebounds, three assists and two blocks from diminutive point guard David Stockton. The Bullpups shot just 41 percent from the field (21-of-51), but they were 12-of-14 from the free throw line and also had 15 points from second-chance attempts.

Decatur was led by Marcus Tibbs, who had 19 points (5-of-14 from the field), seven assists and three rebounds. Jarron Smith added 18 points and Jordan McCloud chipped in with 15 points and eight boards.

The Bullpups will meet the winner of the Garfield-Lake Stevens game in the quarterfinals at 8:30 p.m. Decatur will face the loser of the Garfield-Lake Stevens game at 2 p.m.

Gonzaga Prep forward Ryan Nicholas banked in a 12-footer as the third quarter expired, giving the Bullpups a 48-45 lead.

The third quarter had six lead changes.

Gonzaga Prep's Sean Fischer makes contact with Decatur's Cam Schilling as he heads to the basket.

Two Pierce County schools made the 16-team Class 4A state boys basketball championships.

And they will play each other Thursday for the right to play in the state semifinals.

After Curtis pulled out a wild first-round victory over Eisenhower, Narrows League champion Foss was equal to the Vikings on the excitement meter, holding on for a 42-39 triumph over Mountlake Terrace.

Foss and Curtis play a 7 p.m. quarterfinal game Thursday.

"We're excited for Curtis. All the kids know each other very well," Foss coach Mike Cocke said. "Getting Eisenhower would have been great, but it's good (now) because it's kind of a Tacoma thing."

Mountlake Terrace did most things right to hang with Foss. Its zone flustered the Falcons from long range (3-of-16 shooting). The rebounding margin was close (42-39 Foss favor). And as Hawks coach Nalin Sood pointed out, "we felt if we held them under 50, we'd have a chance."

And they did.

Up 40-37, Foss missed a one-and-one free throw attempt with 15.2 seconds to go, and the Hawks flew up the court with the ball. Forward Karsten Strieby, who led all scorers with 17 points, got the ball at the top of the arc. Instead of shooting – or even thinking about – a game-tying 3-point attempt, he slipped in closer, and sank a jumper from the free throw line.

His bucket cut it to 40-39 with 3.6 seconds remaining – not enough time for the Hawks to get another clear shot.

Gonzaga Prep has stormed back to take the lead. The Bullpups are ahead of Decatur, 31-26.

G-Prep is on a 29-9 run since trailing 17-2 halfway through the first quarter.

The Bullpups have hit five 3-pointers in the first half. Sean Fischer made three of them, including the go-ahead shot with 3:19 left in the second quarter that put G-Prep up, 24-23.

Decatur leads Gonzaga Prep 17-10 at the end of the first quarter.

Gators guard Marcus Tibbs has hit a pair of 3-pointers and Jerron Smith has one. Decatur was up 17-2 at one point.

Bullpups guard Sean Fischer hit a pair of 3-pointers to bring his team back in it.

Interesting thing happened halfway through the period. The clock stopped at 3:11 and stayed there for three possessions. Then it began moving again. The referees and folks at the scoring table apparently didn't notice, or care to take extra time off the clock.

Foss left the door wide open in the final 30 seconds for a Mountlake Terrace comeback, and the Hawks did just that.

Except they miscounted.

Needing a 3-pointer to tie the game, instead post Karsten Strieby pulled up to make a jumper from the free throw line with 3.6 seconds to, and Foss ran out the clock in a 42-39 thriller in the first round of the Class 4A boys basketball tournament.

Strieby's bucket cut it to 40-39. On the Foss inbounds, Jonathan Payne completed a halfcourt pass to Nate Walker, who was fouled with 1.5 seconds remaining.

Walker sank two free throws for a 42-39 Foss advantage, and a fullcourt heave by the Hawks was tipped.

The Falcons' last field goal camy on LuQuam Thompson's jumper with 4:01 to go. Foss missed three of its next four FTs before Walker came through.

Strieby led all scorers with 17 points.

Mountlake Terrace wants the ball in the hands of post Karsten Strieby as much as possible, and the 6-foot-7 senior scored 11 of his game-high 13 points in the third quarter to tie the game at 31-31.

Strieby scored on three consecutive Hawks' trips early in the quarter to help reverse a 20-18 halftime deficit.

Foss is still struggling shooting from the outside (3-of-15 on 3-pointers).

Three Foss turnovers in the final 75 seconds of the first half were costly as Mountlake Terrace tallied the final seven points to cut the Foss lead to 20-18 at halftime.

The Falcons took a 20-11 lead with 2:48 to go on Nate Walker's putback.

Jaykob Sells' capped the late-quarter flurry for MLT with a three-point play with three seconds remaining.

DeAndre Sutton made a pair of 3-pointers in the second quarter for Foss, which faced a 2-3 zone by the Hawks the entire way.

Mountlake Terrace's Karsten Strieby, left, and Foss' LuQuam Thompson go for a loose ball

Photo credit: Joe Barrentine, The News Tribune

Maybe the half-hour delay from a dramatic Curtis High victory in the game before was enough to throw off the players from Foss and Mountlake Terrace.

End of first quarter: Foss 8, MLT 7.

And it's been an ugly display of shooting. Foss made one of its first 11 field goals, including five missed 3-pointers. Mountlake Terrace went 3-of-12.

Jeremy McClain came off the bench and made two quick buckets for the Falcons, and scored five points. His three-point play game Foss its first advantage, 8-6, with 1:27 to go in the quarter.

Curtis guard Darnell Williams splits Eisenhower's defense for the game-winner with 9.7 seconds left. The basket gave the Vikings a 66-65 lead and erased a 16-point deficit.

Eighth-ranked Curtis beat No. 2 Eisenhower, 68-65, and will play the winner of the Mountlake Terrace-Foss game in the quarterfinals.

Here's a video of Eisenhower's final possession. Curtis Marquise Doss makes the steal and the Vikings' bench explodes.

I'm working on a video of Curtis' Darnell Williams hitting the game-winner.

Darnell Williams scored the game-winner with 9.7 seconds left, lifting Curtis to an improbable 68-65 win over Eisenhower.

Eisenhower had a chance to win, but the the Vikings forced a turnover and the Cadets never got a shot off.

Curtis' Tim Kelly, right, and the rest of the bench explodes as time runs out in a come from behind 68-65 victory over Eisenhower at the Tacoma Dome Wednesday.

Photo credit: Joe Barrentine, The News Tribune

Mount Tahoma hung tough with Pasco, the No. 1 team in the state, for much of the first half. However, with the T-Birds trailing 16-14 midway through the second, the Bulldogs went on a 12-0 run to finish the half, going into halftime up 28-14. From there, the Bulldogs never looked back.

Curtis trails 61-57 with 1:37 remaining. Eisenhower has not shot well from the free throw line and the Vikings are beginning to foul to the Cadets. We'll see if Ike can fix its free throw problems, or let Curtis back in the game.

Curtis isn't going away. The Vikings trail Eisenhower 49-41 at the end of the fourth quarter.

Curtis has trimmed the deficit to 43-34, in favor of Eisenhower, with 4:23 left in the third quarter.

Let's see if Curtis can keep this up...

Top-ranked Pasco is beating Mount Tahoma 28-14 at halftime.

Eisenhower Curtis 35-20 at halftime. The Cadets are looking good an even when something good happens for Curtis -- like a blocked shot -- Ike seems to come up with the ball and get a basket.

Eisenhower has opened up a 22-10 lead over Curtis at the end of the first quarter.

Looking bleak for the Vikings. But Ike is definitely looking like a state title contender.

The Titans could not find an answer for Blue Devils guard Gary Winston.

“He can play,” Beamer coach Brent Brilhante said. “He gave us fits.”

The CBBN Cascade Division defensive player of the year made his presence known on offense, torching the Titans for 25 points on 7-for-12 shooting. The 6-foot senior also made 10 of 13 free throws for the ninth-ranked Blue Devils (20-7).

Beamer kept the score close and threatened throughout the fourth quarter, but never overtook Walla Walla. The Blue Devils will play Federal Way in the quarterfinals on Thursday, while Beamer meets Redmond in a loser-out game.

Post Kevin Davis recorded a double-double, scoring 16 points and grabbing 13 rebounds. Wing Chase Hildebrandt and guard Vlad Aficiuc each added 10 points. Beamer finished an uncharacteristic 2-for-16 from beyond the arc.

“I think the kids were a little in shock today,” Brilhante said. “But we’ll come out tomorrow better.”

Eisenhower leads Curtis 10-2 less than three minutes into the first quarter.

When pressed, Newport couldn’t find the answer.

Having made the state tournament via an upset victory over District 4 representative Skyview (Van.), the Knights found themselves facing Kingco rival Garfield for the fourth time this season in the first round at the Tacoma Dome.

The Bulldogs beat Newport for the second time in a week, 55-50, to earn a quarterfinal date at 5 p.m. today against Snohomish. The Knights play Bellarmine in a consolation game at 10:30 a.m.

Newport led this one at the half, 25-22, despite leading scorer Betsy Kingma’s shooting woes. The junior made only three of 11 field goals in the first half and had seven points.

The Knights still clung to a 40-39 advantage after three quarters, but then Garfield went into a full-court pressing defense.

Newport began to turn the ball over, and could not recover. Nyasha Sarju scored a game-high 15 points, 11 in the second half, and had 10 rebounds to pace the Bulldogs.

Walla Walla topped Beamer 54-49 and will move on to face Federal Way in the quarterfinals at 5 p.m.

Beamer will play Redmond at 10:30 in a loser-out game.

The Eagles ran the Mustangs off the court, proving their worth as a favorite to win the state title. Federal Way shot 53.1 percent from the field and nine players scored for the top-ranked team in 4A.

The Eagles (25-2) will play the winner of the Walla Walla-Beamer game at 5 p.m. today.

Redmond led 8-3 halfway through the first quarter, but Federal Way quickly took control, getting a pair of 3-pointers from Jeff Forbes and Isiah Umipig to take the lead for good. The Eagles ended the first half on a 34-8 run, giving coach Jerome Collins plenty to be pleased about.

“It’s not so much the point spread as it is the execution offensively and defensively,” Collins said. “I loved our chemistry.”

Guard Andre Barrington led Federal Way with 13 points. Point guard Michael Hale III and forward Cole Dickerson each chipped in 12 points.

Jared Alexander paced Redmond (16-10) with nine points.

Federal Way's Cole Dickerson blocks the shot of Redmond's Justin Alexander.

Photo credit: Joe Barrentine, The News Tribune

Beamer is starting to look more comfortable. Senior big man Kevin Davis had a pair of dunks in the second quarter including a monster one in transition that shook the basket for 30 seconds.

Walla Walla stayed in it behind Gary Winston, who had 15 first half points. Both he and Michael Weisner had to sit late with two fouls, but they have 21 of the Devils 27 points.

Beamerwas led by Davis' nine points. Stellar shooting guard Napa Mefi is struggling a little with just four points and three turnovers

It was supposed to be a tight matchup of 4A state girls basketball contenders, and Snohomish High took the suspense right out of it early.

For the second consecutive, the Panthers dispatched of the Lions, 53-34, in the opening round Wednesday at the Tacoma Dome.

Emily Guthrie scored 17 points, 15 coming on 3-pointers. Katie Benson also added 17 in a balanced Snohomish attack.

Lions coach Kevin Meines surmised if the Panthers continue to play as well as they did Wednesday, they certainly will be in the championship hunt.

"It's going to take an awful good effort to beat them," Meines said.

Three Guthrie 3-pointers in a 1:24 span midway through the second quarter gave the Panthers a 30-6 lead.

"They were caving in, so I had some open shots," Guthrie said.

Todd Beamer looked a little nervous in its first state tourney game early on. A few bad shots and turnovers allowed Walla Walla to capitalize early. The Walla Walla tandem of Gary Winston and Michael Weisman have done most of the damage.

Federal Way thumped Redmond 66-36 and will play the winner of the Beamer-Walla Walla game.

Back with video interviews soon.

For the second consecutive year, the Snohomish Panthers sent Bellarmine Prep into the consolation bracket, in another convincing win.

This time, it was the Panthers' guards and their outside shooting that made the biggest difference. Emily Guthrie finished by making five 3-pointers – four in the first half.

The good news for Bellarmine: It will take on the loser of the Garfield-Newport matchup, and should feel pretty good about its chances to get back to a state trophy game. The Lions placed eighth a year ago.

Guard Emily Guthrie hit her fifth 3-pointer in the third quarter, and the Snohomish Panthers are in control after three quarters, 45-25, over Bellarmine Prep in a 4A girls' first-round game.

The Lions scored more points in the quarter (13) than they did in the first half (12).

The victor takes on the winner of the Garfield-Newport game scheduled for 2 p.m. in the 4A quarterfinals.

Bellarmine Prep is on its way to a fourth consecutive 4A state-opening defeat, and is following a similar path way.

Poor shooting, and many, many turnovers.

Snohomish turned 12 Bellarmine miscues into 20 first-half points, and lead, 33-12, at the end of the stanza in a rematch of an opening-round game a season ago.

Emily Guthrie leads the Panthers with 14 points, including 3-pointers on three consecutive possessions as Snohomish grabbed a 30-6 lead with 3:44 to go in the half.

Seattle Pacific-bound Katie Benson added 10.

Bellarmine Prep went 7:32 without scoring – until Shalece Butler-Woods' putback bucket with 3:30 to go in the half.

I was right about feeling a Federal Way run coming. The Eagles lead Redmond xx at halftime.

Since Redmond took an 8-3 lead early in the first quarter, Federal Way has outscored the Mustangs 34-8.

Redmond took an early 8-3 lead, but the top-ranked Eagles quickly extinguished that. Federal Way leads 17-10 at the end of the first quarter.

I'm feeling a big Federal Way run coming on...

Snohomish is getting good shots up. Bellarmine Prep isn't.

As a result, the Panthers have grabbed a 19-6 lead at the end of the first quarter in a first-round 4A girls came in the Tacoma Dome.

The Lions are shooting 50 percent (3-of-6), and when they decide to shoot in the lane, instead of pass, they're making inside baskets. But they also committed eight turnovers.

Katie Benson has seven points for Snohomish.

Chargers guard Gary Bell and Shaquielle McKissic combined for 36 points in seventh-ranked Kentridge’s first-round victory over the Marauders. The Chargers took control in the third quarter, when they outscored Mariner 18-10 and built a 49-35 lead.

“I guess we just wanted it more,” said Bell, who scored a game-high 19 points and made 3-of-7 3-pointers. “Nobody had pregame jitters. Everybody came to play.”

The Chargers shot 52.5 percent from the field and had four players score in double-figures. Forward Dylan Zylstra had 13 and guard Laron Daniels finished with 11.

Guard Michael Minor led the Northwest District champions with 17 points.

Bell said his team saw part of Inglemoor’s win over Roosevelt and thinks that the Chargers’ up-tempo style could give them an advantage over the Vikings.

“I really think we can beat them,” he said.

Doug Drowley
For The News Tribune

Samantha Gulisao’s 3-pointer at the buzzer hit the front rim and bounced away. The shot had little to do with the final outcome of South Kitsap’s 51-38 first-round state tournament loss to Moses Lake.

The Chiefs advance to face Auburn Riverside in the tournament’s first quarterfinal at 3:30 p.m. today at the Tacoma Dome. South Kitsap plays Eastlake at 9 a.m. in a consolation game.

Had it gone, Gulisao’s shot would have been the fourth made buzzer-beater of the game for the Wolves, who are making their first Class 4A state appearance since 2000.

Moses Lake began the game on a 17-2. South Kitsap went to the long-distance game in the second half and got its deficit under 10 on several occasions.

The Wolves made six 3-pointers in the second half. But the Chiefs had an answer for every little South Kitsap spurt and buzzer-beater.

Kelsey Callaghan banked in a 30-footer to end the first quarter, making it 19-9. Tori Fairweather beat the second-quarter horn with a basket inside, closing to 31-18. Then Gulisao made a 3-pointer out of the half-court set with less than two second to play in the third quarter.

Kentridge beat Mariner 65-50. The Chargers will play Inglemoor in the quarterfinals.

On the girls court, Moses Lake beat South Kitsap 51-38

Kentridge leads Mariner 51-37 with 7:01 left in the fourth quarter. The winner will play Inglemoor, while the loser gets Roosevelt on Thursday.

On the girls' court, Moses Lake leads South Kitsap 37-28 late in the third quarter.

Kentridge's Dylan Zylstra fends off a Mariner defender.

Photo credit: Joe Barrentine, The News Tribune

Doug Drowley
For The News Tribune

It wasn’t their best effort, they claimed.

But Auburn Riverside’s performance was more than enough to win its opening-round game, 48-30, over outmanned Eastlake on Wednesday morning. The Ravens broke away from an 8-8 tie midway through the first quarter with an 8-0 run and never were challenged the rest of the way.

The lead ballooned to more than 20 points in the third quarter, as defensively Auburn Riverside shut down the Wolves. Eastlake managed only two points in the third quarter.

“We didn’t really show what we can do,” junior guard Mercedes Wetmore said. Wetmore led all scorers with 16 points.

“It wasn’t our best game,” Ravens coach Ed Rosin said. “But I’ve got a bunch of winners in that locker room. They’re tough. They compete. That’s what separates us.”

Kentridge closed out the second quarter on a 7-2 run and leads Mariner, 31-25, at halftime.

Halftime stats:
Kentridge
Shaquielle McKissic 11 points
Laron Daniels 7 points
Gary Bell 6 points

Mariner
Tevin Dillon 8 points
Ayanle Yusuf 7 points

Moses Lake's girls leads South Kitsap 24-15 with three minutes left in the second quarter.

Kentridge has an 18-15 lead over Mariner at the end of the first quarter. The Chargers surged to an 18-10 advantage on the strength of a Gary Bell 3-pointer and Shaquielle McKissic dunk, but the Marauders were able to limit the damage.

Benji Bryant’s jumper at the buzzer vaulted No. 10 Inglemoor to a 42-40 win over Roosevelt and a spot in the quarterfinals for the first time in school history.

“I knew we had to hurry because we had no timeouts and not a lot of time,” Bryant said. “I put up the shot and knew it was good.”

Bryant, a 6-foot-1 senior guard, swished the 14-footer seconds after Roosevelt’s Louis Voorhees tied the score on a reverse lay-in.

Bryant led the Vikings (18-6) with 14 points and forward Todd Campbell added 12. For the Roughriders (14-12), River Voorhees scored 14 and Kai Hoyt added 13.

Inglemoor will face the winner of the Kentridge-Mariner game in the quarterfinals at 3:30 p.m. Thursday. Roosevelt will play the loser of that game at 9 a.m. Thursday in a loser-out game.

Inglemoor's Benji Bryant reacts after hitting the game-winning shot at the buzzer.

Photo credit: Joe Barrentine, The News Tribune

Inglmoor escapes the first round with 42-40 win over Roosevelt. What a finish.

Benji Bryany swished a pull-up jumper with .6 seconds left on the clock that broke the tie. Seconds earlier, Roosevelt's Louis Voorhees went the length of the court and tied the score with an reverse layin with 7 seconds remaining.

The Vikings will play the winner of the Mariner-Kentridge game.

Inglemoor is up 30-28 at the start of the fourth quarter.

Riverside's girls are still up 32-22 with 5:30 left in the third quarter.

Auburn Riverside's girls leads Eastlake 32-22 at halftime. If the Ravens win, they will play the winner of the South Kitsap-Moses Lake contest.

On the boys court, Inglemoor is clinging to a 21-20 lead with 5:09 left in the third quarter.

Inglemoor leads Roosevelt 17-14 at halftime of the first boys game of the day.

Inglemoor's Todd Campbell leads all players with 8 points. Three Roughriders -- River Voorhees, Louis Voorhees and Kai Hoyt -- have scored four points each.

Auburn Riverside is distancing itself from Eastlake, leading 16-10 at the end of the first quarter.

Auburn Riverside's Amanda Thomson tries to split Eastlake's Ellie Martinez (33) and Jena Boyle (5).

On the boys court, we've got a scoring-fest. Inglemoor leads Roosevelt 12-10 with 3:38 to go in the second quarter.

Inglemoor and Roosevelt are tied, 6-6, at the end of the first quarter.

Over on the girls' court, Eastlake and Auburn Riverside are tied, 8-8, with 2:40 left in the first quarter.

We've got Inglemoor-Roosevelt playing on te boys court and Eastlake-Auburn Riverside on the girls court.

I see TNT photographer Lui Kit Wong, who says he's going to try and shoot EVERY boys and girls game today, and TNT multi-media guru Joe Barrentine are here. Joe is going to be putting together slideshows and video highlights of each game. The narration will be done by yours truly or one of the other TNT reporters we've got lined up to cover the tournament.

I'll be posting scoring updates during the games, stories on each shortly after the games end and some video interviews with players.

So check back often.