Elite 11: Thoughts on 4A

To wrap up the 4A tournament, we predict next year's final four and pay homage to Courtney Vandersloot.

We'll get to the burning, Spokane vs. Seattle issue when the tournaments are over. But, for now, here are some final thoughts as we leave the 4A classification and head into the state championships for 3A and 2A:

Next year's 4A Final Four: Mead, Moses Lake, Prairie, Snohomish.

Mead's 6-foot-5 Alexis Olgard and jet-propelled guard Jazmine Redmon were just freshmen and will be far more seasoned next year. Mose Lake and Carly Noyes will figure out how to handle defensive pressure and make it. Prairie gets its usual nearly-automatic pass - plus Ashley Corral will be a senior - and Snohomish had an impressive cast of young kids, led by athletic shooter Karley Lampman.

Jazmine Redmon of Mead

If it were not a year in which the Greater Spokane League was dominated by the defense of Lewis and Clark and the individual brilliance of Angie Bjorklund, Mead would have entered this year's 4A tournament with a lot more fanfare. Portland State-bound Kelli Valentine has an unstoppable mode and I cannot believe senior point guard Alysha Green won't be snapped up by at least a Division II program. Those two will be difficult to replace, as will Kami Clark; however, the Panthers have the two most important positions filled with Olgard and Redmon and coach Regan Drew can build a very good team around those two.

Redmon seemed to get better and better as the 4A tournament progressed and could lead the next wave of nationally ranked Washington guards after the Corral-Eryn Jones-Kristi Kingma class graduates. Yet the kid who has to have college coaches already salivating is Olgard. She moves extremely well for her size, has room to fill out and supposed has the good to possibly play the wing.

Courtney Vandersloot was the best player at State 4A.

Did I just state the obvious? If the Kentwood senior hadn't glided through the first quarter, having focused on winning it all for so long and thus unable to generate the fire to play for third, Vandersloot would have broken one of the state's hallowed records, the 114 points Joyce Walker scored for Garfield in 1980. As it was, after coach Keith Hennig jump-started her with a benching, Vandersloot fell a single point short.

(Note to you old-schoolers: We acknowledge that Walker accomplished her record in three games, averaging 38 points per, while Vandersloot had four games).

There's little question now that Vandersloot ranks nationally with the likes of Italee Lucas and Cetera DeGraffenreid, who are headed to North Carolina; Jasmine Thomas, who is going to Duke; Khadijah Rushdan, who is attending Rutgers; Lorin Dixon, who is going to Connecticut, and Danielle Robinson, who is headed to Oklahoma.

The HoopGurlz.com Elite Eleven high-school girls basketball team rankings are featured on KING-TV's Sports Blitz and The Seattle Times.

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HoopGurlz.com Elite Eleven

Washington State's Top Teams Without Regard to Classification
Records Through March 3

1. Lewis and Clark (4A) Record: 26-3 Last: 9
Comment: Not sure why we ever doubted - defense wins championships.

2. Kentwood (4A) Record: 28-1 Last: 1
Comment: Despite placing, Conks were second-best at 4A.

3. Meadowdale (3A) Record: 24-0 Last: 3
Comment: Can Small Ball prevail in a four-day, state-tournament setting?

4. University (4A) Record: 26-3 Last: 4
Comment: Dara Zack showed her mettle with 10.5 rebounds, 3p shooting.

5. Mead (4A) Record: 24-7 Last: NR
Comment: Rematch with Issaquah lacks appeal of last year.

6. Auburn Riverside (3A) Record: 21-2 Last: 6
Comment: May have more weapons than any team in the state.

7. Chief Sealth (3A) Record: 22-3 Last: 5
Comment: Cal Tall Ball prevail (again) in a four-day, state-tournament setting?

8. Prairie (4A) Record: 20-5 Last: 10
Comment: Ashley Corral 5th in scoring, 4th in assists, minutes on bum ankle.

9. Mount Tahoma (4A) Record: 27-2 Last: 7
Comment: State 4A has become Shauneice Samms' annual Block Party.

10. Jackson (4A) Record: 23-4 Last: NR
Comment: Kristi Kingma No. 2 in 4A in scoring despite battered knees.

11. Anacortes (2A) Record: 24-1 Last: 11
Comment: Most dangerous No. 3 seed in any state tournament.

The Wait List
Anacortes (2A) 24-1; Black Hills (2A) 18-4; Brewster (1A) 21-2; Burlington-Edison (2A) 18-5; Capital (3A) 18-4; Clarkston (2A) 17-5; Colfax (1A) 29-2; Columbia (1A) 19-2; Curlew (1B) 24-3; East Valley (2A) 19-3; Ellensburg (2A) 19-5; Evergreen Lutheran (2B) 21-2; Issaquah (3A) 18-6; King's (1A) 25-4; Lakes (3A) 18-4; LaSalle (2B) 23-3; Lynden Christian (1A) 26-2; Moses Lake (4A) 22-4; Mossyrock (2B) 24-2; Napavine (2B) 25-1; Pasco (4A) 22-3; Pullman (2A) 21-2; River Ridge (2A) 21-2; Seattle Prep (3A) 20-4; Sehome (2A) 18-6; Skyline (3A) 21-3; Skyview (4A) 19-7; Sprague-Harrington (1B) 25-4; Tumwater (2A) 15-7.

More Elite Eleven Rankings:
Dec. 4: No Satisfaction for Issy
Dec. 11: Sealth or Riverside?
Jan. 8: Stuff Happened
Jan. 17: Week with Buzz
Jan. 23: Cream Has Risen
Jan. 29: Second Time Around
Feb. 5: Any More Questions?
Feb. 12: Aura of Invincibility
Feb. 18: Twists & Turns
Feb. 27: Those Left Behind

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