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It was one year ago that the Meadowdale Mavericks suffered back-to-back losses in their final games of the District 1 3A Girls Basketball Tournament — defeats that ended their 2023-2024 season and crushed their dreams of going to the 3A State tournament. And while some teams might choose to put that heartache in their past, the Mavericks chose a different path.
Using those key losses — and a third heartbreaker from last year — as motivation, the Mavericks battled their way to a 61-59 overtime victory over the Snohomish Panthers on Saturday in a 2025 District 1 tourney winner-to-state game played at Marysville Pilchuck High School.
Saturday’s win gives the Mavs a ticket to the regional round of the WIAA 3A State Girls Basketball Tournament next week and puts the team one step closer to possibly playing in the Tacoma Dome during the final rounds of the state tourney in early March.
The victory over Snohomish on Saturday came in the same round of the District 1 tourney that ended Meadowdale’s season last year when the Mavs lost to Everett.
“We were back here right last year, loser-out game, and we fell short,” Mavericks’ senior Audrey Lucas recalled. “So winning this year means everything.”
With nine players on this year’s Meadowdale squad who were part of last year’s team, there were plenty of memories shared and motivation drummed up in the Mavericks’ locker room prior to Saturday’s matchup against Snohomish.
“We talked about that a lot, especially the girls that were there last year, our seniors and juniors,” Lucas said. “Losing last year was really hard. So we put everything into it today.”
While it was the Everett Seagulls that ended Meadowdale’s season last year (65-55 on Feb. 17, 2024), it was Snohomish that downed the Mavericks in a District tournament semifinal game three days prior. It was also the Panthers that put a damper on the Mavs’ Senior Night celebration game last season, something recalled by junior Mia Brockmeyer.
“I think for me personally, it was definitely more about revenge than going to State,” Brockmeyer said of her incentive to beat Snohomish on Saturday. “Because they beat us last year on our Senior Night.”
Meadowdale needed more than just motivation to defeat Snohomish, the no. 1-seeded team in this year’s District 1 tournament. The no. 2-seeded Mavs needed a late rally in regulation time and the extra four minutes of overtime to get past the Panthers.
Snohomish led 50-46 with less than three minutes to go in regulation after Cora Larson found teammate Tyler Gildersleeve-Stiles in the key for an easy bucket. But then, with 2:17 to go, Brockmeyer drew the Mavs’ within two, 50-48, with a layin of her own.
Brockmeyer scored again off a nice assist by Sam Medina with 35.8 seconds to go, tying the game at 50-50.
Neither team could get a clear shot at a potential winning basket in the final seconds of regulation and the game went to overtime.
In the extra period, Meadowdale jumped out to a quick advantage via a Kyairra Roussin fast-break bucket right off the tipoff. Then Lucas took over, scoring six of her team-high 16 points during the next three minutes to put the Mavs up 58-52 with 34.9 seconds to go.
While Snohomish tried for a furious final-seconds comeback — including Larson’s long 3-pointer with one second left to draw to within 60-59 — the Mavericks were able to hold on and snatch the winner-to-state victory.
After scoring only four first-half points, Lucas brushed off her slow start to help fuel the Meadowdale late-game heroics Saturday.
“Well, I missed a couple of big buckets and I was kind of stressing out a little bit,” she said. “But you’ve got to believe in your team and keep going at it, even if you’re missing.”
Mavs’ Coach Benson Sims liked the way Lucas stayed driven despite her slow start. “You could just see how Audrey didn’t have all the opportunities in the beginning of the game, but she kept chipping at it,” he said. “And eventually the well opened up for her.”
Sims, in his first season coaching at Meadowdale, acknowledged that he can’t entirely feel the same heartache that the team experienced after last year’s tough, season-ending losses. But that just makes their redemption story that much more significant for them, he said.
“Man, talking about being proud of a group. They had to face a moment that was big for them,” Sims said.
“I’m a blessed dude,” he continued. “I’ve got a great group of girls here who like to compete. They visualized this before I ever stepped in this job. Me and the staff, we were just an accent piece to this. This is their story.”
While Lucas led the team in scoring, Brockmeyer added 15 points while sophomore Lexi Zardis contributed 14 points for the Mavs.
Snohomish was led in scoring by senior Gildersleeve-Stiles, with 18 points. Larson and Kendall Hammer each scored 11 points while Lola Rotondo added 10 points in the loss.
The Mavericks will face a yet-to-be-determined opponent in the regional round of the WIAA 3A State Girls Basketball Tournament next week. The Tacoma Dome rounds of the state tourney begin March 5.
You can view the entire District 1 3A Girls Basketball Tournament bracket here. See the WIAA 3A State Girls Basketball Tournament bracket here,
Prep Girls Basketball: Meadowdale vs. Snohomish, Feb. 22 (District 1 3A Girls Basketball Tournament winner-to-state loser-out game)
Meadowdale 15 12 15 8 11 – 61
Snohomish 11 9 16 14 9 – 59
Meadowdale individual scoring: Audrey Lucas 16, Mia Brockmeyer 15, Lexi Zardis 14, Kyairra Roussin 7, Sam Medina 5, Payton Fleishman 4, Lisa Sonko
Snohomish individual scoring: Tyler Gildersleeve-Stiles 18, Kendall Hammer 11, Cora Larson 11, Lola Rotondo 10, Sienna Capelli 9, Danica Avalos, Lizzie Allyn, Layla King, Azlyn Clark
Records: Meadowdale 10-2 in 2A/3A Wesco League South Conference, 17-7 overall; Snohomish 9-1 in 2A/3A Wesco League North Conference, 16-8 overall
Meadowdale next game: versus opponent to be determined; Feb. 25, 28 or March 1; at site and time to be announced (regional round of the WIAA 3A Girls State Basketball Tournament)
Snohomish next game: 2024-2025 season completed
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