I guess I'm just a sucker for wild stories from across the country.

I saw another wild occurrence in the internet, this one takes as to St. Paul, Minn., where a chlorine leak at Harding High School sent a custodian to the hospital and forced the school to remain inside the classroom for 90 minutes.

No one was seriously injured, but I'm sure the fumes made lunch taste a little different.

It seems every week there is a national story in high school sports worth noting. This week's takes us to Pittsburgh, where a first-year wrestling coach at Central Cambria High School agreed to resign after biting one of his players in the leg during practice.

It sounds crazy, but it's true.

The coach's name is Mike Marshall; he also serves as a probation officer in the Cambria County Department of Juvenile Probation.

The coach and player were wrestling each other in practice when the incident occurred, according to police officer James McGough.

The bite caused bruising, but did not draw blood, McGough said. The student, whom McGough did not identify, did not want to prosecute and opted to drop the matter if Marshall agreed to resign, police said.

What are your thoughts on this wild story from Pennsylvania?

Morning stars

1. Emily Farrar, Bainbridge girls basketball -- The 5-foot-5 senior scored a season-high 25 points and hit seven three-pointers in a 63-44 victory over Bishop Blanchet. She had 18 points and six three-pointers in the first half.

2. Jordan Smith, Lopez boys basketball -- It was just another day in the office for the 6-foot-1 senior. He had 34 points in a 65-56 win over a good Lummi team. Amazingly, this lowered his season average (it's now a Seattle-area best 35.7 ppg), and our database credits him with eight higher scoring games this season.

3. Sarah Anderegg, Interlake girls basketball -- Anderegg, just a sophomore, scored a season-high 30 points against Mercer Island, but the Saints came up just a couple points shy, 55-52.

Tonight's top games

1. SPSL 3A girls game -- While Auburn Riverside has a secure hold of the league title, the No. 2 spot while be up for grabs tonight with big games between Auburn (8-3) and Enumclaw (7-4), and also Auburn Mountainview (7-4) versus White River (7-4).

2. Decatur at Kentwood, boys basketball, 7:30 p.m. -- Your weekly postseason-worthy game from the SPSL North features the 10-3 Conquerors against the 10-2 Gators.

3. Mount Rainier at Renton, boys basketball, 7 p.m. -- Seamount finest take the court tonight; the two teams are a 32-2 this season and 21-1 in league combined.

We have new No. 1s in Class 1A (Bellevue Christian), Class 2B (Northwest Christian of Colbert) and Class 1B (Liberty Christian) for the boys. For the girls, the only new No. 1 is in Class 1B (Sunnyside Christian).

Class 4A

1. Ferris (7) 16-0 79
2. Franklin (1) 16-2 73
3. Kentridge 17-3 57
4. Bellarmine Prep 17-2 55
5. Shadle Park 15-2 48
6. Decatur 15-3 36
7. Snohomish 15-2 26
8. Kentwood 15-4 18
9. Roosevelt 13-4 15
10. Wenatchee 15-2 14
Others receiving votes: Lincoln 13. Federal Way 5. Edmonds-Woodway 1.

Class 3A

1. Rainier Beach (8) 16-1 89
2. Auburn (1) 17-0 82
3. Lakes 15-1 66
4. Mercer Island 14-2 54
5. Mt. Rainier 16-1 51
6. Renton 16-1 50
7. Bellevue 14-2 29
8. Squalicum 15-1 28
9. Seattle Prep 14-3 13
10. Kennedy 13-3 12
Others receiving votes: Kelso 6. Columbia River 6. Meadowdale 4. O'Dea 2. West Valley (Yakima) 1. Eastmont 1. Enumclaw 1.

Class 2A

1. Mark Morris (5) 13-3 80
2. Burlington-Edison (1) 13-2 79
3. Pullman (2) 13-1 75
4. Prosser 12-2 60
5. Lynden 9-5 41
6. Ephrata 12-2 39
7. Port Townsend (1) 14-1 27
8. River Ridge 11-4 26
9. W. F. West 12-3 17
10. Centralia 10-5 13
Others receiving votes: West Valley (Spokane) 12. East Valley (Yakima) 9. Cedarcrest 8. Tumwater 4. Cheney 3. Ellensburg 1. R.A. Long 1.

Class 1A

1. Bellevue Christian (6) 16-2 66
2(t). King’s (1) 12-4 64
2(t). Vashon Island (1) 16-1 64
4. River View 15-1 54
5. Lake Roosevelt 15-2 36
6(t). Meridian 12-4 33
6(t). Chelan 14-3 33
6(t). Connell 14-3 33
9. Castle Rock 14-3 14
10. Cascade Christian 12-5 13
Others receiving votes: Winlock 12. Nooksack Valley 11. Seattle Christian 4. White Swan 3.

Class 2B

1. Northwest Christian (Colbert) (2) 18-1 55
2. Riverside Christian (2) 18-0 54
3. Toutle Lake (2) 16-0 53
4. LaConner 15-1 34
5. Reardan 16-3 32
6. St. George’s 18-2 28
7. Wahkiakum 14-2 26
8. Liberty Bell 14-3 14
9. LaSalle 14-4 12
10. Tacoma Baptist 14-3 9
Others receiving votes: Darrington 6. Oroville 2. Naselle 2. Waitsburg 1. Lind-Ritzville 1. Bear Creek School 1.

Class 1B

1. Liberty Christian (2) 14-4 53
2. Lopez (2) 13-1 51
3. Sunnyside Christian (1) 12-5 45
4. Lake Quinault 14-3 43
5. Entiat 13-2 20
Others receiving votes: Garfield-Palouse 16. Cusick 6. Tekoa-Oakesdale 6.

First-place votes are in parentheses. Records provided by the Associated Press

Class 4A

1. Lewis and Clark (6) 16-0 78
2. Prairie (2) 14-3 69
3. Lake Stevens 16-0 67
4. Ballard 15-1 48
5. Skyview 17-1 47
6. Jackson 15-1 40
7. Mead 14-2 33
8(t). Moses Lake 12-3 12
8(t). Shadle Park 14-3 12
10. Inglemoor 14-2 11
Others receiving votes: Mount Tahoma 9. Bellarmine Prep 6. Kentwood 5. Pasco 2. Roosevelt 1.

Class 3A

1. Auburn Riverside (8) 14-3 89
2. Lakes (1) 15-0 76
3. Kennedy 16-0 70
4. Meadowdale 14-2 61
5. Issaquah 15-1 60
6. Seattle Prep 15-2 41
7. Capital 15-2 32
8. Bellevue 13-3 28
9. Hanford 12-3 14
10. Newport 12-4 8
Others receiving votes: Kelso 7. Auburn 4. Lindbergh 3. Lakeside (Seattle) 2.

Class 2A

1. Anacortes (8) 14-1 98
2. Pullman (1) 13-1 86
3. Ellensburg (1) 13-2 69
4. River Ridge 13-2 64
5. Othello 14-2 50
6. Black Hills 11-4 49
7. Tumwater 12-3 48
8. West Valley (Spokane) 12-2 24
9. Hockinson 12-1 20
10. East Valley (Yakima) 10-4 17
Others receiving votes: Archbishop Murphy 8. Burlington-Edison 6. Mount Baker 3. Sehome 3. Woodland 2. Mark Morris 2. Prosser 1.

Class 1A

1. Lynden Christian (8) 17-0 80
2. Freeman 17-1 68
3. Colfax 14-4 61
4. Columbia (Burbank) 14-2 55
5. Chelan 13-3 49
6. Granger 14-2 34
7. Zillah 14-3 28
8. Brewster 13-3 27
9. Connell 12-5 18
10. Seattle Christian 12-4 9
Others receiving votes: Forks 7. Onalaska 3. Nooksack Valley 1.

Class 2B

1. LaSalle (7) 18-0 70
2. Napavine 16-1 57
3. Shoreline Christian 16-1 54
4. White Pass 12-2 49
5. St. George's 18-2 41
6. Northwest Christian (Colbert) 16-3 31
7. Liberty Bell 14-2 22
8. Orcas Island 12-2 17
9. Mossyrock 14-4 16
10. Toutle Lake 12-6 6
Others receiving votes: King’s West 5. LaConner 5. Lind-Ritzville 4. Raymond 4. Tacoma Baptist 3. Wilbur-Creston 1.

Class 1B

1. Sunnyside Christian (2) 15-2 61
2. Colton (1) 16-1 59
3. Garfield-Palouse (4) 14-3 58
4. Entiat 14-2 52
5. Lake Quinault 14-2 19
Others receiving votes: Liberty Christian 13. LaCrosse-Washtucna 6. Touchet 6. Pateros 6.

There were only 6.0 seconds on Skyline gym's clock when the man sitting next to me said goodbye. "I've got a kid to pick up," he said. Six seconds left in the first overtime, Bellevue leading 72-69 and sharpshooter Aaron Bright at the line for one more shot, it seemed like the Wolverines were about to have it wrapped up.

Then Bright missed, then Skyline's Nick Crossan made what might be the most amazing buzzer-beater of the year, and then the teams went two more overtimes until Bellevue won 93-86.

And some kid somewhere was left waiting. Because when I looked across the court, the man had taken a seat by the door and didn't escape until the end.

And Bellevue-Skyline wasn't the only bedtime-breaker Tuesday night. Franklin and Inglemoor -- these two always play close, it seems -- went to double overtime before the second-ranked Quakers won 91-82. And down south, Kentridge took lone hold of first place in the SPSL North with an overtime win against Federal Way.

But back to Bellevue-Skyline. What was obvious Tuesday, even with Bellevue down a couple regulars, was how different a team Skyline is from last season. There wasn't a moment where it didn't look like the Spartans couldn't win the game, not until the last couple minutes of the third overtime.

"We're disappointed," Skyline coach J. Jay Davis said. "We think we're a good basketball team and we wanted to win."

In his first year, Davis has guided the Spartans -- winners of only 18 games total in the last three seasons -- to 10 league wins this season. They will likely have to settle for third or fourth in the conference (a big Feb. 7 game vs. Issaquah could decide that), but it's possibly the start of a turnaround with the Spartans moving to Class 4A next season.

The WIAA has posted the district tournament schedules for Class 4A and Class 3A. The teams will start to fill in as the season gets closer to an end.

Morning Stars

1. Glen Dean, Roosevelt, boys basketball. Senior's heating up as the postseason approaches. He scored 30 last night in a win against Redmond that snapped a two-game losing streak.

2. Katie Grad, Auburn Riverside, girls basketball. Wazzu-bound guard scored 29 to keep the Ravens undefeated in the SPSL 3A.

3. Will Bush, Inglemoor, boys basketball. Scored 34 points to help Inglemoor force double overtime against No. 2 Franklin, but the Quakers won 91-82.

Tonight's top games

Franklin at Inglemoor, girls basketball, 7:30 p.m. Eighth-ranked Inglemoor can clinch first place in the KingCo Lake if it can halt the Quakers, who have won five straight.

Issaquah at Mercer Island, boys basketball, 8 p.m. The Issaquah boys' only hope to possibly repeat as KingCo 3A champs is to win tonight against the Islanders, who have to lose in the state.

It's a debate you hear frequently in high-school and college hoops: is getting to the postseason undefeated a good thing or is it beneficial to get tagged with a regular season loss?

In Class 3A and 4A, there are six undefeated teams. (Boys: Ferris of Spokane and Auburn; Girls: Lewis and Clark of Spokane, Lake Stevens, Lakes of Lakewood and Kennedy of Burien).

Last year, the Meadowdale girls team entered the Class 3A state tournament with a flawless record. Despite being tested in a good league, the Mavericks lost two games at state.

There seems to be two schools of thought on this:

1. Losing a late regular-season game (a loss that doesn't affect standings/seedings) is a good thing in that it exposes some weaknesses and lets the team feel the sting of a loss.

2. Losing is never good. C'mon, who wants to lose?

So, what are your thoughts on this? Is a loss late in the season beneficial or is getting to the playoffs undefeated preferred?

Tonight's top games:

1. Franklin at Inglemoor, 7:30 p.m.
2. Kentridge at Federal Way, 7:30 p.m.
3. Seattle Prep at O'Dea, 7:30 p.m.

The snow has canceled tonight's games, allowing me to get an early jump on this week's rankings. Hopefully, they'll be able to play tomorrow.

It was an interesting week for the boys, with the third and fifth-ranked teams from last week falling (in Roosevelt's case, twice). Meanwhile, Kentridge and Decatur moved into a two-way tie for first in the SPSL North. Meanwhile, Lincoln kept winning and clinched its division in the Narrows League, and the Abes -- one of the sweetest nicknames in Washington -- could no longer be left out.

For the girls, I must admit a mistake last week: I had the Puyallup girls record wrong, missing one loss. I had to change accordingly this week, but Puyallup isn't too far away from the top 10, remaining on the radar. Moses Lake and Bellarmine Prep move into the top 10, as does Hanford in Class 3A.

Notable boys games this week (weather permitting):

Franklin at Inglemoor, Tuesday, 7:30 p.m.
Kentridge at Federal Way, Tuesday, 7:30 p.m.
Seattle Prep at O'Dea, Tuesday, 7:30 p.m.
Decatur at Kentwood, Thursday, 7:30 p.m.
Mt. Rainier at Renton, Thursday, 7:30 p.m.
Auburn at Enumclaw, Thursday, 7:30 p.m.

Notable girls games this week:

Mead at Lewis & Clark, Thursday, 5:30 p.m.
Seattle Prep at Bainbridge, Thursday, 6:15 p.m.
Skyview at Prairie, Thursday, 7 p.m.
Newport at Bellevue, Thursday, 7:30 p.m.
Snohomish at Lake Stevens, Monday, 7:30 p.m.

Boys

Class 4A

1. Ferris (Spokane) 16-0
2. Franklin 15-2
3. Bellarmine Prep (Tacoma) 16-2
4. Kentridge 16-3
5. Decatur 15-3
6. Shadle Park 15-2
7. Snohomish 14-2
8. Roosevelt 12-4
9. Lincoln (Tacoma) 16-2
10. Kentwood 14-4

On the radar: Federal Way, Wenatchee, Edmonds-Woodway, Central Kitsap, Garfield.

Class 3A

1. Rainier Beach 16-1
2. Auburn 16-0
3. Lakes (Lakewood) 15-1
4. Mercer Island 14-2
5. Mt. Rainier 15-1
6. Renton 15-1
7. Bellevue 13-2
8. Enumclaw 12-4
9. Seattle Prep 13-3
10. Squalicum 14-1

On the radar: Kennedy, Eastmont, Meadowdale, Skyline, North Thurston.

Girls

Class 4A

1. Lewis & Clark (Spokane) 16-0
2. Lake Stevens 16-0
3. Prairie (Brush Prairie) 14-3
4. Skyview (Vancouver) 16-1
5. Ballard 15-1
6. Jackson 15-1
7. Mead (Spokane) 14-2
8. Inglemoor 14-2
9. Moses Lake 12-3
10. Bellarmine Prep (Tacoma) 16-2

On the radar: Mount Tahoma, Pasco, Puyallup, Roosevelt, Kentwood, Snohomish, Shadle Park.

Class 3A

1. Auburn Riverside 13-3
2. Lakes (Lakewood) 14-0
3. Kennedy 15-0
4. Issaquah 15-1
5. Meadowdale 14-2
6. Seattle Prep 15-2
7. Bellevue 13-3
8. Capital (Olympia) 14-2
9. Hanford (Richland) 12-3
10. Newport 12-4

On the radar: Bainbridge, Auburn, Lakeside, Kelso, Lindbergh.

Just when KingCo 3A was trying to make up a round of boys basketball games snowed out earlier this season, here comes the white stuff again.

All four games that had been rescheduled for tonight have been postponed. KingCo athletic directors are scheduled to meet tomorrow and their discussions will include new play dates for those games -- which could possibly be Saturday.

With another round of games scheduled tomorrow, and more snow in the forecast, games could get back-logged even more.

Many school districts have a no-school, no-sports policy. In other words, if there are no classes because of weather conditions, athletic and other after-school activities are cancelled. Some districts, however, are more flexible and take a look at the weather conditions again later in the day. If travel is deemed safe, it's game on.

Which policy do you endorse?

With at most two weeks left in area boys basketball teams' regular season, here's how each league/division race shapes up with the remaining schedules for each team still with a shot to win it:

(records are conference records)

KingCo 4A Lake

Franklin 11-0 (at Inglemoor, at Eastlake, at Garfield)
Garfield 6-3 (Lake Washington, at Inglemoor, at Redmond, at Eastlake

KingCo 4A Mountain

Roosevelt 8-2 (at Redmond, Juanita, Lake Washington, Ballard, Bothell)
Bothell 7-3 (Woodinville, at Redmond, at Juanita, at Roosevelt -- plus a postponed home game vs. Redmond)
Redmond 5-4 (Roosevelt, Bothell, Garfield, at Woodinville, at Ballard -- plus the game noted above)
Juanita 6-5 (at Ballard, at Roosevelt, Bothell, Woodinville)

SPSL North

Kentridge 10-2 (at Federal Way, Kentlake)
Decatur 10-2 (at Jefferson, at Kentwood)
Kentwood 9-3 (Kent-Meridian, Decatur)
Federal Way 9-3 (Kentridge, Kent-Meridian)

SPSL South

Bethel 11-1 (Puyallup, at Graham-Kapowsin)
Curtis 11-1 (at Spanaway Lake, Emerald Ridge)

WesCo North

Snohomish, at 12-0, has already clinched

WesCo South

Edmonds-Woodway 11-2 (Kamiak, at Shorewood, Jackson)
Meadowdale 9-3 (Lynnwood, at Mountlake Terrace, Kamiak, Shorewood)
Mariner 8-4 (Shorecrest, Lynnwood, Mountlake Terrace, at Kamiak)
Jackson 7-5 (Mountlake Terrace, at Kamiak, Shorewood, at Edmonds-Woodway)

Metro Sound

Rainier Beach 12-0 (at Cleveland, Ingraham, West Seattle, at Chief Sealth)
Cleveland 9-3 (Rainier Beach, at Chief Sealth, at Ingraham, at Nathan Hale)

Metro Mountain

Seattle Prep 10-2 (at O'Dea, at Bainbridge, Lakeside, Eastside Catholic)
O'Dea 9-3 (Seattle Prep, Lakeside, at Bishop Blanchet, Bainbridge)
Bainbridge 8-4 (at Bishop Blanchet, Seattle Prep, at Eastside Catholic, at O'Dea)

KingCo 3A

Mercer Island 11-0 (Issaquah, at Interlake, Skyline, Newport, at Sammamish)
Skyline 10-2 (Newport, Bellevue, at Mercer Island, at Issaquah)
Bellevue 9-2 (at Interlake, at Skyline, at Newport, at Issaquah, Liberty)
Issaquah 8-3 (at Mercer Island, at Sammamish, Mount Si, Bellevue, Skyline)

Seamount

Mt. Rainier 10-0 (at Lindbergh, at Renton, Kennedy, Hazen)
Renton 9-1 (at Evergreen, Mt. Rainier, Lindbergh, at Kennedy)
Kennedy 8-2 (at Highline, Evergreen, at Mt. Rainier, Renton)
Lindbergh 6-4 (Mt. Rainier, at Tyee, at Renton, Highline)

SPSL 3A

Auburn 10-0 (Franklin Pierce, at Enumclaw, Bonney Lake, at Auburn Riverside)
Enumclaw 9-1 (at Auburn Riverside, Auburn, Sumner, at White River)

Woodinville won just its third KingCo 4A game of the season Friday night -- against the third-ranked team in the state.

If ever more evidence was necessary that anything can happen in the regular season, Friday night proved so much, and Woodinville led the way with a 40-39 upset of third-ranked Roosevelt. I wasn't there, so I can't say whether Woodinville's defense or Roosevelt's offense held the Riders to 27.5 percent shooting. The Riders surely didn't help themselves at the line, where they went 4-for-13.

But let's give some credit to 6-8 center Ryan Gilkey and 6-1 forward Taylor Banks, who combined for 26 points in the win. However the Falcons finish the season, they'll have this game to remember.

They have also helped turn the KingCo Mountain into a race again. Bothell, at 7-3 in the conference, is only a game behind Roosevelt with a big Feb. 8 meeting looming.

Woodinville wasn't the only team to leave with an upset. Shorecrest's boys beat 10th-ranked Meadowdale 64-57 in overtime, led by Mark Golike's 21 points. Bainbridge's girls beat 10th-ranked Lakeside in overtime for Bainbridge's fourth consecutive win.

Morning Stars

1. Vonchae Richardson, Mt. Rainier, boys basketball. With Mt. Rainier missing leading scorer Alfie Miller, Richardson filled in with 30 points in a win against Evergreen.

2. Eryn Jones, Meadowdale, girls basketball. Scored 25 points in a 80-50 win against Shorecrest.

3. Will Bush, Inglemoor, boys basketball. Sharpshooter notched 29 points in a win against Eastlake.

4. Janelle Chow, Mercer Island, girls basketball. Led the Islanders with 24 points in a 64-55 victory against Liberty.

5. Renado Parker, Kentridge, boys basketball. Scored 21 points and helped hold big man Josh Smith to seven points in Kentridge's 67-60 victory against Kentwood.

I wanted to pass along this story I saw at AOL's FanHouse about Anthony Robles, a college wrestler born with one leg.

The embedded video is from Robles' high-school years in Mesa, Ariz., where he won a national title. He now wrestles for Arizona State, and has remained successful.

You can find another video of his story here.

Periodically leading up to the boys and girls basketball tournaments, I'm taking a look back at the best games from the 2007 tournaments. This is the first flashback.

After beating fifth-ranked Shadle Park 53-50 last night, the boys basketball team from Ferris High School in Spokane is looking at a very real possiblity of entering the Class 4A state tournament undefeated.

Sound familiar?

Only a year ago, the Saxons entered the Tacoma Dome after going undefeated on the east side of the Cascades. After their first two wins, the Saxons met top-ranked Franklin in the title game. The Quakers were Seattle's best team, with a top-notch backcourt that played a rigid schedule (again--sound familiar?).

The Seattle Times' Michael Ko summed up the result:

TACOMA -- Everyone wanted to know.

In the best game of the Class 4A boys basketball state tournament, in front of the biggest crowd, the second-ranked Saxons from Spokane showcased speed and savvy, blowing past the top-ranked Quakers 100-79 Friday night in an intense, emotional semifinal matchup at the Tacoma Dome.

It was a monster game for 6-foot-8 Ferris center DeAngelo Casto, who scored 27, and a tough one for guard Venoy Overton, who had 13 points and fouled out with less than seven minutes left. From there, Ferris poured it on. The bright spot for Franklin? Sophomore Peyton Siva had 35 points, a demonstration of the kind of player he could be (and has been) this season for the Quakers.

Could we get this game again? If so, it would be without a doubt an instant classic, no matter how it plays out, simply for the backstory.

After Ferris went on to win the 4A title in double overtime against Kentridge, Casto transferred to Franklin, giving the Quakers a dominant inside presence they lacked. Then, barely into the school year, Casto moved back to Ferris, where he was ruled ineligible until Dec. 19. Now he's back in the Saxons lineup.

Yet Frankin has proven on more than one occasion this season it can play with bigger teams, but whether those bigger teams had Ferris' heady guard play is another question. So here's one more: what do you think would happen if these two teams met again?

Morning stars

1. Kara Chin, Issaquah, gymnastics. Chin had Thursday's best all-around score -- 36.75 -- and led the Eagles to a win in a meet with Liberty and Skyline.

2. Joel Smith, Puyallup, boys basketball. Smith led Puyalluip with 25 points in a 68-58 win against Rogers.

3. Ariel Geller and Alychia Colon, Bethel, girls basketball. Combined for 39 points in a 65-38 victory against Spanaway Lake.

Tonight's top games

Kentwood at Kentridge, boys basketball, 7:30 p.m. After Decatur became the first SPSL North team to separate itself from the pack last night against Federal Way, one of these two teams can join the Gators at the top.

Lakeside at Bainbridge, girls basketball, 8 p.m. Lakeside looks to protect second place in the Metro Mountain against third-place Bainbridge on the island.

Earlier this month, Juashaunna Kelly was disqualified at a high-school track meet over a uniform dispute. Kelly, a senior at Theodore Roosevelt High School in Washington D.C., was deemed to have violated competition rules by wearing a custom-made, one-piece unitard that she wears to satisfy her faith.

Kelly is a Muslim; her faith forbids her to show any skin besides her face and her hands. To oblige both her religion and her competitive drive, Kelly has worn this outfit for three years under her school uniform -- never experiencing problems.

"It's not special," Kelly said. "It doesn't make me perform better."

Judges cite a uniform violation in her disqualification -- and, of course, deny any connection to religious discrimination. The letter of the law states a uniform must be ""a single-solid color and unadorned, except for a single school name or insignia no more than 2 1/4 inches."

The accounts from both sides of the issue differ as a compromise was sought. The judges claims they asked her to only wear a T-shirt over her outfit. Kelly and her coach claim they required much more, including her to remove her hood.

This winter, Kelly boasts the fastest times in Washington D.C. in the mile and the two-mile. She hoped to qualify for the prestigious New Balance Collegiate Invitational in February, but her team has no more meets scheduled, and for now it appears as though she won't run again this season.

What are your thought on this issue? Is it a matter of separating church and state or are the regulations warranted?

Morning stars in the clutch

1. Carol Howard, Franklin girls basketball -- The junior guard scored a game-high 13 points, including a game-winning three-pointer with one second left, in a 41-38 win over eighth-ranked Roosevelt.

2. Karri Gallagher, Lake Stevens girls basketball -- Gallagher only had five points, but scored a putback with six seconds left to give the unbeaten Vikings a narrow 47-46 over Marysville-Pilchuck.

3. Dae'veonna Munson, Seattle Prep girls basketball -- Her free throw broke a 36-36 tie with just seconds remaining to give the Panthers a one-point win over Ingraham. Prep remains undefeated in the Metro League.

Tonight's top games

1. Franklin at Holy Names, girls basketball, 7:30 -- The Cougars (8-6, 8-3 Metro) look to make it six straight wins in an intriguing mid-season non-league came against Franklin (9-6, 6-4 KingCo 4A), who has won three straight.

2. Federal Way at Decatur, boys basketball, 7:30 -- Looks to be another SPSL North Division classic, as both league co-leaders come into tonight's contest with 9-2 league records.

We have new No. 1s in Class 2A (Mark Morris) and 1B (Lopez) for the boys and a new No. 1 in 1B for the girls (Entiat).

Also, one voter (wasn't me) gave Franklin a first-place vote in 4A boys after the Quakers beat Fairfax of Calif. and Roosevelt in back to back nights.

CLASS 4A

1. Ferris (7) 15-0 79
2. Franklin (1) 14-2 72
3. Bellarmine Prep 14-2 53
4. Shadle Park 14-1 51
5. Roosevelt 12-3 41
6. Kentwood 14-3 40
7. Kentridge 15-3 37
8. Federal Way 12-3 31
9. Decatur 14-3 15
10. Snohomish 14-2 14

Others receiving votes: Lincoln 5. Wenatchee 2.

CLASS 3A

1. Rainier Beach (8) 15-1 80
2. Auburn 15-0 72
3. Lakes 14-1 55
4. Mercer Island 12-2 51
5. Mt. Rainier 14-1 50
6. Renton 14-1 42
7. Bellevue 12-2 24
8. Squalicum 13-1 23
9(t). Kennedy 11-3 10
9(t). Meadowdale 13-2 10
Others receiving votes: Columbia River 5. Enumclaw 4. Seattle Prep 4. Mount Vernon 4. Fort Vancouver 2. Eastmont 2. Cleveland 1. Mt. Spokane 1.

CLASS 2A

1. Mark Morris (5) 12-3 68
2. Burlington-Edison 10-2 64
3. Pullman (3) 11-1 63
4. Prosser 10-2 53
5. Ephrata 11-1 42
6. River Ridge 8-5 35
7. Lynden 8-4 34
8. East Valley (Yakima) 11-2 19
9. Port Townsend 13-1 16
10. W. F. West 10-3 12
Others receiving votes: Cheney 12. Tumwater 8. West Valley (Spokane) 7. Centralia 5. Cedarcrest 1. North Mason 1.

CLASS 1A

1. River View (4) 15-0 57
2. Bellevue Christian (1) 15-2 53
3. King’s (1) 10-4 52
4. Lake Roosevelt 15-1 38
5. Vashon Island 14-1 37
6. Meridian 11-3 28
7. Chelan 11-3 20
8. Connell 12-3 12
9(t). Nooksack Valley 9-5 10
9(t). Castle Rock 8-5 10
Others receiving votes: Seattle Christian 5. White Swan 2. Brewster 2. Cascade Christian 2. Cedar Park Christian (Bothell) 1. Winlock 1.

CLASS 2B

1. Toutle Lake (2) 14-0 45
2. Riverside Christian (2) 16-0 44
2. Northwest Christian (Colbert) (1) 16-1 44
4. LaConner 15-1 35
5. Reardan 15-2 27
6. St. George's 17-2 24
7. Wahkiakum 13-2 19
8. LaSalle 12-4 9
(tie) Liberty Bell 12-3 9
10. Tacoma Baptist 13-3 8
Others receiving votes: Kittitas 5. Naselle 3. Oroville 1. Lind-Ritzville 1. Waitsburg 1.

CLASS B

1. Lopez (2) 12-1 45
2. Sunnyside Christian (1) 10-3 44
3. Liberty Christian 13-4 37
4. Lake Quinault (1) 13-3 36
5. Garfield-Palouse (1) 12-3 24

Others receiving votes: Entiat 14.

First-place votes are in parentheses, and records are provided by the Associated Press

CLASS 4A

1. Lewis and Clark (6) 14-0 69
2. Lake Stevens 14-0 60
3. Prairie (1) 13-3 58
4. Skyview 15-1 43
5. Ballard 13-1 40
6. Jackson 13-1 31
7. Mead 12-2 30
8. Shadle Park 12-3 11
9(t). Moses Lake 11-3 9
9(t). Mount Tahoma 12-4 9
Others receiving votes: Snohomish 8. Roosevelt 6. Kentwood 3. Bellarmine Prep 3. Inglemoor 3. Puyallup 2.

CLASS 3A

1. Auburn Riverside (7) 12-3 79
2. Lakes (1) 14-0 69
3. Kennedy 14-0 63
4. Issaquah 14-1 53
5. Meadowdale 12-2 51
6. Seattle Prep 13-2 38
7. Bellevue 11-3 24
8. Capital 13-2 22
9. Auburn 12-3 12
10. Newport 11-3 9
Others receiving votes: Kelso 7. Hanford 5. Lakeside (Seattle) 4. Lindbergh 2. Renton 2.

CLASS 2A

1. Anacortes (7) 14-0 70
2. Ellensburg 11-1 57
3. Tumwater 9-3 52
4. Pullman 11-1 49
5. River Ridge 11-2 41
6. East Valley (Yakima) 9-3 28
7. Black Hills 10-3 23
8. West Valley (Spokane) 11-2 19
9. Hockinson 10-1 15
10. Othello 11-2 12
Others receiving votes: Woodland 7. Sehome 7. Mark Morris 3. Mount Baker 1. Aberdeen 1.

CLASS 1A

1. Lynden Christian (7) 15-0 70
2. Freeman 16-1 57
3. Colfax 13-5 55
4. Columbia (Burbank) 13-2 50
5. Chelan 10-3 37
6. Granger 11-2 33
7. Brewster 10-3 26
8. Zillah 11-3 25
9. Connell 10-5 20
10. Forks 12-2 4
Others receiving votes: Seattle Christian 3. Nooksack Valley 3. Onalaska 2.

CLASS 2B

1. LaSalle (6) 16-0 60
2. Napavine 15-1 47
3. Shoreline Christian 14-1 43
4. White Pass 13-2 40
5. St. George's 17-2 36
6. Northwest Christian (Colbert) 14-3 30
7. Liberty Bell 13-2 22
8. Mossyrock 12-4 14
9. Orcas Island 12-2 11
10. Tacoma Baptist 12-2 8
Others receiving votes: Toutle Lake 6. LaConner 5. Lind-Ritzville 4. Riverside Christian 3. Raymond 1.

CLASS 1B

1. Entiat (4) 13-1 46
2. Garfield-Palouse (1) 12-3 45
3. Colton 14-1 37
4. Sunnyside Christian 11-2 32
5. Rosalia 11-4 20
Others receiving votes: Lake Quinault 13. Touchet 7.

I've had a night to think about the Franklin-Roosevelt game last night, and I'm still convinced those are two of the top three teams I have seen this season.

With KingCo 4A's 2 1/2 berths to state, neither team is guaranteed a spot at state, not with Garfield, Bothell, Inglemoor, Juanita and Redmond there. But should they move on, neither team will be an easy out at the Tacoma Dome.

Last night, neither team was at its best. Roosevelt played with foul trouble throughout, and missed some gimmees the Riders don't usually miss. They also needed to do a better job of controlling Franklin's players on the boards because if you don't really box the Quakers out, they will leap over you to tip the rebound out (Fairfax found this out the night before).

Franklin lost control at times. For the second consecutive night, the Quakers had a "lapse," to use coach Jason Kerr's word, that allowed the other team back in it. Add in that Peyton Siva was throwing up throughout the game, and this wasn't the best the Quakers can be.

Yet that's why these two teams remain among the area's best this season. When they're not at their best, they still put on an entertaining game (even if the end got a little choppy). Whomever both teams face in the postseason will have to match their stellar guard play and their quickness.

Perhaps we'll see these two teams play at least once more -- if not again at state.

Remember Fairfax? Well, even with the Lion's last-second loss to Franklin, the Los Angeles Times moved them up to fifth in its area rankings.

Morning stars

1. Jon Morine, Mt. Rainier, boys basketball. Morine scored 33 points in Mt. Rainier's win against Tyee.

2. Brittany Barrington, Federal Way, girls basketball. Led the Eagles with 23 points in a 58-49 victory against Kentlake.

3. Josh Smith, Kentwood, boys basketball. Can we start calling this section "Morning stars, brought to you by Josh Smith?" The kid finds a way to get here at least once a week. This time, the 6-foot-9 sophomore did it by scoring 28 points in a Kentwood win against Tahoma.

Tonight's top games

Newport at Issaquah, girls basketball, 7:30 p.m. Two top-10 teams meet with the KingCo 3A lead on the line.

Lakeside at Nathan Hale, girls basketball, 7:30 p.m. Nathan Hale's trying to keep its hold on the Metro Sound, while Lakeside tries to keep within reach of Seattle Prep in the Metro Mountain.

Ballard at Lake Washington, girls basketball, 7:30 p.m. Fifth-ranked Beavers continue to rack up wins, but the 11-4 Kangs could give them a run tonight.

Brent Foxhoven, a wrestler from Archbishop Bergan High School in Nebraska, pulled off the move of the year.

Eyes wide and mouth open would be the appropriate response to a move that cool.

In more local wrestling news, Snohomish snapped Lake Stevens' steak of 117 straight WesCo dual meet wins with a 34-18 victory Thursday at Snohomish High School. The Vikings' streak started about 15 years ago, when the current Lake Stevens wrestlers were just infants.

Morning stars:

1. Sterling Carter, Franklin, boys basketball. The 6-foot junior guard scored six points including the game-winning putback as Franklin stunned Fairfax of LA with a 56-55 victory at the King Holiday Hoopfest.

2. Josh Smith, Kentwood, boys basketball. The 6-10 sophomore scored 29 in KW's 80-75 non-league victory over Bellarmine Prep at the King Holiday Hoopfest.

3. Kristi Kingma, Jackson, girls basketball. Playing on her future court, the UW-bound Kingma led Jackson to a 65-62 win over Kentwood at the Hoopfest with 21 points, nine rebounds and eight assists.

The rankings kept moving this week until the just about an hour ago, when Garfield finished its upset of Federal Way.

Was I tempted to slide Franklin to the top spot tonight after its win against Fairfax? You bet. That was the second-best team from LA's city division that the Quakers just beat. But the fact is that five hours away, Ferris continues to demolish all comers, and big DeAngelo Casto is still working his way onto that team. So the defending champs continue as the No. 1.

Once again, if you have a better idea about ranking the top four teams from the SPSL North, don't hesitate to let me know. I have to rank them some way, so this is what I came up with.

Notable boys games this week:

Franklin at Roosevelt, 7:30 p.m. Tuesday
Shadle Park at Ferris, 5:45 p.m. Thursday
Federal Way at Decatur, 7:30 p.m. Thursday
Kentwood at Kentridge, 7:30 p.m. Friday

Notable girls games this week:

Kennedy at Lindbergh, Tuesday, 7 p.m.
Lakeside at Nathan Hale, Wednesday, 7:30 p.m.
Ballard at Lake Washington, Wednesday, 7:30 p.m.

Class 4A

1. Ferris (Spokane) 14-0
2. Franklin 13-2
3. Roosevelt 12-2
4. Bellarmine Prep 14-2
5. Shadle Park (Spokane) 13-1
6. Kentwood 13-3
7. Kentridge 14-3
8. Federal Way 11-3
9. Decatur 13-3
10. Snohomish 13-2

On the radar: Wenatchee, Central Kitsap, Lincoln, Edmonds-Woodway.

Class 3A

1. Rainier Beach 14-1
2. Auburn 14-0
3. Lakes 13-1
4. Mercer Island 12-2
5. Mt. Rainier 13-1
6. Renton 13-1
7. Bellevue 11-2
8. Enumclaw 10-4
9. Seattle Prep 11-3
10. Meadowdale 12-2

On the radar: Squalicum, Kennedy, Eastmont, Skyline, North Thurston.

GIRLS

Class 4A

1. Lewis & Clark (Spokane) 13-0
2. Lake Stevens 14-0
3. Prairie (Brush Praire) 12-3
4. Skyview (Vancouver) 14-1
5. Ballard 13-1
6. Jackson 13-1
7. Mead (Spokane) 11-2
8. Roosevelt 12-2
9. Puyallup 13-2
10. Inglemoor 12-2

On the radar: Bellarmine Prep, Kentwood, Mount Tahoma, Moses Lake, Shadle Park, Pasco, Walla Walla, Snohomish.

Class 3A

1. Auburn Riverside 11-3
2. Lakes (Lakewood) 13-0
3. Kennedy (Burien) 13-0
4. Issaquah 14-1
5. Meadowdale 12-2
6. Seattle Prep 13-2
7. Bellevue 11-3
8. Newport 11-3
9. Capital 10-2
10. Lakeside 11-3

On the radar: Auburn, Lindbergh, Nathan Hale, Bainbridge.

The King Holiday Hoopfest just ended with an 83-76 Garfield victory against Federal Way, which followed an O'Dea win against Lynden. Tournament organizers seemed to think the day was a success, and with more than 6,000 fans coming through the doors at the HecEd throughout the day, it seems like it was. Many of the games didn't disappoint.

My thoughts on the day:

KingCo's the big winner. KingCo 4A schools went 3-0, with Franklin's stunner -- and let there be no doubt, that was a huge upset -- Garfield's tough win and Bothell's last-minute victory against Gig Harbor. That simply reinforces how tough and deep this conference has been this season, particularly Bothell's gritty victory against a team that was in the preseason top 10. Garfield also looked great with the best performance I've seen from its role players, such as Wilson Platt and Jaron Cox. There's a lot more on that team that Tony Wroten and De'Andre Taylor, as good as those two are, and the Bulldogs showed that tonight. Wroten had one of the best blocks I've seen all season (right behind two by Peyton Siva).

So let's talk about Franklin's win. You hear a lot about how big a guy is, and then when you see him in person, you're underwhelmed. Well, that's not the case with Renardo Sidney. He's somehow even bigger than the talk about him. And with how much I've heard about the way Ferris' bigs beat Franklin last March, it didn't look like it would be a good day for the Quakes.

Then Franklin took a big first-quarter lead and extended it to 16 going into halftime. Fairfax came back and eventually took the lead, but Franklin came right back, driving to the hoop for fouls (which Fairfax coach Harvey Kitani questioned) that became the free-throws that kept the Quakers in it. Then Sterling Carter's last-second putback off the glass put it away.

If there's anything to take out of the entire day, I think it's this: Franklin can play with bigger teams. They've done so against Rainier Beach, and now they've won against the highest-ranked big man in the country.

"We're going to be ready for state," said Sterling Carter, whose first name modifies his last-second putback today. "People underestimate us because we're small, but we say height is just a number."

I'm still buying Kentwood as an elite team. Take away that loss to Federal Way that got away from the Conks in the first quarter, and Kentwood has one of the best resumes in the state. It got even better today with an impressive win against Bellarmine Prep. To date, Kentwood has beaten Bellarmine, Lakes, Federal Way, Prairie and Kentridge. The Conks have lost by three at Renton, and by five at Decatur. No team (other than Franklin, maybe) has played a tougher in-state schedule, and perhaps that's a reason why Kentwood looked so good Monday.

Based on Monday's games, someone might have thought Josh Smith was the nationally hyped big man, not Sidney. Smith, who scored 29 against Bellarmine, probably should be in that conversation. He's a force, and he rarely gives up on plays.

Area basketball is going to be well off in the next couple years. With Franklin junior Peyton Siva, Smith, Wroten, Taylor, and Bellarmine's top junior guards, Abdul Gaddy and Avery Bradley, that much was obvious Monday. Franklin and Garfield also have a number of other impressive underclassmen. The next few years are going to be fun, and days like Monday remind me how much I have to look forward to.

Peyton Siva's wild three-pointer seemed destined to find only trouble, but instead the desperation heave found the hands of teammate Sterling Carter. Carter made a leaping putback with 1.5 seconds left to give Franklin a 56-55 victory against Fairfax (Calif.).

Fairfax scored 11 straight to start the third quarter and took a huge chunk out of the Franklin lead. Franklin stayed in it by going to the free-throw line, where the Quakers made 19 of 28 attempts.

Fairfax took a 55-54 lead on a putback with about 12 seconds left, and then Siva took off the other way. But he tripped about midcourt, and when he regained his balance, he was surrounded by Fairfax defenders. He threw up a wild three-pointer hit the backcourt high and went right to Carter, who put in the winner.

Siva scored 23 points, 14 of them on free-throw attempts. L.C. White added 10 for Franklin, which hasn't lost a game played in the state. Renardo Sidney scored 24 points for Fairfax on 10-of-18 shooting. Sidney also had 22 rebounds.

For the time being, a size advantage hasn't hurt Franklin against Fairfax, Calif., and the nation's top-ranked junior, Renardo Sidney. Sidney, a (legitimately) 6-foot-10 forward, has eight points at the half, but he disappeared in a scoreless second quarter while the Quakers took a 36-20 halftime leada.

What the Quakers have lacked in size, they're making up with it in hustle. Especially on defense, where Franklin has held Fairfax to 31 percent shooting and forced seven turnovers. Also, Franklin has outrebounded Fairfax 21-20.

Peyton Siva leads seven Franklin scorers with 13 points.

The midday matchup of Bellarmine Prep and Kentwood was everything it was cracked up to be: a battle between Bellarmine's elite backcourt and Kentwood powerful frontcourt.

The big guys won.

Hulking sophomore Josh Smith scored 29 points, and smooth senior Jeremy Green scored 27 in Kentwood's 80-75 victory. When the Conks got the ball inside, they finished. Kentwood shot 69 percent in the win.

"I think we can live with that," coach Michael Angelidis said with a smile.

It came down to a compelling fourth quarter, but Kentwood rally won this game in the first. The Conks, ranked sixth in 4A for the moment, came out taking advantage of every Bellarmine mistake and getting the ball inside to Smith and Green.

Behind guards Abdul Gaddy and Avery Bradley -- who was limping for most of the second half with a sore ankle -- Bellarmine came back, though, cutting the lead down to one. Bradley scored 30, and Gaddy scored 26. Together, they shot 20-for-43.

Then Kentwood held on in the fourth, making all nine of its fourth-quarter shots for the win. Smith, who made 14 of 15 shots, also had six rebounds and four blocks.

Jackson is no one-player girls basketball team.

The sixth-ranked Timberwolves showed that again this afternoon in the King Holiday Hoopfest at Edmundson Pavilion. Sure, all-everything Kristi Kingma made the game-clinching jumper with 24 seconds left as Jackson held off Kentwood, 65-62. But it was Erin Feeney (17 points) Ashly Burns (16) who deserved equal credit for the victory in a game that had a playoff feel.

Feeney buried 5 of 9 three-pointers.

"Jackson's a pack of talent," Kentwood coach Keith Hennig said.

And Kingma, who scored 13 of her 21 points in the second half, is the leader of that pack. The future Husky relished the opportunity to play on the UW court and didn't disappoint, despite constant double-teaming. She added nine rebounds, eight assists and two steals.

It was all Kentwood early as the Conquerors (12-4), who placed third at last year's 4A state tournament, blitzed to a 20-9 lead. It was 32-21 with just over 3 1/2 minutes left in the second quarter, then Feeney buried her second straight trey to ignite an 11-0 Jackson run to end the half.

It was back and forth from there. Kentwood junior Lindsey Moore did everything she could to give the Conquerors a chance, scoring 16 of their final 19 points, but didn't get the chance to take the final shot. Instead, Jessie Genger missed a rushed three-pointer and Feeney rebounded with 1.3 seconds left.

Moore was spectacular with 27 points, hitting 11 of 18 shots from the field.

It was the 12th straight win for Jackson (13-1), ranked No 6 in Class 4A.

Johnny Hekker blocked a long three-point try above the arc, chased the ball down near midcourt and took it the other way for a game-clinching jam with 13 seconds left as the Bothell boys beat Gig Harbor, 65-57, in the second game of the day at the King Holiday Hoopfest.

Hekker scored eight of his team-high 18 points in the final 3 1/2 minutes of the game. Albert Horswill and Neddy Dirini added 14 each.

Gig Harbor got 26 points and 17 reboounds from Mathias Ward, while Geoff McIntosh added 21 points, including four three-pointers.

The only other girls game of the day is in progress with Kentwood leading Jackson 7-5 miday through the first quarter.

Good morning from Edmundson Pavilion, where a full day of basketball is under way in the King Holiday Hoopfest.

The first of seven games is in the books as the Issaquah girls dispatched Garfield, 62-44. The Bothell boys are playing Gig Harbor right now, and it's tied 31-31 at the half.

Check back throughout the day for updates

Despite the lopsided win, Issaquah coach Kathy Gibson wasn't grinning as she walked off the court. As thrilled as she was with the crisp first half that left the Eagles up 38-14, Gibson was equally ticked at the sloppy second half.

"I'm just frustrated with their inability to close the door and finish the job," she said.

Garfield coach Craig Jackson also called it a tale of two halves, and he liked the way the Bulldogs finished, outscoring Issaquah 30-24 in the final two quarters. The Bulldogs missed their first seven shots from the field and shot just 23.1 percent in the first half, while Issaquah hit a hot 54.3 percent.

Freida Li led the Eagles with 14, while Alexa Smith had 13 and Alyssa Shoji added 10. Garfield's Cora McManus posted a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds.

Back with some Bothell-Gig Harbar details in a while.

Some great games are on tap. Get down here!

In a story this morning, Franklin coach Jason Kerr talked about the scary sight that is
Renard Sidney for any opposing coach. Tomorrow, Kerr will see Sidney in person when Franklin plays Fairfax, Calif., in the King Holiday Hoopfest.

That game is at 4 p.m., one of seven games Monday at UW's Hec Edmundson Pavilion. Yet what many people -- and, I should add, college coaches -- will be coming to see is just how good Sidney is.

So I've put together a batch of links relating to all things Sidney to help get you prepared.

-This story from Sports Illustrated -- not exactly known as a gossip rag -- suggests that right now, Sidney could be the top pick in the 2010 NBA Draft. It also details Sidney's many moves to this point.

-On Friday night, Sidney set a career high -- I usually don't use that term for high-schoolers, but with Sidney, it's probably closer to the truth -- with 36 points an 19 rebounds, according to the Los Angeles Times.

-The New York Times took a look at Sidney last August, marveling at his abilities but also questioning whether he tried too hard to live up to his burgeoning reputation.

-Sidney is No. 21 in this video compilation of highlights from his sophomore year at California's Artesia High School. Some impressive stuff.

-The Washington Post wrote this story about Sidney more than a year and a half ago.

-By the way, that Franklin team Sidney will play Monday ain't too shabby, either. If you need a refresher, remember this game against Rainier Beach. The Quakers also have a highly-touted junior in guard Peyton Siva, a Morning Stars regular. And in this story by the Louisville Courier-Journal, Siva talks about Louisville and says he expects Rick Pitino to be at the game tomorrow.

Check back throughout Monday for updates from the Classic. We'll have game updates, and hopefully, I'll be able to work in a few stories, too.

Remember Wednesday, when I noted just how complicated the SPSL North had become? Well, Kentridge upped the confusion last night with a 71-64 win against Decatur that puts four teams tied for first place in the division.

And don't bother to look at each team's remaining schedule for some insight as to how this division will turn out. That won't help because they all play each other. Of the four league games that Kentwood, Kentridge, Federal Way and Decatur have left to play, each team has to play two of the other three.

We had an idea it might turn out this way, but it always seemed that perhaps one team was ready to take control. First Decatur, then Federal Way, then Kentwood, but now Kentridge has joined the three for what should be a heck of a homestretch.

Another division that could come down to the last night is the Metro Mountain, and I had the opportunity to see Seattle Prep take the division lead Friday night against Cleveland. It was a good thing I did, because at least I had somewhat forgotten about them and the threat they might be in the postseason. In a 77-56 victory against Cleveland, Prep showed a solid starting lineup, height on the bench and some accurate shooters. It also held Cleveland to one of its lowest totals of the season. Yet the Panthers will still have to get through games against O'Dea and Bainbridge in two weeks.

If you need any more proof that the Sea-King District tournament is going to be spectacular, just look at the teams that will be playing: No. 1 Rainier Beach, No. 4 Mercer Island, No. 7 Bellevue, defending 3A champ O'Dea, Seattle Prep, Bainbridge, Cleveland, Issaquah and Skyline. All competing for four spots to state.

Morning stars

1. Kelsey Patrick, Kamiak, girls basketball. Led the way with 32 points in a victory against Mountlake Terrace.

2. Peyton Siva, Franklin, boys basketball. Scored 28 in win against Redmond. Up next: the nation's top junior, Renardo Sidney, and Fairfax (Calif.).

3. Ana Haberman, Ingraham, girls basketball. Scored 30 in Ingraham's 55-43 victory against Eastside Catholic

Before I get to the heart of this post, I have to mention two significant accomplishments from last night. First, how about the Snohomish wrestling team? In their home gym, the Panthers snapped Lake Stevens' 117-match WesCo winning streak with a 34-18 victory.

I also must note that last night against Gig Harbor, Bellarmine Prep's junior duo of Abdul Gaddy and Avery Bradley combined for 78 points. Gaddy, who has already committed to Arizona, scored 42, and Bradley scored 36. Together, they shot 28 for 42. With guard play like that, Bellarmine should make for a terrifying postseason matchup.

Now onto KingCo. Today, I detailed KingCo's new look, an alignment never before seen in the state that will differentiate between individual and team sports.

You might be asking yourself: What's the difference? Well, let's start with numbers. Interlake, KingCo's smallest school, has an enrollment of 772 students (WIAA figures don't count freshmen because not every school has them). Inglemoor, the largest, has a figure of 2,006. That's almost three times Interlake's size.

So as the KingCo athletic directors began to look at a combined-classification league, that disparity stuck out. When it came to filling out a football, soccer or volleyball team, Interlake would be at such a distinct disadvantage against the largest 4A schools. Interlake actually looked at joining a 2A league, but the travel expenses and time would have been a nightmare.

Meanwhile, other schools were looking out for their traditional rivalries. Juanita, which has opted up to 4A for years, didn't want to lose its rivalry with Lake Washington. Yet it wanted to compete in the 3A postseason, against schools its size. In the new league setup, Juanita will play league games against LW in individual sports, and Juanita athletic director Tim Crowder said they will play nonleague games against LW in the team sports.

"Once the league decided to look at a combined classification, it started to make our decision easier [to drop to 3A]," Crowder said. "It was a win-win situation."

So with Juanita dropping to 3A, the team sports setup starting to come together, with two six-team divisions in 4A and a seven-team 2A/3A division. The final proposal was put together by Mercer Island swim coach Jeff Lowell, who incorporated the two ideas that were circulating through the conference: a combined-classification league for some sports and separate 4A and 2A/3A leagues for others. Lowell spent a few weeks during the holiday break sorting through about a half-dozen alignments before he came up with the proposal he showed athletic directors Jan. 7.

"He did just a great job of melding the two together," KingCo 4A president John Applegate said. "Everyone was kind of rejuvenated."

With the combined-classification nature of the individual sports, ADs hope that this setup will survive enrollment fluctuation in the future. The team-sports alignment might have to be tinkered with, but they hope they have a foundation to work with from here on out.

"The hard part," Applegate said, "is behind us."

He said what's left is the easy part. KingCo still must figure out its playoff and scheduling formats, and I'm sure many will take interest in how football pans out, especially in Class 4A. There's the potential of a KingCo championship game.

There's already news out of the 2A/3A division today, with Evergreen coach Shaun Tarantola taking the Juanita coaching job. I had the opportunity to catch up with him just a few minutes ago. It was hard for him to leave Evergreen of White Center, but as a former player at Sammamish and assistant at Liberty, he's ready to return to KingCo.

"Talking to people from the community, talking to people in the junior-high programs, I just felt like Juanita's got a lot of potential," Tarantola said.

More on that tomorrow in the Times.

Morning stars

1. Brett Konen, Newport, gymnastics. Konen scored the top all-around score of 36.2 in a big dual meet with Issaquah, likely the Knights' top competition in Class 3A. Newport won the meet 175.45-174.9.

2. Kimi Pohlman, Bear Creek, girls basketball. Scored 24 points in a 51-31 win against Quilcene.

3. Derek Britton, Snohomish, wrestling. Scored one of two Panther pins, pinning Lake Stevens' Jerome Brown in 1:48.

Tonight's top games

Rainier Beach at O'Dea, boys basketball, 7:30 p.m. No one, aside from Franklin, has come close to the Vikings this season. But O'Dea has historically been a Beach-beater.

Decatur at Kentridge, boys basketball, 7:30 p.m. Should Kentridge win at home, and Kentwood and Federal Way both win tonight, we would have a four-way tie for first in the SPSL North.

These have been compiled by the Tri-City Herald's Rene Ferran, who has longer lists on his blog.

Stats are points per game through Tuesday night.

Boys

Class 4A

1. Avery Bradley, Bellarmine Prep, 24.2
2. Josh Smith, Kentwood, 23.4
3. Mathias Ward, Gig Harbor, 23.3
4. Brandon MaGee, Bethel, 22.8
5. Abdul Gaddy, Bellarmine, 22.8

Class 3A

1. Alfie Miller, Mount Rainier, 23.8
2. Jordan Kidd, Chief Sealth, 21.9
3. Ben Scheideman, Nathan Hale, 19.6
4. Malcholm Love, West Seattle, 18.6
5. Aaron Bright, Bellevue, 18.4

Class 2A

1. Jordan Nicholes, Sultan, 25.9
2. Willie Blodgett, Wapato, 23.1
3. Kevin Komstadius, East Valley (Yakima), 22.0
4. Martin Sanchez, Orting, 19.2
5. Parker Omey, Sehome, 18.5

GIRLS

Class 4A

1. Kristi Kingma, Jackson, 22.6
2. Carly Noyes, Moses Lake, 22.3
3. Britt Harris, Marysville-Pilchuck, 18.2
4. Kelsey Patrick, Kamiak, 17.9
5. Becky Farden, Shorewood, 17.3

Class 3A

1. Eryn Jones, Meadowdale, 23.4
2. Katie Grad, Auburn Riverside, 22.6
3. Sarah Halasz, Lakes, 21.5
4. Marcisa McMillan, Lindbergh, 18.9
5. Brittany Gray, Bainbridge, 18.8

Class 2A

1. Courtney Van Brocklin, Mount Baker, 23.5
2. Sasha Valdez, Selah, 22.6
3. Lindsey Newman, South Whidbey, 19.7
4. Kayla Standish, Ellensburg, 18.4
5. Kinzi Poteet, Grandview, 17.9

The KingCo principals today approved a new alignment for the conference, which had several schools change classifications and will lose Franklin to the Metro League next fall.

The new alignment has different divisions for team sports (football, soccer, volleyball, basketball, fastpitch and baseball) and individual sports (golf, swimming/diving, tennis, cross-country, track, gymnastics and wrestling). Team sports have three divisions (two 4A divisions and a 2A/3A division) and individual sports will have four combined classification divisions.

The new alignment is listed below. We'll have more in tomorrow's Times.

Team sports

4A Crown division

Woodinville
Lake Washington
Inglemoor
Bothell
Ballard
Roosevelt

4A Crest division

Redmond
Skyline
Eastlake
Garfield
Newport
Issaquah

2A/3A division

Juanita
Bellevue
Mercer Island
Interlake (2A)
Mount Si
Sammamish
Liberty

Individual Sports

Crown league

North division

Woodinville
Juanita
Lake Washington
Inglemoor
Bothell

West division

Bellevue
Ballard
Roosevelt
Mercer Island

Crest league

East division

Redmond
Skyline
Eastlake
Mount Si
Liberty

South division

Garfield
Newport
Issaquah
Interlake
Sammamish

I'm sorry to start the day on a somber note, but there are a couple national stories that I wanted to share. The first is from last Saturday, where a van carrying a Canadian basketball team crashed into a truck, eight people died.

In another story from Tuesday, a young track athlete from New York was paralyzed and others were injured in a crash on the highway.

I'm curious to know what you all think. Were these just unfortunate circumstances, or is travel during the cold, winter months a significant factor?

With winter tournaments and events across the country, does the increased travel in potentially icy conditions make it a life-threatening risk, or am I reading too much into this? Obviously, location has something to do with it.

Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments.

Morning stars

1. Kristi Kingma, Jackson girls basketball -- Netted a career-high 32 points in a showdown between WesCo's best. She scored all of her team's 13 first-quarter points and also had 10 assists.

2. Hannah Lilly, Mercer Island girls basketball -- The 5-foot-8 sophomore also had a career-high 26 points in a 65-56 loss to Issaquah.

3. KingCo wrestlers -- Armin Basic of Redmond and Liberty's David Sandall each recorded the fastest pins of Wednesday's reported meets at 19 seconds.

Tonight's top games

1. Lake Stevens at Snohomish, wrestling, 7:00 -- The top-ranked Vikings have won 117 consecutive WesCo dual meets and 18 straight league titles. They face the seventh-ranked Panthers, who are unbeaten this season.

2. Cedar Park Christian (Bothell) at Bellevue Christian, boys basketball, 7:30 -- Two top teams in the Emerald City League face off. Lots of history between these two. Bellevue Christian looks to avenge a 43-39 loss earlier this season.

3. Quilcene at Bear Creek, boys basketball, 7:30 -- A battle between two of the best in the Sea-Tac B League.

For the myriad small-school followers who have bombarded my inbox the past month searching for rankings in Class 2A and lower, your day has come. The first Associated Press girls and boys basketball polls are out.

In the girls poll, Lewis and Clark (4A) and LaSalle (2B) are both unanimous first-place picks. Auburn Riverside took eight of 10 first-place votes in Class 3A, Anacortes took six of eight first-place votes in 2A, and Lynden Christian received six of seven first-place votes in 1A. Colton leads Class 1B with three first-place votes.

The records are provided by the Associated Press. First place votes are in parentheses.

CLASS 4A

1. Lewis and Clark (9) 12-0 90
2. Prairie 11-3 72
3. Lake Stevens 13-0 70
4. Skyview 13-1 64
5. Ballard 11-1 40
6. Jackson 10-1 39
7. Mead 11-2 37
8. Mount Tahoma 11-3 17
9. Snohomish 9-3 16
10. Shadle Park 11-2 10
Others receiving votes: Roosevelt 9. Walla Walla 9. Kentwood 6.
Inglemoor 4. Tahoma 2. Puyallup 1. Bellarmine Prep 1. Oak Harbor 1.
Pasco 1.

CLASS 3A

1. Auburn Riverside (8) 10-3 98
2. Lakes (1) 12-0 82
3. Meadowdale (1) 12-1 78
4. Kennedy 12-0 75
5. Issaquah 11-1 53
6. Seattle Prep 11-1 48
7. Capital 12-1 30
8. Bellevue 10-3 27
9. Auburn 11-2 26
10. Lakeside (Seattle) 10-2 13
Others receiving votes: Renton 8. Kelso 6. Hanford 3. Skyline 3.

CLASS 2A

1. Anacortes (6) 12-0 75
2. Tumwater (1) 8-2 66
3. Ellensburg 9-1 58
4. Pullman 10-1 46
5. East Valley (Yakima) 8-2 40
6. River Ridge (1) 8-2 34
7. Sehome 9-3 27
8. West Valley (Spokane) 10-2 21
9. Black Hills 8-3 20
10. Hockinson 9-1 17
Others receiving votes: Othello 8. Eatonville 7. Mark Morris 7.
Burlington-Edison 5. Prosser 4. Mount Baker 3. Archbishop Murphy 1.
Riverside 1.

CLASS 1A

1. Lynden Christian (6) 13-0 69
2. Colfax 12-2 59
3. Freeman (1) 14-1 55
4. Columbia (Burbank) 10-2 40
5. Chelan 8-3 38
6. Granger 10-2 32
7. Zillah 9-3 17
8. Connell 9-5 12
9. Onalaska 10-2 10
10. Brewster 8-2 8
Others receiving votes: Nooksack Valley 7. Coupeville 7. Toledo
5. Tonasket 5. Seattle Christian 4. King’s 4. Naches Valley 3.
Castle Rock 2. Forks 2. Seattle Academy 2. Vashon Island 2.
LaCenter 1. Overlake School 1.

CLASS 2B

1. LaSalle (6) 12-0 60
2. Shoreline Christian 12-1 44
3. Napavine 14-1 37
4. White Pass 12-2 31
5. St. George’s 15-2 29
5(t). Northwest Christian (Colbert) 11-3 29
7. Orcas Island 10-2 20
8. Liberty Bell 12-2 18
9. Tacoma Baptist 12-2 17
10. LaConner 10-3 16
Others receiving votes: Toutle Lake 9. Mossyrock 6. Life
Christian Academy 4. Riverside Christian 3. Concrete 2. Bear Creek
School 2. Bridgeport 1. Naselle 1. Raymond 1.

CLASS 1B

1. Colton (3) 13-0 48
2. Entiat 12-1 27
3. Sunnyside Christian (2) 9-1 26
4. Garfield-Palouse 10-3 24
5. Rosalia 10-4 13
Others receiving votes: Sprague-Harrington 8. Touchet 8. Lake
Quinault 7. Pateros 7. Cusick 7. Almira/Coulee-Hartline 7. Clallam
Bay 6. Liberty Christian 6. Tekoa-Oakesdale 6.

On the boys side, Ferris in Class 4A is the only team to be unanimously voted No. 1 in its class. Rainier Beach took 9 of 10 votes in Class 3A, but one voter -- who voted Auburn No. 1 -- ranked the Vikings third. You can make a case for Auburn, but I haven't seen another team in 3A who can match Beach. Not yet, at least.

Burlington-Edison is No. 1 in Class 2A with eight of 10 first-place votes, and River View took four of eight first-place voted in Class 1A. For the moment, Toutle Lake rules Class 2B and Lake Quinalt has top billing in Class 1B.

Check back each Wednesday for the latest poll updates through the end of the season.

CLASS 4A

1. Ferris (9) 13-0 90
2. Franklin 11-2 81
3. Bellarmine Prep 12-1 63
4. Roosevelt 12-2 50
5. Kentwood 11-3 47
6. Shadle Park 11-1 43
7. Decatur 13-2 38
8. Federal Way 10-2 28
9. Kentridge 13-3 23
10. Snohomish 12-2 16
Others receiving votes: Mariner 9. Lake Stevens 2. Lincoln 2.
Edmonds-Woodway 1. Walla Walla 1. Wenatchee 1.

CLASS 3A

1. Rainier Beach (9) 12-1 98
2. Auburn (1) 13-0 90
3. Lakes 12-1 73
4. Mercer Island 11-2 61
5. Mt. Rainier 12-1 56
6. Renton 12-1 53
7. Bellevue 11-2 41
8. Squalicum 10-1 20
9. Eastmont 9-1 18
10. Kennedy 9-3 13

Others receiving votes: Mount Vernon 7. Meadowdale 7. Fort
Vancouver 5. Cleveland 3. Enumclaw 2. O’Dea 2. Columbia River 1.

CLASS 2A

1. Burlington-Edison (8) 9-1 96
2. Mark Morris (1) 9-3 76
3. Pullman (1) 10-1 71
4(t). W. F. West 9-2 52
4(t). Lynden 7-2 52
6. River Ridge 7-4 48
7. Prosser 8-2 38
8. Ephrata 9-1 37
9. East Valley (Yakima) 8-2 21
10. Port Townsend 11-1 20
Others receiving votes: North Mason 12. Cheney 10. West Valley
(Spokane) 10. Cedarcrest 5. R.A. Long 2.

CLASS 1A

1. River View (4) 13-0 74
2. King's (1) 8-4 63
3. Bellevue Christian (3) 12-2 62
4. Vashon Island 12-1 52
5. Lake Roosevelt 13-1 41
6. Meridian 10-3 25
7. Chelan 10-2 23
8(t). Charles Wright Academy 9-3 16
8(t). Castle Rock 9-4 16
10. Connell 11-3 13

Others receiving votes: Nooksack Valley 12. Cedar Park Christian
(Bothell) 11. Cascade Christian 11. Brewster 9. Winlock 7. Seattle
Christian 3. Colfax 2.

CLASS 2B

1. Toutle Lake (1) 10-0 53
2. Northwest Christian (Colbert) (2) 13-1 50
3. LaConner (1) 13-1 44
4. LaSalle 12-2 36
5. Reardan 13-2 31
6. Riverside Christian (3) 13-0 30
7. St. George’s 11-2 28
8. Tacoma Baptist 11-3 27
9. Wahkiakum 10-4 13
10. Liberty Bell 11-3 10

Others receiving votes: Darrington 9. North Beach 9. Oroville 9.
Napavine 8. Lind-Ritzville 7. Northwest Christian (Lacey) 7.
Kittitas 6. Bear Creek School 3. Wellpinit 3. Naselle 2.

CLASS 1B

1. Lake Quinault (2) 12-1 28
2. Garfield-Palouse 11-2 23
3(t). Lopez (1) 11-0 19
3(t). Sunnyside Christian (1) 7-3 19
5. Liberty Christian 10-4 16

Others receiving votes: Entiat 16. LaCrosse-Washtucna 8. Clallam
Bay 7. Curlew 6. Cusick 6. Moses Lake Christian Academy 6. Rosalia
6.

(Reader "DecaturAlum" made a great point this morning, one I obviously missed: Decatur still has only one league loss, albeit to the Eagles. I've rewritten accordingly)

With a 17-point win against Kentwood last night, Federal Way has shuffled the SPSL North again.

So the Eagles remain a game back of Decatur, but that's only until all the teams play again Friday. Because it seems like every night this division goes to work, we come out of it thinking another team has the upper hand.

Federal Way blew out Kentwood in Covington, a shocker for sure. Some saw Kentwood emerging possibly as the Puget Sound's best answer to No. 1 Ferris come late February. The Conquerors still might be that good, but they weren't Tuesday. So Federal Way remains only a game back. The Eagles beat Decatur, which has wins against Kentwood and Kentridge, on Jan. 4. Those two meet again Jan. 24.

And meanwhile, Kentridge remains right in the mix, too. Now tied for second with Federal Way and Kentwood, the Chargers -- last year's 4A runner-ups -- have a good a chance as anyone of taking the conference.

When I voted late last night/early this morning in the Associated Press poll, which comes out today, I had four SPSL North teams in my top 10, and didn't feel bad about it at all. This is the top division in the state for basketball.

Yet KingCo 4A might not be too far behind. Did you notice how closely Bothell played with Franklin last night at Franklin? After getting back in it in the second quarter, the Cougars stayed within a point or two of the second-ranked Quakers all night. With Bothell, Inglemoor, Garfield, Redmond and Juanita -- yes, Juanita -- all playing strong behind No. 2 Franklin and No. 4 Roosevelt, there aren't many easy nights in the conference.

In girls news, No. 4 Prairie broke out in the fourth quarter for a 73-60 win against No. 2 Skyview in a big Greater St. Helens game. Prairie outscored Skyview 25-12 in the fourth. Area teams likely won't want to run into either of these teams.

Morning stars

1. Alfie Miller, Mount Rainier, boys basketball. One of the area's top scorers went off against Hazen, putting in 35 points in a 74-56 win.

2. Dedra Borwn, Kennedy, girls basketball. Led the Lancers with 21 points in a 70-43 victory against Renton.

3. Carlos Rhodes, Renton, boys basketball. Scored 27 points in a big victory for sixth-ranked Renton against Kennedy.

Tonight's top games

Jackson at Meadowdale, girls basketball, 7:30. Meadowdale looks to avenge its sole loss this season, while Jackson can take an overwhelming lead in the WesCo South with a victory.

Ballard at Eastlake, girls basketball, 7:30. For Eastlake to upset the fifth-ranked Beavers, the Wolves will likely have to find an answer for 6-foot-5 center Jeanette Hansen and Ballard's pressure D.

This was the featured item on Yahoo! so I thought I'd pass it along.

Here is the list of the top 100 football recruits from Rivals.

Not much locally except for UW-bound tight end Kavario Middleton from Lakes High School. He comes in No. 57 overall and the third-ranked tight end.

The top recruit, according to the list, is Terrelle Pryor, a 6-6 QB from Pennsylvania. He's uncommitted with seven schools, including Oregon, on his list.

Glacier Peak, the new Snohomish school that will open next fall as part of the WesCo South division, named former Snohomish High standout Rory Rosenbach its first head football coach.

Rosenbach, 32, coached in Oregon where he led Marist Catholic (Eugene) to two state titles in his three seasons. He played tight end at the Air Force Academy and Oregon before becoming the defensive coordinator (a bit ironic for a tight end, no?) at Marist.

Playing for the legendary Dick Armstrong at Snohomish, Rosenbach was used to blocking rather than catching passes as the Panthers had (and still do) a pretty traditional rushing attack.

But Rosenbach plans to install a fast, no-huddle, shotgun offense that will keep defenses on their toes. Should be a lot of fun to watch.

Keep an eye on Glacier Peak, which will be without seniors next season. Rosenbach has the track record to get the Grizzlies competitive immediately.

Tonight's top games

1. Kennedy at Renton, boys basketball, 7 p.m. Sixth-ranked Renton has played back-to-back close games (a loss to Mount Rainier and win over Lindbergh). Expect three tight ones in a row.

2. Federal Way at Kentwood, boys basketball, 7:30 p.m. Seventh-ranked Federal Way looking to avenge an early-season 69-60 loss to Kentwood.

3. Mariner at Edmonds-Woodway, boys basketball, 7:30 p.m. Only blemish on 10th-ranked Marauders' schedule is 48-45 loss to Warriors on Dec. 11.

And if the answer to that headline is, "Home, watching the season premiere of American Idol," we'll be deeply disappointed...kidding!

But with a full slate of high-school boys hoops tonight (see the schedule here) get off the couch, spend five bucks and go catch some great basketball.

We mentioned the top games in today's earlier post, but those are just three of many good games. If you're more interested in star power than a game between two ranked teams, you could go check out Garfield at Redmond (7:30), Rainier Beach at Lakeside (7:30) or just about any game in the wildly-competitive SPSL North.

So where will you be tonight? Remember, on the couch watching American Idol is the wrong answer.

The top two stay the same in both polls, but after that, we have a fair share of movement. Two teams whose strength we could ignore: Roosevelt in 4A and Mount Rainier in 3A.

The Roughriders have yet to lose a game in state and have rolled through their KingCo schedule. On Jan. 22, they face what figures to be their most difficult in-state game of the season: No. 2 Franklin.

Mount Rainier beat Renton and Kennedy this week, cementing their status as a contender in Class 3A. Their only loss came to 4A Inglemoor in the Comcast Christmas Classic. The guard combo of Vonchae Richardson and Alfie Miller is tough to stop.

The toughest part of this week's rankings is figuring out the SPSL 4A North, where Kentwood, Federal Way and Decatur come in at sixth, seventh, and eighth. And Kentridge is right on the bubble. It'd be eaiser to figure these teams out if they didn't keep beating each other. I'd gladly take your suggestions on how these schools should be ordered.

Some notable games this week:

Gonzaga Prep at Shadle Park, Tuesday, 5:45 p.m.
Kennedy at Renton, Tuesday, 7 p.m.
Federal Way at Kentwood, Tuesday, 7:30 p.m.
Rainier Beach at O'Dea, Friday, 7:30 p.m.

Class 4A

1. Ferris (Spokane) 12-0
2. Franklin 10-2
3. Bellarmine Prep (Tacoma) 11-1
4. Roosevelt 12-2
5. Shadle Park 11-1
6. Kentwood 11-2
7. Federal Way 9-2
8. Decatur 12-2
9. Snohomish 11-2
10. Mariner 11-1

On the radar: Kentridge, Bethel, Wenatchee, Central Kitsap, Bothell, Lincoln.

Class 3A

1. Rainier Beach 12-1
2. Auburn 12-0
3. Lakes (Lakewood) 11-1
4. Mercer Island 11-2
5. Mt. Rainier 11-1
6. Renton 11-1
7. Bellevue 11-2
8. Eastmont (East Wenatchee) 9-1
9. Kennedy (Burien) 9-2
10. Enumclaw 8-4

On the radar: Meadowdale, Squalicum, Seattle Prep, North Thurston.

Lewis & Clark remains the No. 1 in Class 4A, but there's a new No. 1 in Class 3A, through no fault of the former top-ranked team, Lakes. After Auburn Riverside blew out rival Auburn last Friday, it didn't feel right not having the defending champ Ravens at the top. They've now proved that despite their three out-of-state losses at the Tournament of Champions, they are the team to beat in that class.

In Class 4A, we're seeing a load of deserving teams without enough spots to rank them. All of the teams on the radar could probably be listed in the top 10 without much of an argument. In Class 3A, the teams stay the same, even if they shuffled positions a bit.

A few notable games this week:

Prairie at Skyview, Tuesday, 7 p.m.
Jackson at Meadowdale, Wednesday, 7:30 p.m.
Ballard at Eastlake, Wednesday, 7:30 p.m.

Class 4A

1. Lewis & Clark (Spokane) 11-0
2. Skyview (Vancouver) 13-0
3. Lake Stevens 13-0
4. Prairie (Brush Prairie) 10-3
5. Ballard 11-1
6. Jackson 10-1
7. Mead (Spokane) 10-2
8. Mt. Tahoma (Tacoma) 10-3
9. Walla Walla 11-1
10. Roosevelt 11-2

On the radar: Pasco, Puyallup, Bellarmine Prep, Kentwood, Inglemoor, Snohomish, Shadle Park, Redmond.

Class 3A

1. Auburn Riverside 9-3
2. Lakes (Lakewood) 11-0
3. Kennedy (Burien) 11-0
4. Meadowdale 12-1
5. Issaquah 11-1
6. Seattle Prep 11-1
7. Capital (Olympia) 9-1
8. Auburn 10-2
9. Bellevue 10-3
10. Lakeside (Seattle) 10-2

On the radar: Newport, Nathan Hale, Lindbergh.

I thought we'd start the week with an open forum and you're invited to chime in on just about anything.

What's on your mind this morning?

We've had plenty of hoop topics and a little wrestling. I'd love to hear some thoughts on girls gymnastics and boys swimming, the other two winter prep sports. Those kids work hard, too, and get so little recognition.

If you've never been to a gymnastics meet, you're missing out. Some of these girls are extremely talented and throw amazing moves. But then I sometimes have been equally impressed by the "average" girl who just goes out and competes to be part of the team. These girls never win an event. Most will never qualify for state, but they put themselves out there each week and generally work just as hard in practice as the elite gymnasts.

Swim meets can be fascinating, too (and warm!). The 50-yard freestyle is over in a blink, while the 500 takes incredible stamina. The diving is usually fun. Again, here is a place where you not only will find college-caliber athletes, but some who finish well behind the winners week after week. Their victories come in shaving seconds (or maybe tenths of seconds) off their personal bests and maybe scoring a point or two for their team.

I admire those guys.

What about the players on basketball teams that rarely win and routinely lose by lopsided scores? I have a lot of respect for the kids that stick it out and continue working to improve day after day. Girls teams like Evergreen, Tyee, Highline and Sammamish are not rewarded on the scoreboard very much, but they learn about teamwork and commitment and many of the other things high-school sports are about besides winning.

Your turn. What high-school athletes do you admire? What do you want to read more about?

-- Sandy Ringer

The King Holiday Hoopfest is almost a week away now, and I'm sure many of you are making plans for the holiday. So to help, I've laid out the schedule of games at the Hec Ed at UW, in case there's a game (or games) that catches your eye.

9:30 a.m. Girls: Garfield vs. Issaquah (Note: Issaquah is ranked fifth in Class 3A)
11 a.m. Boys: Bothell vs. Gig Harbor (Note: Gig Harbor's Mathias Ward scored 56 points in a game last week)
12:30 p.m. Girls: Kentwood vs. Jackson (Note: Jackson is ranked sixth in Class 4A; KW finished third last year)
2:30 p.m. Boys: Kentwood vs. Bellarmine Prep (Note: Both teams are top 10 in Class 4A)
4 p.m. Boys: Franklin vs. Fairfax, Calif. (Note: Franklin is No. 2 in Class 4A; Fairfax F Renardo Sidney is a top 5 junior in the country)
6 p.m. Boys: Lynden vs. O'Dea (Note: Lynden is a top 2A team; O'Dea won 3A last year)
7:30 p.m. Boys: Garfield vs. Federal Way (Note: Garfield's Tony Wroten has been rated as high as No. 1 among the country's freshmen; Federal Way has been a top-10 4A team all season.)

I'm a bit strapped for time this morning, but I wanted to point out the most glaring result in today's high-school scores:

Auburn Riverside girls 94, Auburn 46.

That was No. 2 vs. No. 6 in the state, and the second-ranked Ravens certainly made their case for a return to the top spot (they're only three losses came in a very elite out-of-state tournament during the holidays). Riverside for 38 turnovers, or, put another way, more than one turnover a minute.

As Auburn coach Ed Bender said, "We just weren't ready to compete at their level."

Auburn Riverside hasn't lost in this cross-town rivalry since 2003.

Other scores I noticed:

GIRLS

Kennedy 59, Mount Rainier 50. No blowout this time, only an important win for the third-ranked Lancers.
Roosevelt 55, Eastlake 38. The 'Riders stay on a roll, led by Frannie Hemmelgarn's 20.
Redmond 62, Lake Washington 55. The 11-2 Mustangs take their ninth straight victory. First loss for new Kangs coach Jennie Rondel.

BOYS

Juanita 69, Inglemoor 66. How about Juanita? The Rebels showed their close call against Franklin last week (they lost 59-55) was no fluke.
Mount Rainier 88, Kennedy 71. Smooth win for the Rams, who beat their top two Seamount competitors in the same week.
Skyline 62, Issaquah 57. The Spartans stormed back with a 20-point fourth to erase a five-point lead going into the final quarter.
Bainbridge 54, O'Dea 41. Just when you think you have the Metro Mountain figured out, you don't.

Morning stars

1. Katie Grad, Auburn Riverside, girls basketball. Wazzu recruit scored 33 in a huge statement game.
2. Jordan Call, Juanita, boys basketball. Scored 33 points in the Rebels' win, and Juanita is now 4-4 in KingCo 4A.
3. Vonchae Richardson, Mt. Rainier, boys basketball. His 27 points led the Rams, who stay undefeated in the Seamount.
4. Erin Nicol, Issaquah, girls basketball. Scored a team-high 24 points to lead the fifth-ranked Eagles to a 66-50 victory.
5. Mike Ladd, Rainier Beach, boys basketball. You don't see Beach players here too often because the Vikes are just so deep. Even with Ladd scoring 22, five more players scored at least 9 points in an 84-59 victory against Chief Sealth.

Tonight's top games.

Meadowdale at Edmonds-Woodway, boys basketball, 7:30 p.m. One of the more important WesCo South games of the season. E-W is 7-1 in the conference; Meadowdale is 6-2.

Marysville-Pilchuck at Snohomish, boys basketball, 7:30 p.m. Can the Panthers, undefeated so far in the WesCo North after a one-point win against Lake Stevens on Wednesday, stay that way?

The athletic directors in the KingCo conference have been meeting for more than a month now to discuss how new classification figures will affect the league as a whole. This much has been known for sure:

-Issaquah, Skyline and Newport are moving up to Class 4A
-Franklin is dropping down to Class 3A and moving to the Metro League.
-Interlake is dropping down to Class 2A
-Juanita has the option to play in Class 3A or opt up to stay in Class 4A.

So with the prospect of 12 (or 13) 4A schools, five (or six) 3A schools and one 2A school, the athletic directors have tried to find a way to form a conference that can accommodate each school’s needs while staying viable for the future.

The conference studied several multi-classification leagues, particularly WesCo, to help, but then, last Monday, a new proposal emerged unlike any league in the state.

The proposal would differentiate between sports, team and individual. I have been able to get my hands on the current proposal for team sports, one that could very well change when the ADs meet Monday afternoon. So understand this is not the final decision.

It would have two divisions in Class 4A, and then a 2A/3A league. You might notice that, in a little nod to history, the division names refer to the old divisions that went back as far as 1977:

Class 4A Crown Division

Ballard
Bothell
Inglemoor
Lake Washington
Roosevelt
Woodinville

Class 4A Crest Division

Eastlake
Garfield
Issaquah
Newport
Redmond
Skyline

Class 2A/3A Division

Bellevue
Interlake
Juanita
Liberty
Mercer Island
Mount Si
Sammamish

Again, this is only a proposal, and certainly far from final. As you might have noticed, this proposal assumes Juanita will drop to Class 3A, a decision that has not been made for sure. On one hand, the school can become more competitive in 3A, going against similarly sized schools. On the other, it will lose many of its traditional rivalries.

From what I have heard, under the proposal, the individual sports teams would play in combined 2A/3A/4A league (such as WesCo or the Northwest Conference), split into four divisions. But I have not seen which specific teams will be in which divisions. And it sounds like there is more work to finish there. But one source within the conference said they are close. That is great news for schools looking to get their schedules sorted out for next year. We could have final word by Thursday, when the KingCo principals are scheduled to meet.

It's been a while since we've had a good, old-fashioned high-school controversy on the blog, but our trusted veteran Craig Smith provided us with a interesting subject with his story today.

Smitty detailed the response to Kennedy's 112-16 victory against Evergreen, including JFK coach Tom Mummert's apology and the reprimand from the Seamount League.

To sum up the circumstances:

-Mummert left his starters in longer than he usually win in a blowout to keep them sharp for tonight's significant game against Mount Rainier.

-Mummert said JFK did not full-court press, but he said he was reluctant to ask his team to switch gears. "It's hard to justify the score, but at the same time it's hard to tell the girls not to do something that I've been preaching to them the whole season."

-Mummert, whose team scored 34 points in the fourth-quarter, said the Evergreen coach declined an offer to play the second half witha running clock.

We can hopefully agree that, even if the Lancers were looking to stay sharp, 34 points is an awful lot to score in the fourth quarter. Yet the prescription for handling this situation, provided by the Seamount, appears to have little to do with sportsmanship and mostly to do with creating an ostensible score that everyone can live with more easily.

According to the story, the Seamount asks teams to:

-Go to a 2-3 zone defense with each player having at least one foot "in the paint and let the other team get a shot off."

-Run the offense repeatedly and don't take a shot until fewer than 5 seconds remain on the shot clock.

Under these guidelines, the fourth quarter isn't even a game anymore. The game, itself, becomes more of an embarrassment for the losing team, with the other team gifting outside shots and standing with the ball.

Let's try this in a different context. Suppose that a wrestling team has won each match in a meet going into the final match, and to make the score reasonable, the coach asks the last wrestler to roll over and take a pin.

Or that if, in golf, one team has an enormous lead. So the coach asks the last golfer on the course to take a 10 on the 18th to even things up a bit.

Or if, in swimming, a coach asks the last swimmer to doggie-paddle that final race. You're getting the point. How would any of these scenarios make the other team feel any better?

Why do these three solutions sound so unreasonable, yet asking kids in basketball, football, baseball, softball or most team sports to give up at the end of their games makes sense?

The best way to end a blowout is to end the game as soon as possible -- running clock, mercy rule, something. I covered a football game in Florida once where after one clearly superior team took a 28-0 lead in the first quarter, so they played one-minute quarters after that. But you can't fault a coach who wants to provide his kids the opportunity to play out any game.

I'd love to say these subjects become easier to handle as kids grow up, but the New England Patriots have demonstrated that even pros face the same questions. Questions that surely will never be resolved, especially in high schools.

So what's your solution? How should coaches handle the end of these games?

Morning stars

1. Eryn Jones, Meadowdale, girls basketball. Jones scored 26 points in a 63-47 win against Shorewood/

2. Olivia Goree, Issaquah, gymnastics. Goree, a freshman, had a 35.8 all-around score, the best of Thursday night, in Issaquah's win against Mount Si.

3. Connor Donaldson, Edmonds-Woodway, boys basketball. Donaldson, in his first game back from a knee injury, led the 10-2 Warriors in a 69-55 victory.

Tonight's top games

1. Auburn Riverside at Auburn, girls basketball, 7:30 p.m. Auburn Riverside has yet to lose a game in state, but it must go on the road against another top-10 team to keep it that way.

2. Kennedy at Mount Rainier, boys basketball, 8 p.m. Two teams whose only loss came in the Comcast Christmas Classic, but after tonight, one will leave with its first Seamount loss. And the girls game before it should be a big deal, too.

3. O'Dea at Bainbridge, boys basketball, 6:15 p.m. O'Dea has been rolling after a 1-2 loss, while Bainbridge would surely like to get back among the best in the Metro League with a win on its home court.

There's a story in today's Boston Globe that looks at the new look of gym class these days.

According to the story, some high schools these days have rock-climbing walls and elevated indoor tracks. Others offer "golf, horseshoes and shuffleboard."

The days of dodgeball and tag seem as ancient as VCRs and Walkmans to today's kids. Instead of calisthenics, it's yoga. Instead of climbing a rope, it's choreographed dance.

Said one P.E. teacher in the story:

"In the last 10 years, we've gone from P.E. mode to wellness mode. It's not your average P.E. class."

Discrepancies in what certain schools can offer their students based on district finances is a whole other topic, but probably one worth addressing in the future.

Now for your comments.

What are your thoughts on the role of physical education in public schools? Should it be a graded requirement, an elective or an extra-curicular activity?

Morning stars

1. Candace Chambers, Seattle Prep -- The 6-foot-2 senior led the Panthers with 12 points and added 10 rebounds and four assists in a 52-36 win over Lakeside. Both teams were 5-0 in league coming in to the game.

2. Brittany Gray, Bainbridge -- The junior, who averages 18.7 ppg, had 24 points and 21 rebounds in a win over Eastside Catholic.

3. Seamount gymnasts -- Lindbergh's Louise Baker and Gwen Smithberg of Kennedy each swept their meets Wednesday, winning the all-around, bars, beam, floor exercise and vault.

Let the countdown begin. We are more than halfway through the regular season in basketball and the best is yet the come.

I'd like to hear your thoughts on the biggest surprises and disappointments to this point.

I went back this morning and checked our preseason rankings compared to where we are now. You might want to, too. Here are the boys rankings, which ran with Tom's feature on Peyton Siva. Here are the girls rankings, along with my preseason story focusing on Auburn Riverside's hopes of winning a second straight 3A state title.

Let's take a quick look at the boys first. In 4A, Ferris and Franklin continue to be 1-2, although Franklin once had the No. 1 spot. Gone are Kentridge (preseason No. 3), Prairie (No. 4), Inglemoor (No. 6), Gig Harbor (No. 9) and Pasco (No. 10). This week's rankings include Federal Way (No. 3), Shadle Park (No. 5), Roosevelt (No. 6), Wenatchee (No. 9) and Lake Stevens (No. 10). All but Lake Stevens were on the radar coming in. And if Kentridge takes care of business against Kent-Meridian Friday, the Chargers could well return to the top-10 based on their win over Federal Way last night.

In the 3A boys, Rainier Beach continues its ride at the top with Auburn jumping from No. 5 to No. 2 along the way. Renton, which started in the "others" categorie, zoomed up to No. 3, but will slip after last night's narrow loss to No. 8 Mount Rainier, which was overlooked in the preseason but could climb next week. The Rams have another tough game Friday against No. 9 Kennedy, which also opened the season in the "others" category.

Seattle Prep started the season at No. 3, but dropped out after early losses to Beach and O'Dea. Also gone are Enumclaw (preseason No. 7), O'Dea (No. 8), Bainbridge (No. 9) and Franklin Pierce (No. 10). Squalicum of Bellingham and Eastmont of Wenatchee, neither on the preseason radar, are now at No. 7 and No. 10, respectively.

Now for the girls. Lewis and Clark of Spokane continues to ride the No. 1 spot in 4A, pursuing a third straight state championship. But of the other original top-10, only five overs remain -- Prairie (started No. 2, now No. 4), Mead of Spokane (No. 4 to No. 7), Jackson (No. 5 to No. 6), Mount Tahoma (No. 7 to No. 9) and Skyview of Vancouver (No. 10 to No. 2). We'll find out Tuesday if Skyview really is better than Prairie when they square off.

Kentwood, which opened at No. 3 to match last year's state finish, has gotten off to a slower start than expected, but could still be a force down the stretch. Moses Lake (preseason No. 6), Snohomish (No. 8) and Bellarmine Prep (No. 9) are now in the wings.

On the 3A girls side, those three out-of-state losses cost Auburn Riverside the top spot and the Ravens now sit at No. 2 behind Lakes, which was No. 5 in the beginning. Issaquah started at No. 2 and had a short ride at No. 1 before losing to Bellevue, which was a preseason "bubble" team and now sits at No. 10. Kennedy has moved from No. 6 to No. 3, while Meadowdale continues at No. 4. Auburn, which some thought was a surprise pick at No. 9 to start the season, is now No. 6 and faces Auburn Riverside Friday.

Seattle Prep has slipped from No. 3 to No. 7, while three others have completely dropped out -- Hanford (preseason No. 7), Newport (No. 8) and Skyline (No. 10). Lakeside and Capital, both in the "others" group when it all began, now own the No. 8 and No. 9 spots. Prep and Lakeside square off tonight.

So, let's hear your thoughts on where we are compared to where we started -- and where we likely will end up. The playoffs are just around the corner.

-- Sandy Ringer

Morning stars

1. Stuart Harvey, Shorewood boys basketball -- Can't say enough about the senior guard's 54-point outburst (a school record) in a 95-93 OT loss to Jackson.

2. Renado Parker, Kentridge boys basketball -- His big double-double (24 points, 16 rebounds) keyed the Chargers' 62-48 romp over No. 3 Federal Way.

3. Kristi Kingma, Jackson girls basketball -- Sure, the slick-shooting guard can make the list almost every morning, but her triple-double (23 points, 13 rebounds, 10 steals) deserves notice.

4. Tyler Hayden, Shorecrest boys swimming -- Hayden broke the school record in the 100-yard freestyle, winning in 47.26, and also had a state-qualifying mark of 1:44.23 in the 200 free.

Tonight's top games

1. Roosevelt at Inglemoor, girls basketball, 7:30 p.m.

The Vikings (9-1, 5-0) are coming off that 47-44 victory over previously unbeaten Ballard, while Roosevelt is looking for its fourth straight win after a 1-2 slump.

2. Seattle Prep at Lakeside, girls basketball, 7:30 p.m.

One streak ends tonight. Both teams have reeled off nine straight victories season-opening losses (Seattle Prep to Kentwood, Lakeside to La Salle of Yakima).

3. Eastlake at Redmond, girls basketball, 7:30 p.m.

Two red-hot 9-2 teams square off in this KingCo showdown. Eastlake seeks its seventh straight victory, while Redmond goes for No. 8.

Dave Gilbertson at Washington Wrestling Report just sent these my way.

These are for all classes. You can see it broken down by class -- and individual rankings -- by clicking here.

1. Lake Stevens
2. Lakeside
3. Sedro-Woolley
4. Auburn Riverside
5. Enumclaw
6. Orting
7. University
8 .Black Hills
9. Sunnyside
10. Deer Park
11. Auburn
12. Kentwood
13. Graham-Kapowsin
14. Republic
15. Royal
16. East Valley
17. Aberdeen
18. Battle Ground
19. Cedarcrest
20. Snohomish

Class 4A

1. Ferris (9-0)
2. Franklin (8-2)
3. Federal Way (8-1)
4. Bellarmine Prep (10-1)
5. Shadle Park (8-1)
6. Roosevelt (10-2)
7. Decatur (10-2)
8. Kentwood (9-2)
9. Wenatchee (10-1)
10. Lake Stevens (9-1)

On the radar: Snohomish, Mariner, Kentridge, Prairie, Edmonds-Woodway, Garfield, Bethel.

Class 3A

1. Rainier Beach (8-1)
2. Auburn (11-0)
3. Renton (10-0)
4. Lakes (9-1)
5. Mercer Island (9-2)
6. Bellevue (10-1)
7. Squalicum (9-0)
8. Mount Rainier (9-1)
9. Kennedy (8-1)
10. Eastmont (8-1)

On the radar: Meadowdale, Enumclaw, O’Dea, Cleveland.

Check back here each Tuesday for rankings until the last state tournament game has been played. The Associate Press poll, which ranks all six classes, will come out starting Jan. 16, and I'll post the poll every Wednesday night from then on out.

Two teams from the southwest corner of the state, Skyview and Prairie, toppled two of Oregon's top teams over the weekend, and both moved up after impressive wins. Next Tuesday -- not tonight, as one poster noted -- they'll play each other. But tonight, they switch Oregon teams: Skyview plays Southridge (ranked 12th in the country), and Praire plays Jesuit (which lost to Southridge in last year's state championship game).

In Class 3A, Seattle Prep and Lakeside -- the top two Metro teams to this point -- play each other on Wednesday. And on Friday, Auburn faces Auburn Riverside.

Class 4A

1. Lewis & Clark (9-0)
2. Skyview (11-0)
3. Lake Stevens (10-0)
4. Prairie (8-3)
5. Ballard (10-1)
6. Jackson (8-1)
7. Mead (7-2)
8. Inglemoor (9-1)
9. Mount Tahoma (9-3)
10. Walla Walla (9-1)

On the radar: Pasco, Snohomish, Eastlake, Puyallup, Roosevelt, Kentwood, Moses Lake.

Class 3A

1. Lakes (9-0)
2. Auburn Riverside (7-3)
3. Kennedy (9-0)
4. Meadowdale (9-1)
5. Issaquah (9-1)
6. Auburn (9-1)
7. Seattle Prep (9-1)
8. Lakeside (9-1)
9. Capital (8-1)
10. Bellevue (8-3)

On the radar: Renton, Bainbridge, Newport, Enumclaw.

Tonight's top games

1. Mercer Island at Bellevue, boys basketball, 7:30 p.m.

The top two teams in KingCo 3A met once already this season, with Mercer Island winning 64-57 in both teams' opener. The Islanders (9-2) have yet to lose in state, and the Wolverines (10-1) have won 10 straight.

2. Lake Stevens at Snohomish, girls basketball, 7:30 p.m.

Lake Stevens moved up to third in Class 4A this week, but they'll have their most difficult conference test on their hands tonight against the Panthers.

3. Federal Way at Kentridge, boys basketball, 7:30 p.m.

Federal Way had little time to celebrate its win against Decatur last Friday. Next up is Kentridge, last year's 4A runner, and the Chargers won't want to fall back another game in the SPSL North race.

Talk about a streak! From an AP story on SI.com:

The Brandon High School wrestling team's national record of 459 consecutive dual victories since 1973 has ended. South Dade High School topped Brandon 32-28 Saturday night in the finals of the Jim Graves "Beat the Streak" Tournament.

Brandon's streak began nearly 34 years ago, after Jim Graves, for whom the tournament is named, took over as the Eagles' wrestling coach, despite having no previous experience with the sport. Graves ended up coaching the team for nine years.

The streak included 66 individual state champions and 18 team titles.

The last time Brandon HS lost, Nixon was in office, "The Sting" won Best Picture and the Oakland A's won the World Series.

According to another article, after his team was defeated, Brandon coach Russ Cozart jogged across the mat to hug the South Dade coach and then shook hands with every wrestler on the South Dade team.

Great streak, better sportsmanship. Good to see that at any level of sports.

What a weekend.

I couldn't post yesterday because I was wrapped up in Seahawks work -- what a game, by the way -- but it was a great weekend for Washington basketball (except for the UW). And any coversation of this weekend has to begin in Gig Harbor, where Mathias Ward might have had the best individual performance we'll see all season.

In an overtime win against Narrows leader Central Kitsap, Ward scored -- get this -- 56 points. In 36 minutes! And, for good measure, he added 23 rebounds. The Kitsap Sun has all the details. Ward, who has already signed with Montana, made 19 of 29 shots and hit 17 of 22 free-throw attempts.

Josh Smith might not have scored 56, but the Kentwood sophomore did add another dominating night to his breakout season. Smith scored 31 points, including the game-winner, in Kentwood's 61-59 victory against Kentridge. And now, thanks to Federal Way's 68-66 win against Decatur, the SPSL North is wide open. Federal Way, Kentwood and Decatur all have one league loss, and Kentridge is right there with two.

In KingCo 4A, Roosevelt looked great in a 72-59 victory against Garfield, spurred by 28 points from Glen Dean. You know how you always hear in March about how teams with great guard play have an advantage? Well, the Roughriders, with Dean, Amin Tufa and David Aberg, are a team no one will want to see come tournament time.

In Class 3A, Aaron Bright led sixth-ranked Bellevue in a win against his old team, Issaquah. Led by Matt Gorman's 18 points, Mountlake Terrace pulled off a 53-46 upset of No. 7 Meadowdale.

On the girls side, 10th-ranked Bellevue shocked No. 1 Issaquah in a KingCo 3A game that wasn't ever close. The Wolverines took an 18-8 lead in the first and then outscored ISsaquah in every other quarter, too. Jenika Swanson led the way with 21 points.

Inglemoor also won big on the weekend with a 47-44 victory against No. 4 Ballard, which you might remember upset the Vikings last postseason. Roosevelt looked awfully good in a 78-38 victory against Garfield, a matchup that isn't what it was when they shot "Heart of the Game."

Jackson continued to roll in the WesCo South with a 62-32 victory against Kamiak. Meadowdale also cruised with a 96-55 victory, led by Eryn Jones' 30 points.

So all in all, this weekend didn't disappoint.The season is hitting its stride.

Is it February yet? Because tonight's schedule has some games with some serious implications, even if January's barely even gotten started. It's such a good slate that I figured, I'd just expand the "Tonight's top games" section we usually have at the bottom of each post up top:

BOYS

Issaquah at Bellevue, 7:30 p.m.

There’s some history surrounding this one. For starters, Issaquah swept Bellevue in the regular season in 06-07, only for Bellevue to blow out Issaquah 59-33 in the postseason (the Wolverines went on to state, Issaquah didn't). Then Aaron Bright, one of Issaquah's top players as a freshman, transferred to Bellevue early in the school year, and Issaquah wasn't shy about the suspicions it had regarding his move. Now Bright's the Wolverines' leading scorer heading into an important KingCo 3A game.

Decatur at Federal Way, 7:30 p.m.

This will be No. 3 vs. No. 4 in our most recent Class 4A rankings, and Decatur's looking to strengthen its grip on first place in the SPSL 4A North against a huge rival. This is one of the gyms I'd most like to be in tonight.

Kentridge at Kentwood, 7:30 p.m.

Considering both these teams already have a loss in the SPSL North -- both lost to Decatur -- this is an important one for both, not to mention a rivalry game featuring two of the state's best forwards in Kentridge's Renado Parker and Kentwood's Josh Smith.

Garfield at Roosevelt, 8 p.m.

Where I'll be tonight. Roosevelt has one of the state's best backcourts, and Garfield has been picking up steam, with the Bulldogs coming together around the family act of freshman Tony Wroten and junior De'Andre Taylor (cousins). A good opportunity to see where both these teams stand in KingCo 4A.

GIRLS

Ballard at Inglemoor, 6:30 p.m.

A year ago, when they played this game in the postseason, Ballard upset Inglemoor. This time, it would be no upset. Ballard has started the season 10-0, including a 50-26 victory against Roosevelt that showed just how much the Beavers have improved.

Bellevue at Issaquah, 7:30 p.m.

The first of two games between these teams that could have a significant effect on how KingCo 3A plays out this season. I had the opportunity to see top-ranked Issaquah last week against Kentwood in the Comcast Christmas Classic, and after starting slowly, the Eagles impressed in the final three quarters in beating a good team.

Jackson at Kamiak, 7:30 p.m.

Jackson has the early advantage in the WesCo South after a 5-0 league start that included a 69-67 victory against Meadowdale. The best division team they haven't played yet? The 7-3 Knights, who are 4-1 in league play and coming off a seven-point win against Edmonds-Woodway.

Morning stars

1. Frannie Hemmelgarn, Roosevelt, girls basketball. Led the Roughriders with 22 points in a 62-49 victory against seventh-ranked Puyallup, which was led by Tabitha Tomlinson's 24 points.

2. Hailey Wells, Woodinville, gymnastics. Helped Woodinville to a win in a three-team meet with an all-around victory with a score of 36.85. She won all four events.

3. Reuben Donaldson, Foster, boys basketball. Scored 26 points in an 81-31 victory against Christian Faith.

We had a short mention of this story in today's paper. Parkview High School junior Anthony Hobbs, 16, collapsed in the first quarter Wednesday as he headed to bench after a substitution in a game against Lake Hamilton.

I wanted to repeat this note we ran in the paper for those who might not have seen it:

In an attempt to prevent deaths due to undetected heart problems, the Anthony Bates Foundation will offer free heart screenings from 12:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 17 at Bishop Blanchet High School to people ages 12-22. Pre-registration, at www.AnthonyBates.org, is recommended.

You can find the Associated Press version of the story here.

Feel free to contribute your thoughts on the situation in the comments.

Morning stars

1. Kelsey Patrick, Kamiak girls basketball -- The 6-foot junior guard had a season-high 27 points in a 57-50 win over Edmonds-Woodway.

2. Brett Kingma, Jackson boys basketball -- After the Timberwolves squandered a big lead, Kingma hit a game-winner with three seconds left to give Jackson a 55-53 win over Mountlake Terrace.

3. Seattle Christian girls basketball -- Led by Lexi Peterson (a season-high 17 points) and Melissa Collier (15), Seattle Christian toughed out a 47-45 win over Kentlake, a Class 4A school.

Tonight's top game

1. Roosevelt vs. Puyallup, 7 p.m. at the Roosevelt Holiday Festival -- The undefeated Vikings (8-0) face perhaps their toughest competition of the year in the 7-2 Roughriders.

The schedule gets pretty hectic after tonight, when area basketball teams resume conference schedules and make their push toward state. So now's a good time to fill you in with some links and area leaders as 2008 gets started:

-The Varsity News has put together its top five football plays of 2007. My favorite: No. 3, an acrobatic run by all-state running back Marcel Smith.

-Speaking of big football plays, Rivals.com listed its amazing performances nationwide from 2007, and O'Dea senior Johri Fogerson's 297-yard game in the Class 3A title game made the list.

-Lakes tight end Kavario Middleton is a second-team all-American, according to USA Today.

-Also in USA Today, Skyline finished the season 21st in the nationwide Super 25.

-According to Rivals.com, Franklin junior guard Peyton Siva currently likes these four schools: Kansas, Arizona, Louisville and Washington.

These are the area scoring leaders right now, according to stats called into The Seattle Times:

Girls

1. Kimi Pohlman, Bear Creak, 25.6 ppg
2. Kristi Kingma, Jackson, 25 ppg
3. Kati Grad, Auburn Riverside, 22.7 ppg
4. Eryn Jones, Meadowdale, 22.3 ppg
5. Angela Woods, Shoreline Christian, 21.3 ppg

Boys

1. Jordan Smith, Lopez, 34.0 ppg
2. Jordan Nicholes, Sultan, 28.5 ppg
3. Jordan Kidd, Chief Sealth, 24.5 ppg
4. Brandon MaGee, Bethel, 24.2 ppg
5. Alfie Miller, Mount Rainier, 23.7 ppg

Good year to be named Jordan.

Tonight's top games

Mercer Island at Skyline, boys basketball, 7:30 p.m. In Skyline's fourth-place finish at the Comcast Christmas Classic, it was evident this is a much-improved team. But have the Spartans improved enough to beat MI?

Bellevue at Newport, girls basketball, 7:30 p.m. Neither one of these teams wants to fall too far behind top-ranked Issaquah in KingCo 3A.