(2022 photo courtesy West Seattle Little League – Mariner Moose visiting WSLL at Bar-S)

The Mariners‘ first spring-training game is tomorrow – so baseball season is on the way. So is the Mariner Moose – scheduled to make a rare visit to West Seattle. The crew at Morgan Junction Starbucks (California/Fauntleroy) sent first word that their shop has been chosen as a stop on the Moose’s “March to Opening Day“ regional tour. You can meet the Moose there 9 am-11 am on (corrected) Thursday, March 14 for goofiness and giveaways, among other things.

(WSB photo from Saturday night’s WSHS-Eastside Catholic game)

In case you haven’t seen the update added to our coverage of Saturday night’s West Seattle HS boys’ basketball district-championship game, the time and location are set for the team’s first game in this year’s state competition: 2 pm Saturday (February 24) at Bellevue College (3000 Landerholm Circle SE). They won’t know who they’re playing until tomorrow night – it’ll be the winner of that night’s game between Lincoln HS (Tacoma) and Lake Washington HS. You can buy tickets in advance online here.

UPDATE: Their opponent will be Lincoln.

If you have questions about the new “pre-pro” soccer team West Seattle Junction FC, which just announced its schedule for home matches at Nino Cantu Southwest Athletic Complex this spring and summer, here’s your chance to get answers: The organization will host a community meeting at adjacent Southwest Teen Life Center on February 29th. From the announcement:

West Seattle Junction FC is hosting a community meeting at the Southwest Community Center on 2/29/24 from 4:30-7 pm for any interested parties who wish to hear more about the club or to ask questions of our staff.

WHO: West Seattle Junction FC
WHAT: Community Meeting for those who would like to know about the club or ask questions.
WHERE: Southwest Community Center
WHEN: 4:30 pm – 7 pm on 2/29/2024

A new USL League 2 soccer team, West Seattle Junction FC, will be playing their inaugural season May through July of this year at Nino Cantu Southwest Athletic Center. This Community Meeting will provide an opportunity for people in the community to ask questions about these events. There will be 8 home games this season.

General Game Information:

● We will set-up the field approximately 1 hour to the start and tear down within an hour of each game.
● We will leave the neighborhood as we found it: litter and recycling will be handled professionally.
● During the event hours, we expect between 500-1000 attendees.
● No streets will be closed and our spectators will be encouraged to take public transportation.
● Sound amplification will be limited and non-audible beyond the field. .

We are working closely with the City of Seattle Parks Department to minimize the impacts of the event. Our goal is to create an enjoyable and positive experience in the neighborhood.

Junction FC says the meeting will be open-house format – just drop in during that window. See the full announcement, including contact information if you have questions before then, in our calendar listing.

(WSB photos. Above, Wildcats’ postgame huddle)

Next stop for the West Seattle High School boys’ basketball team is the state tournament, after their second-place finish tonight in the District 2 3A tournament. Eastside Catholic left the Bellevue College gym with the championship win, 87-65. The Wildcats had the biggest cheering section, hoping all game long for a comeback.

But the Crusaders were out to a 13-2 lead by the midpoint in the first quarter, and never gave up much ground. #4, junior Duncan Monnin, was first on the scoreboard for WSHS with a basket at 6:20, after Eastside Catholic opened with a three, and that’s the only time the Wildcats were close.

Top West Seattle scorer tonight was #0, junior Alex Pierce, with 14 points:

#23, senior Pawlose Aschalew, was next with 10 points:

#3, senior Bo Gionet, had 9:

Both sides played fairly ferocious defense, but Eastside Catholic’s hottest outside shooter, senior Kayden Greene, managed to be open time and again for passes that translated to threes; the Crusaders also had the upper hand on rebounds for most of the game. They held a 45-27 lead at halftime, 71-49 at the end of the third quarter; there was a spark of hope when #5, junior Brittin Joyner, and #14, junior Jake Kriley, opened the fourth quarter with back-to-back threes, but Eastside Catholic started running out the clock, inbetween some insurance baskets, and that was the game.

Head coach Dan Kriley and the Wildcats will find out tomorrow afternoon who they’re facing to open state play – and when/where – which starts Tuesday.

SUNDAY UPDATE: The bracket has been released, and so far we know that WSHS will play its must-win opening-round game at home, either Friday or Saturday, vs. the winner of Tuesday’s game between Lincoln or Lake Washington.

ADDED SUNDAY NIGHT: Further refinement of the bracket – WSHS will play at 2 pm next Saturday (February 24) and while they’ll be the “home” team, the game will be at Bellevue College.

(WSB photos. Above, #10, freshman Seneca Lucas)

The West Seattle High School girls simply ran out of time tonight in their district-tournament game against Roosevelt. The two were tied 46-46 with :10 to go in what was a close game throughout, but then Roosevelt sank a three and WSHS didn’t have enough time to get back downcourt to try to answer it, and the buzzer sounded to end their season.

Games don’t get much closer than this one. The first and second quarter both ended in ties, 9-9 and 19-19. The Wildcats had a one-point lead at the end of quarter #3, 32-31. But the Riders went on a run and pulled out to a 5-point lead with 5:50 left in the game, 39-34. West Seattle battled back, in part thanks to #20, junior Colby Timmons, hitting two baskets in short order.

(WSB photos. Above, #20, Colby Timmons, second-leading scorer with 13)

With 3:10 to go, WSHS took the lead, 43-42, after #4, senior Carmen Cruz, nailed one of her trademark threes:

(WSB photos. Above, #4, Carmen Cruz, third-leading scorer with 11)

They swapped the lead again and got it back 45-44 at 1:35 remaining, with a reverse layup by #21, junior Alyssa Neumann:

(WSB photos. Above, #21, Alyssa Neumann)

But they couldn’t pull away – and were on the wrong side of the scoreboard when it hit 00:00. Head coach Darnell Taylor and the Wildcats finish the season 13-13.

With only two seniors this year, the team has a good chance to build on this year’s success next season.

As we’ve been noting, postseason competition is under way for high-school winter sports – and we have late word of two more local athletes who have made it to the state championships: West Seattle High School wrestlers Sam Fordham (126) and Jak Prater-Thaden (124). The state wrestling tournament is under way today and tomorrow at the Tacoma Dome.

Next move for West Seattle Junction FC, our area’s new “pre-pro” soccer team: They’ve announced the regular-season schedule, and are selling single-match tickets. First, here’s the schedule (with home matches at Nino Cantu Southwest Athletic Complex), with the final game vs. the league champions:

HOME: Sunday, May 19th @2:00 pm vs Capital FC

HOME: Friday, May 24th @7:00 pm vs Lane United

HOME: Sunday, May 26th @2:00 pm vs United PDX

AWAY: Saturday, June 1st @7:00 pm vs Ballard FC

AWAY: Wednesday, June 5th @7:30 pm vs Tacoma Stars

AWAY: Sunday, June 9th @4:00 pm vs Capital FC

AWAY: Tuesday, June 11th @7:00 pm vs Lane United

AWAY: Friday, June 14th @7:00 pm vs Midlakes United

HOME: Sunday, June 16th @2:00 pm vs Tacoma Stars

AWAY: Wednesday, June 26th @7:00 pm vs FC Olympia

AWAY: Saturday, June 29th @7:00 pm vs United PDX

HOME: Sunday, July 7th @2:00 pm vs FC Olympia

HOME: Friday, July 12th @7:00 pm vs Midlakes United

HOME: Sunday, July 14th @1:00 pm vs Ballard FC

Ticket prices start at $15. They’re still selling season tickets, too. Junction FC is one of 128 clubs in USL League Two.

Two more local high-school athletes are swimming at the state championships starting today! We just received this report and photo:

Two West Seattle High School athletes qualified for the Boys 3A State Swimming Championships, February 16-17 (today and tomorrow) at the King County Aquatic Center. 9th grader Ben Wrenholt (left) will be competing in the 500 Free, and his twin brother Tom Wrenholt (also a freshman) will be competing in the 100 Back. The swim team is led by outstanding first-year coach Logan Rysemus.

The West Seattle High School boys’ basketball team were already guaranteed a spot in state competition before tonight’s district semifinal game against Rainier Beach – but their hard-fought 57-51 victory puts them in contention for another prize, the district championship.

WSHS #13, senior Nathan Schiavo, led the Wildcats’ scoring with 15 points. Right behind was #23, senior Pawlose Aschalew, with 14:

And #3, senior Bo Gionet, contributed 12:

The Wildcats took a while to get in the groove – after the first quarter, they were down by 9. But in the second quarter, they took up residence under their opponents’ basket and held Rainier Beach to just five points.

The second and third quarters both ended in a tie – but aggressive rebounding and a late scoring run put WSHS aheadin the late going and secured the win. Head coach Dan Kriley and the Wildcats will play Eastside Catholic for the district title at 6:30 pm Saturday, also at Bellevue College. (The Wildcats won their last matchup with ECHS three weeks ago and have won eight of their last nine games.)

More congratulations for a local student headed into statewide competition – tomorrow marks the third consecutive year at state for West Seattle High School diver Giovanni Slye. Here’s the announcement:

West Seattle High School senior Giovanni Slye will be competing in the 3A Diving Championship this coming Thursday morning. The event will be held at the Weyerhaeuser King County Aquatic Center in Federal Way. This is his third year in a row qualifying for the state-level competition.

Giovanni has been diving since age 9, including a recent opportunity to train in Mexico City with renowned coach Serafín Bratt.

Swim and dive teammates, coaches, and school community are very proud of Giovanni. Special thanks to Coach Stephanie Hunt [in the photo above with Giovanni] for her dedication and commitment to her athletes. Best of luck to the two of them.

Go Wildcats!

You can find tournament info here. 3A diving begins at 8:30 am tomorrow (Thursday, February 15).

(WSB photos)

Jubilation tonight for the West Seattle High School boys after their 53-52 come-from-behind win over Bellevue HS in the district tournament’s second round, playing at Sammamish HS. Seldom has a free throw been as thrilling as the one #3, senior Bo Gionet, hit to win the game with three seconds to go:

He had 16 points total tonight. The Wildcats were behind for most of the game – down by 8 points after the first quarter, down 7 after the second, 10 points behind after the third – but then in the fourth quarter, they managed to shut down the inside shooting that had kept Bellevue ahead, and then it was comeback time. After Gionet, West Seattle’s second-leading scorer tonight, with 10, was #0, junior Alex Pierce.

Next, the WSHS boys play Rainier Beach at 5 pm Thursday (February 15) at Bellevue College – and regardless of how that turns out, per the bracket, it’s on to state.

By the numbers, Roosevelt HS looked to be a formidable opponent for the West Seattle High School boys’ district debut – undefeated in Metro League play, and with an 8-game winning streak overall. Instead, the Wildcats sent the visiting Rough Riders home Friday night with a 21-point loss, 83-62. WSHS #23, senior Pawlose Aschalew (top photo), owned the night with 27 points, starting with a 3-pointer half a minute in (first of his four 3’s). Next-highest point total for WSHS was #0, junior Alex Pierce:

Third was #2, sophomore Sully Janiwade, with 14:

Head coach Dan Kriley‘s Wildcats led throughout the game, but only really opened it up toward the end.

At the half, WSHS was up 35-29, and then throughout the second half, Roosevelt’s cold shooting and WSHS’s superior rebounding enabled them to just keep building until it was too late for an adequate comeback challenge. About half their winning margin came from foul shot in the last few minutes, plus a triumphant dunk by Pierce that capped it off. Next up for the Wildcats as the postseason continues is Bellevue HS, 8 pm Tuesday (February 13) at Sammamish HS (right after the WSHS girls’ game).

The postseason continues for West Seattle High School varsity basketball teams, both of which played Metro League tournament games tonight:

(WSHS #4, senior Carmen Cruz)

The girls played at home against Holy Names, winning 53-41.

(WSHS #10, freshman Seneca Lucas)

They finish fifth in the Metro tournament and move on to districts, starting at (updated) 5:30 pm Saturday vs. Bishop Blanchet, at WSHS.

(updated) Right after that game, the WSHS boys play again, after their 65-58 win over Nathan Hale tonight at Lincoln HS. They too finish fifth in the Metro tournament; their Saturday night 7 pm opponent will be Roosevelt.

A reminder from the Southwest Lacrosse Club this morning – practices start soon, so it’s signup time now:

Are you looking for a fun and fast-paced team sport for your K-8th grader? Registration is currently open for the 2024 Seattle Metro Youth Lacrosse season.

Founded in 2008, the Southwest Lacrosse Club promotes, organizes, and develops K-8 youth lacrosse from West Seattle to Federal Way. Our mission is to teach lacrosse fundamentals and good sportsmanship while emphasizing the importance of discipline, teamwork, and physical fitness. Players of all skill levels can develop their game, and we will prepare each athlete for the next level of play. No prior lacrosse experience is required; the club can provide all equipment if needed. We offer full and partial scholarships for those who qualify and have equipment available to loan.

Practices begin mid-February, and games run from March through the end of May. Check out our website or contact us at swlctitans@gmail.com with any questions.

The club is open to all for kindergarten through 2nd grade, boys for 3rd through 8th.