In the fourth meeting this season between the Issaquah girls basketball team and Eastlake, the Eagles came out on top with a 43-41 victory in a Wes-King 4A district loser-out, winner-to-regionals game on Feb. 20.

The Eagles closed out the district tournament in the third-place game against Lake Stevens on Feb. 22 at Everett Community College. The Vikings edged out the Eagles for a 73-72 win.

The Eagles are set to face the Kentwood Conquerors in a loser-out regional playoff game on Feb. 29 at Sammamish High School. The winner of the game will face the loser of the Chiawana/Kentridge game in the first round of the state tournament beginning March 4.

Eagles dominate Newport: It was a complete team effort as the Issaquah girls basketball team flew past the Newport Knights, 61-35, in a loser-out game on Feb. 18 at Lynnwood High School.

In its victory over the Knights, Issaquah overcame a slow start offensively to take a 10-4 lead after the first quarter. The Issaquah defense continued to smother Newport in the second quarter to take a 22-10 lead at halftime.

The Issaquah offense exploded in the second half, beginning the third quarter on a 15-0 run to take a commanding 37-10 lead with less than five minutes left. The Eagles’ offense moved the ball around effectively all night, creating open shots, including eight 3-pointers.

“I think we have a really unselfish team,” Issaquah head coach Doug Crandall said. “When you get to this point of the year, where the only goal is to win, the teamwork comes out even more. I didn’t see anything tonight where anyone was trying to get anything but the best shot for the Issaquah girls basketball team.”

The Eagles closed out the game in the fourth quarter to secure the 61-32 win. Issaquah senior Katie MacNary had a team-high 17 points to lead the Eagles to victory. Junior Alivia Stephens (14 points) and Keira Hanson (10 points) also hit double-digits for the Eagles.

MacNary said everyone came to play for the Eagles in the victory over Newport.

“I think everyone played the best they’ve played all season, it was ridiculous,” MacNary said. “We shared the ball well, which is really fun and we had a lot of easy shots because of it.”

All season, the Eagles have had different players step up to help the team win, something that MacNary said is huge. MacNary said you never know who’s going to come in and have a spectacular game.

“That’s why it’s so hard to match up with us,” MacNary said.

The Eagles were coming off a 53-51 loss to Glacier Peak on Feb. 15, a loss that MacNary said gives them confidence that they can hang with anyone.

“That game hurt a lot, but I think we really saw what we can do,” MacNary said. “That team is ranked second in the state and we realized we can run with those guys.”

In the loss to Glacier Peak and their earlier loss to Eastlake in the league tournament, the Eagles were able to fight back after falling behind early. MacNary said they needed to see a quick start against Eastlake.

Issaquah guard Cam Gibson carries the ball up the floor during a 4A Wes-King District loser-out game on Feb. 18 at Lynnwood High School. Photo courtesy of Patrick Krohn/Patrick Krohn Photography