Renton girls basketball secures spot in state with win over Cedarcrest

Published 4:30 pm Thursday, February 19, 2026

During the first half of the season, head coach Earl Cheatham told Renton High School staffers that he was going to need some chaperones because he thought his girls basketball team was destined for a trip to Yakima.

Now, that trip is closer than ever as the Renton Redhawks girls survived the final qualifying matchup of the District 2 tournament against Cedarcrest, 41-39, on Feb. 18.

“My speech to them, I wanted to show them an experience that can last a lifetime. Once they believed in that experience, I could see it in their eyes,” Cheatham said.

Renton had to grind, with extraordinary effort, to find a way to win. Renton scored just seven points in the third quarter and were able to tread water and come out with the win.

“The locker room was very exciting after. One thing I give my girls credit for, they are young but they play hard. These young ladies have listened down the stretch. I am just so happy. … It’s a very young team, but they answered the challenge,” Cheatham said.

The Redhawks are back in the state tournament for the second consecutive year after beating Cedarcrest in the District 2 championship last year. The matchup between Renton and the Red Wolves was the fourth time this season they had played and the seventh time in the last two years.

“It’s hard to beat a team two times, let alone four times. We answered the challenge. I’m happy and proud,” Cheatham said.

In those seven games, Renton has the upper hand, winning four games between the two seasons. The Redhawks especially have the Red Wolves’ number in the postseason. In KingCo and district tournaments in the last two years, Renton is 3-1 against Cedarcrest.

“We know each other very well. Marc (Hillestad) made a couple adjustments, I made a couple adjustments. He made another adjustment of man-to-man at half court, I thought that was impressive. But again, we answered,” Cheatham said.

Renton needed every bit of freshman Gigi Victo Hill in the win on Wednesday night. The first-year Redhawk does everything for Cheatham’s squad: rebounding, passing, facilitating and most importantly, scoring.

“I was nervous, but my team gets me involved. It’s like a community to me,” Victo Hill said after the game.

Victo Hill finished with 15 points and, importantly, the biggest three of the night with under two minutes left in the game. Cheatham has seen Victo Hill since she was a youngster and he thought she would be a good player ever since she started in their program.

“She’s been playing around our program since the fifth grade. I thought she could play varsity for me in the fifth grade. My point is she is relentless. She never gives up and is a competitor,” Cheatham said.

Due to Cedarcrest’s boys team playing after their girls, Cedarcrest students showed up and the neutral site that Foster was supposed to be turned into a very pro-Red Wolves crowd.

But that didn’t seem to bother the freshman, who enjoyed the spotlight: “I was really pumped, I was really excited and hyped,” Victo Hill said.

Renton was in control for nearly the entire first half, holding Cedarcrest to just 16 first-half points. The Red Wolves scored six points in the first quarter and 10 in the second, while Renton was in control early, leading 24-16 at the break.

The problems could have begun in the third quarter for Renton by only scoring seven points, but the Redhawk defense was up to the challenge. Renton managed to take a 31-26 lead heading into the fourth quarter. But Cedarcrest had their best quarter of the game to put all the pressure back on Renton.

“We just got to take it game to game. We gotta take it one game at a time. I’ll take my chances with these young ladies. They play hard, they are smart. I am fine with whoever we play,” Cheatham said.

The Red Wolves went on a 12-3 run to start the fourth quarter and took a 36-34 lead and set the tone for how the game would finish. Victo Hill and Khloe Mallary were the only Renton players to score in the final quarter, but that was all that was needed.

Renton now awaits their seed from the WIAA seeding committee, and will have to win their regional round game to reach the Yakima Valley SunDome. Renton lost their regional game last year to North Mason 44-30 at Mount Tahoma. Cheatham likes his team’s chances this time ‘round.

“We gotta play hard, be patient and understand and play good ball,” Cheatham said.