Washington (WIAA) 1B high school boys basketball state tournament: 2024 predictions, top players

Top-ranked Lummi and No. 2 Wellpinit are separated by more than 300 miles, but they're much closer on the court

After four grueling days of basketball at the Spokane Arena this week, somebody will be dancing with the big WIAA gold ball Saturday night.

Lummi is seeded No. 1 and could be on a collision course with defending champion Wellpinit, who is seeded second

Here are SBLive WA's teams and players to watch, and round-by-round predictions - complete with a championship-game pick.

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Photo by Tommy Wolf

CLASS 1B TOURNAMENT (Bracket)

(Wednesday first-round games in Spokane)

G1: No. 11 Muckleshoot Tribal (20-6) vs. No. 6 Cusick (19-4), 9 a.m. (Winner plays No. 4 DeSales at 9 a.m. Thursday)

G2: No. 15 Summit Classical (18-7) vs. No. 7 Mossyrock (16-7), 10:30 a.m. (Winner plays No. 1 Lummi Nation at 10:30 a.m. Thursday)

G3: No. 12 Oakesdale (17-7) vs. No. 5 Neah Bay (17-5), 12:15 p.m. (Winner plays No. 3 Moses Lake/Covenant Christian at 12:15 p.m. Thursday)

G4: No. 15 Columbia Adventist (17-8) vs. No. 8 Naselle (19-4), 2 p.m. (Winner plays No. 2 Wellpinit at 2 p.m. Thursday)

Semifinals Friday: 7:15 p.m. and 9 p.m.

Championship game Saturday: 3 p.m.

FAVORITE: Wellpinit

More than 6 hours and 330 miles separate top-seeded Lummi and No. 2 Wellpinit, but there's little difference between the the Blackhawks and the Redskins, who have won 23 and 14 straight games, repectively.

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Photo by Lane Mathews

FAB FIVE

F Grant Denison, Wellpinit, sr. (14.5 ppg, 12.2 rpg)

G Jacob Lindstrom, Naselle, jr. (18.6 ppg, 5.2 rpg, 3.2 apg, 2.7 apg)

G Jonah Robertson, Moses Lake/Covenant Christian, sr. (16.4 ppg, 3.1 rpg, 4.0 apg)

G Bode Seymour, Cusick, sr. (19.0 ppg, 5.0 rpg, 4.0 apg, 4.0 spg)

G Jerome Toby, Lummi, soph. (21.7 ppg, 5.9 apg, 2.5 spg)

PLAYER TO WATCH: Jerome Toby, Lummi Nation

The son of the Blackhawks' coach has been a starter since the eighth grade, and will lead Lummi's pursuit of its first championship.

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Photo courtesy of DeSales athletics

PREDICTIONS

First-round picks:

Cusick over Muckleshoot Tribal

Mossyrock over Summit Classical

Neah Bay over Oakesdale

Naselle over Columbia Adventist

Quarterfinal picks:

Cusick over DeSales

Lummi Nation over Mossyrock

Neah Bay over Moses Lake Christian/Covenant Christian

Wellpinit over Naselle

Semifinal picks:

Lummi Nation over Cusick

Wellpinit over Neah Bay

Championship pick:

Wellpinit 65, Lummi Nation 61

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(Featured photo by Tommy Wolf/LitMediaProductions)