(EVENING UPDATE: Photos added)

2:02 PM: The game has just begun, in the 3A girls’ basketball state-championship quarterfinals at the Tacoma Dome – West Seattle High School Wildcats vs. Lynnwood Royals. You can watch a live webcast on Sound Live Sports Network; we’ll also publish periodic updates.

(WSB photos by Patrick Sand, added Thursday evening)
2:07 PM: West Seattle got out to a 4-0 lead. Lynnwood has just scored its first basket at 5:22 to go in the first quarter, and the score is now West Seattle 4, Lynnwood 2.

2:12 PM: Lynnwood has gone on an eight-point tear and is ahead 10-4 with 3:23 to go in the first quarter.

2:20 PM: End of the first quarter – Lynnwood 14, West Seattle 6.

2:39 PM: At halftime, it’s Lynnwood 29, West Seattle 17. WSHS scoring leaders in the half were Charli Elliott (#10, above) with 6 and Izzy Turk (#3, below) with 5.

3:18 PM: Lynnwood is ahead 58-33 with 2:20 to go in the game.

3:26 PM: Game over – West Seattle loses to Lynnwood, 60-36.

WSHS is now in the consolation round, with another game tomorrow morning (added: 10:30 am Friday vs. Prairie). Full report with photos and more later.

ADDED 9:58 PM: We’ve added photos interspersed with the updates above, plus a few more with some observations below. The lopsided score doesn’t reflect aspects including how much of the game was a wrestling match – the Wildcats and Royals battled for the ball so many times (numerous jump balls, which is the only stat that the tourney’s comprehensive form didn’t seem to capture). Here are three instances we caught on camera:

That was both a testament to the Wildcats’ fighting spirit and to the tenacity of their opponents. While WSHS often dominates on rebounds, this was one time in which the other team seemed to be everywhere, including in just the right place to pull down the boards, outrebounding the Wildcats – but not by much – 37-32. Lynnwood also was defensively aggressive, requiring West Seattle to bulldoze through to have a chance at a shot, as #12 Annalisa Ursino was doing here:

Getting a clear route to a pass had its challenges at times, too:

Elliott ended the game as WSHS’s leading scorer, with 11. #32 Emily Fiso was next, with 8 points:

#30 Lexi Ioane was right behind with 7:

(Flanking Lexi in that photo are #3 Izzy Turk and #11 Lani Taylor.) #4 Lydia Giomi was held to 5 points but tied with Elliott on rebounds, 8 each:

Head coach Sonya Elliott and team are back on the court at 10:30 am in Tacoma, and we’ll be there too.

(Their opponent, the Prairie HS Falcons, are from Clark County in southwestern Washington.)