Auburn boys basketball advances to Tacoma Dome in win over Sunnyside

Published 10:12 am Tuesday, March 3, 2026

For the sixth straight year, Auburn High School’s boys basketball team is headed back to the Tacoma Dome. And in their win-or-go-home opener of the WIAA 4A state tournament, the No. 9 Trojans (22-3) made sure there was no doubt about that.

Inside a packed and energized Auburn High gym, the Trojans set the tone from the opening minutes and never took their foot off the pedal, cruising to an 81-50 win over No. 16 Sunnyside (15-9) to advance to the round of 12.

“We expect to be competing for league championships. We expect to be competing in the state tournament,” Auburn head coach Ryan Hansen said. “We’ve had a lot of success, and so we want to keep that going. Our kids know that and they understand that.”

Sunnyside struck first, scoring the opening bucket of the night. It would also be the only time they held the lead in the game.

Hansen said he felt his team’s urgency almost immediately. “I thought we came out with a lot of urgency. I thought we played really well and kind of set the tone on the defensive end of the floor,” he said. “Every shot they were shooting was contested. We used our length to our advantage.”

It didn’t take long for the Trojans to grab full control. Midway through the first quarter, Auburn turned a tight game into a wide-open one. The Trojans closed the first frame on an 11-3 run to take a 20-11 lead.

Sunnyside’s quickness and ability to attack the paint kept things competitive early, but Auburn’s physicality and defensive discipline began to separate the teams.

“We just played the right way and up to our standards,” Trojans senior Daniel Johnson said. “We credit our coaches. They scouted well, and we executed their plan.”

The second quarter saw an offensive explosion across the eight minutes. Johnson poured in nine, while sophomore Matthew Fredrickson added to the run with his steady scoring. Auburn hung 27 points in the quarter and held Sunnyside to 14.

The Trojans took a 47-25 halftime advantage that electrified the home crowd.

“We want several guys that can score 15 or more. We preach a lot, sometimes you, sometimes me, but always us,” Hansen said. “You’ve got multiple guys holding threats, and it just makes us tougher.”

By the third quarter, it was clear Auburn was playing to the standard Hansen has spent 24 seasons building. The Trojans rotated relentlessly on defense and smothered the Grizzlies’ ball handlers, limiting them to single looks while springing out in transition.

Auburn stretched its lead even further in the third frame, with five different Trojans contributing to the score. While the Grizzlies continued to fight behind junior Aiden Sanchez, who finished with a game-high 26 points.

“I didn’t know what to expect. Sunnyside is obviously here for a reason,” Hansen said. “They’ve got some tough kids. For what they accomplished, not having a player over six foot one is special.”

At one point early in the final period, the Trojans were a single point away from triggering the 40-point running-clock mercy rule. But Hansen chose to pull his starters, giving his bench the floor. That included his freshman son, Kobe, who checked in to cheers from the student section and scored the final basket of the night.

“When everybody gets an opportunity to play, it’s nice to see,” Hansen said. “The guys who don’t get a lot of playing time are always cheering on the starters, so seeing those roles reversed in a game like this is really cool.”

Auburn’s balanced scoring once again defined the win. Johnson finished with 20, Fredrickson scored 19, and Isaiah England added 18.

For Johnson and the senior group, this win was more than just advancing, it was affirmation of the standard they’ve carried all season.

“This shows how hard we worked,” Johnson said. “We faced a lot of adversity, and we’re ready for what’s to come.”

Now, the focus shifts to the Tacoma Dome and a showdown with another Big 9 opponent: the No. 8 West Valley Rams. The Rams are 19-3 and just pushed top-seeded Mount Si in a nine-point loss last weekend.

Hansen knows the road ahead is tougher, and he expects his group to rise with it.

“West Valley is a very good basketball team,” he said. “We’ve got to get a good scout together and focus on playing our form of basketball. It’s going to come down to how well we defend and how well we take care of the ball. If we do those two things well, I think we’ve got our chance.”

For Johnson, returning to the Dome is both familiar and thrilling. “Feels great to be back, we’re ready,” he said.

Auburn will take on West Valley in a loser-out game at 9 p.m. March 4 at the Tacoma Dome.