It’s no surprise to Lindbergh boys basketball Robert Graham that his team is still playing.
“I felt we were going to win a lot of basketball games because these are just good kids,” he said. “It is exciting, I just think it’s great.”
The Renton girls basketball team clinched its first state berth since 1987 with a 46-44 win against Olympic Feb. 17.
“It’s history,” said Renton coach Tim White. “I’m very, very happy.”
Liberty junior Raymond Ha won a state title, the Patriots placed fourth, and Hazen finished 21st at the 3A state swim and dive meet last weekend.
Ha won his title in the 100 breast, earning All-American consideration with his time of 57.46 seconds.
Renton’s Steve Sholdra won two state titles, Lindbergh placed seventh, and the Indians took tenth at the 2A state swim and dive meet last weekend.
Liberty’s Hamilton Noel led the way for local wrestlers at the Washington State Mat Classic over the weekend.
Noel placed sixth at 160 pounds. Noel started off with a 9-5 win against Enumclaw’s Ryan Anderson. Then he fell to Decatur’s Nick Karis 11-4 in the next round. He won two straight matches in the consolation bracket, before falling twice and taking sixth.
The Lindbergh boys basketball clinched its first state berth since 1991 with a 54-31 win against Evergreen Thursday.
The Eagles (14-10) lost to Evergreen twice, by a combined 11 points, in the regular season. Their defense led the way Thursday night, holding the Wolverines to 12 points through the first three quarters.
The Seattle Mountaineers fell to the Washington Rampage 107-106 Feb. 12 at Renton High School.
The Mountaineers (22-2) play at Renton High against Feb. 19 against the Olympia-Parkside Raiders at 5 p.m.
The Liberty boys swim and dive team placed fourth at the Sea-King District 2 championships last weekend.
The Patriots scored 148 points, finishing behind Lakeside, Mercer Island and Bainbridge.
The Hazen boys swim and dive team placed second at the West Central District III 3A meet this weekend.
The Highlanders scored 235 points, trailing only Kennedy Catholic, with 258. Peninsula finished in third, with 171 points.
The Renton, Liberty, Lindbergh and Foster girls basketball teams all advanced to district tournaments.
The Patriots (16-7) will face Seattle Prep (18-5) in the SeaKing district tournament Tuesday at 3 p.m. at Ingraham High School.
The Renton, Lindbergh and Foster boys basketball teams all made the West Central District III tournament.
The Eagles (12-10) enter the tournament as the seventh seed and will face Fife (9-13) in the first round Tuesday at 8 p.m. at Foss.
The Hazen wrestling team finished fifth at the Region 2 3A tournament last weekend.
The Highlanders scored 136.5 points, just behind Bishop Blanchet with 137. In other Seamount 3A action, Highline took third and Kennedy Catholic ninth.
It was a record-breaking meet for both the Lindbergh and Renton boys swim and dive teams at the West Central District III 2A meet last weekend.
The Eagles placed second at the meet for the second straight year, finishing behind just Interlake. The Indians placed fourth.
The Renton girls basketball won its tenth straight game against Kingston 59-46 Thursday night.
The Indians (16-4) will now face White River (19-2) for the sub-district championship Saturday at Clover Park High School at 6 p.m. The winner of that game takes the No. 1 seed to districts, the loser earns the No. 2 seed.
The Lindbergh gymnastics team finished the season as Seamount co-champions after taking second at the sub-district meet last weekend.
The Eagles were a perfect 6-0 entering the meet and came in behind Highline with 133.275 points to the Pirates 138.975. Hazen finished fourth at the met with 128.775 points and Renton fifth with 114.05 points.
It’s easy to see the change in Lindbergh senior Connor Guhlke.
“Taking a non-confident freshman, and by the time he’s a senior he’s a strong, confident leader,” said Lindbergh coach Roger Miron. “That’s what coaching is about.”
It’s been quite a progression for Renton senior Adriel Paine. When he joined the Indians swim team as a sophomore, he had almost no experience.
“Well, he could float, he didn’t drown, and he could go forward,” said Renton coach Diane Pavelin.
Simply put, Liberty senior Kevin Hays can fit more into a day than most.
Hays had a strong performance at the KingCo swim meet in the evening Feb. 4, making the finals in four events and helping the Patriots to third place overall.
Hazen swim and dive coach Rick Wertman may have only had senior Alex Gayte on his team for one year, but it’s been enough time to get a good impression.
“If I had a team full of him we’d be right where I want to be,” Wertman said. “But the next best thing is having him in a leadership position.”
The Renton girls basketball team came from behind to beat Kennedy Catholic 48-37 Monday night.
The Indians (14-4 overall, 13-0 Seamount) have already locked up their first Seamount title since 1987, and are now one game away from a perfect league record this season. Renton takes on Highline Tuesday evening in the regular-season finale.
