Renton hoops state tournament previews
Published 3:27 pm Monday, February 23, 2026
Following the release of the state tournament brackets, both Renton High School’s boys and girls basketball teams found out their opening round opponents of the 2026 WIAA State Tournament.
Boys
No. 8 Renton vs. No. 1 Bremerton, Feb. 28, 8 p.m. at University of Puget Sound
Analysis: We’ve reached the state tournament and it’s time to take a dive into Renton’s opening round matchup against one of the best teams overall in the state in Bremerton. The Redhawks played the toughest schedule in 2A in the entire state and the Knights are the next team on the journey.
There aren’t season-ending stakes on the line in this first matchup since they played each other twice in the 2024 postseason. The two split those two games with Bremerton winning the more important game inside the SunDome. Renton is facing a different team, and this Bremerton side has stone cold killer Jalen Davis. The 6-foot-4 point guard is one of the best players in Washington state and has developed a reputation as one of the best scorers in the state.
Davis set the Bremerton scoring record as a sophomore and hasn’t slowed down since. Renton might be 12-11, but as of late, the Redhawks have won four in a row and five out of their final six games. Of Renton’s 11 losses, 10 of the teams are in the state tournament across 3A and 4A teams. Renton lost to both No. 1 seeds, five top eight seeds, with the lowest seeded team being Woodinville, which is 13th in 4A.
The Redhawks will need contributions at all levels. Bremerton not only has Davis, but they also have two players over 6-foot-8. Renton only has Suhail Abdulmumin on the roster at 6-foot-5 or taller, and he has been sidelined during the back end of the season.
Girls
No. 13 Renton vs. No. 12 Port Angeles, Feb. 28, 6 p.m. at University of Puget Sound
Analysis: The Renton girls have flown under the radar so far this season and have been solid for the majority of the season. Supporting a 20-win season for just the fourth time since 1986-87, the Redhawks reached the opening round of the state tournament for the second straight season.
Renton’s lone postseason loss was to Nathan Hale in the District 2 championship game. Port Angeles on the other hand is 17-6 and is coming off a 15-2 run since Dec. 30. The Roughriders are coming off a loss to No. 9 Fife in the District 3 championship, and Port Angeles was the No. 1 seed in the tournament.
Port Angeles has become a mainstay at the state tournament in recent memory. The Roughriders have made five straight tournaments, and 13 out of the last 14 played tournaments. The only tournament that was played that Port Angeles didn’t make was 2014-15.
Renton is a young team, and not one person on this current Renton team was on the team that last visited the SunDome. Gigi Victo Hill, Khloe Mallary and Mia Mickelson are all underclassmen and all have long careers ahead of them. This state tournament is only the beginning.
