State hoops regional round breakdown
Published 2:20 pm Wednesday, February 25, 2026
Three teams from the Auburn School District punched their ticket to the state tournament. Auburn Mountainview and Auburn High School boys are on the outside looking in of the top eight, with the Auburn High School girls returning to the state tournament also seeded ninth.
• No. 9 Auburn Mountainview vs. No. 17 Mountain View (Vancouver)
Analysis: Auburn Mountainview possibly had the biggest upset of the district tournament with its semifinal win over No. 1 seeded Bellarmine Prep. But in the district finals against Lincoln for the second straight year, the Lions were outmatched by the Abes. Just missing out on the top eight once again, the Lions need to win just one game to punch their first ever ticket to the Tacoma Dome in school history.
Last year that resulted in an eight point loss to Federal Way, but this time around, maybe the lack of familiarity will benefit the Lions more than a third time facing the same team. Kolven Posey will be tasked with the majority of the load on offense, as he competed with Doni Burkett of Todd Beamer High School as the NPSL leading scorer this season. But the emergence of Dale Jones, Jarrick Matthews and the recent form of Markell Lowery will be the key to push the Lions over the edge.
Auburn Mountainview has never played Snohomish since the school’s opening in 2006. The Lions have had recent history against Mountainview as the two schools have met in the playoffs twice since the 2022-23 season, with Kendall White’s side winning both match ups.
• No. 16 Eisenhower at No. 9 Auburn, Feb. 28 at Auburn High School, 8 p.m.
Analysis: Auburn could have seen Kennedy Catholic as a break in the district semifinals as opposed to Sumner, but the Lancers did to the Trojans what they had done to the Spartans before and upset them. Auburn is now faced with the No. 16 seed and a trip to the Tacoma Dome on the line in the regional round, as opposed to a guaranteed trip.
Auburn goes as star point guard Avery Hansen goes. If Hansen struggles out of the gate, Auburn struggles early. If Hansen goes off for her typical 25-30 point performance, the Trojans will roll. Against the Cadets, Hansen should be able to get to her spots and dominate as she has her whole career. But the supporting cast has to show up. Just to find some momentum, to find some rhythm as a team, Auburn will need all five players on the floor to contribute.
Kamryn Huttenlocker and Jordan Schoenbachler have a great ability to shoot the ball from deep. As long as their confidence is up, Auburn can make a deep run. Since coming back from injury ahead of schedule, Ari Deloney can be that spark the Trojans can look to when teams double Hansen. But Auburn should never be counted out, especially with the Hansen combo at coach and point guard.
• No. 16 Sunnyside at No. 9 Auburn, Feb. 28 at Auburn High School, 6 p.m.
Analysis: The Auburn Trojan boys’ team will no doubt have an edge when they take the floor on Saturday due to how their last performance went. Losing to Puyallup on their home floor and trailing by 20 points pretty much the entire second half is not normal for Auburn. Daniel Johnson had just four points on 1 of 9 shooting, and that more than likely will never happen again. Auburn will make shots, Johnson will make shots. Puyallup exposed Auburn and used their size and speed to not let Auburn get set in a half-court defense. Ryan Hansen is one of the more remarkable coaches in the area, reaching 400 career wins this season. He will have Auburn rearing to go as the Trojans have made their sixth straight state tournament.
Look for Miles Henry and Emmanuel Rogers to have an impact early on against Sunnyside. The senior and junior both are vocal on the floor and can pilot the ship. Henry playing angry is a different type of player, while Rogers is more of a crafty role player on the floor. Johnson is going to get back to his true form against the Grizzlies.
