By CASEY OLSON, The Mirror
The Federal Way girls basketball team remained in prime position to grab the South Puget Sound League North Division’s second seed into the postseason with a 58-49 win over Kentlake on Tuesday.
The victory improved the Eagles to 13-4 overall and 8-3 in the North. Kentwood (13-4, 11-0) clinched the regular-season title Tuesday with a win over Tahoma. Federal Way sits two games clear of third place of Kentlake and Kentridge (both 6-5) with three games to play.
Against Kentlake, the Eagles held off a second-half run by the Falcons to pull out the win. Kentlake pulled within four points near the start of the fourth quarter, but Federal Way went on a 6-0 run to get the lead back to double digits.
Three Eagles scored in double figures, led by freshman Brittany Barrington’s 23 points. Jacqie Evenson added 15 points and Talia Walton finished with 10.
A Kentlake victory would have tied the Falcons with Federal Way for second place in the North.
The Thomas Jefferson Raiders remained in the playoff hunt with a 45-42 win over Kentridge Tuesday. The Raiders (11-7, 5-6) are currently tied with Tahoma for the fifth and final berth into the SPSL Tournament.
The Raiders made 16 of 18 free throws on the night and Sofia Malamura tallied 15 points. Sophomore Hannah Kiyohara chipped in 13 points.
Wrestling
The Decatur Gators officially finished in third place in the SPSL North. The Gators downed Federal Way on Wednesday, 69-6, in both teams’ final regular-season dual meet. The win left Decatur 5-2 on the year. Kentwood won the league at 7-0, followed by Tahoma (6-1).
Next up is the wrestling postseason, which kicks off Friday and Saturday. The SPSL North Division Tournament will be held at Kent-Meridian and the South will wrestle at Rogers. The Mat Classic state championships will be held Feb. 15-16 inside the Tacoma Dome.
The Gators picked up pins from Rad Krysta at 103 pounds, Joe Franco at 119, Tyler Thomas at 130, Greg Bull at 135, Eric Moehrle at 140, Dylan Aparis at 145, Kieron Bronson-Doherty at 160 and Tristan Jones at 171.
Federal Way’s (0-7) lone points came via forfeit at 215 pounds.
Gymnastics
The Todd Beamer Titans tallied 158.8 team points in a sweep of Rogers, Kentwood and Tahoma on Wednesday night.
The Titans were led by Cassie Peterson, who won the all-around competition with 34.0 points. Peterson finished first on the balance beam (9.0) and floor exercise (9.05) and second on the vault (8.8). Teammate Kaylyn Borden won the vault (9.1) and was third on the bars (7.5) and floor (8.75).
Beamer also got a second place from Jessica Freeborn on the balance beam (8.8) and Laura Schrader on the floor (8.8). Jefferson swept a four-way meet with Kentridge, Decatur and Sumner on Wednesday. The Raiders tallied 157.1 team points.
Jefferson had the top-three finishers in the all-around category. Anna Wallace was first with 31.75 points, Erin Chapin was second (31.4) and Molly Gebhardt was third (31.1). Gebhardt also won the bars (7.3) and balance beam (8.4). Desiree Minnie won the floor exercise (8.4) and Jennifer McCreery was second (8.3). Jennifer Wamsley was third on the vault (8.2).
The Federal Way All-City gymnastics meet is scheduled for 7 p.m. at Jefferson on Wednesday. The meet features Beamer, TJ, Federal Way and Decatur.
Sports editor Casey Olson: 925-5565, sports@fedwaymirror.com
