At 6-feet-4, Stanwood senior Vivienne Berrett towers over nearly all of her competitors in Wesco League high school girls basketball this season — and that’s certainly true for everyone on the Lynnwood Royals roster this year. On Saturday night, Berrett and her fellow Spartans took advantage of that height advantage to hold down the Royals in a key league tilt.

Berrett scored a game-high 31 points to lead Stanwood to a 64-55 victory over the Royals in a big matchup played at Lynnwood High School.

The win lifted the Spartans 3A Wesco League record to 10-1, 14-2 overall, as the team tries to chase down the league’s top squad, the 11-0/13-2 Arlington Eagles. For Lynnwood, Saturday’s loss drops the team (now 9-2 in league play, 11-4 overall) into a third-place tie with Everett in the 3A Wesco League standings. 

Berrett, who will be playing for the University of Hawaii next season, dominated the Royals in the lane Saturday, scoring 26 points in the paint in addition to going five-for-nine from the free-throw line.

Lynnwood Coach Eddie Mcferrin conceded his smaller squad was no match for Berrett.

“Viv is just strong to hold on to that low block,” Mcferrin said. “We only have 5-11, 5-10 — that sort of hurts us. We were (trying) to get to that weak-side help and trying to double-team her, but it’s a little difficult.”

“We tried to slow her down but she’s just a handful down there,” he continued. “And I think she’s pretty much gave every team some competition.”

While Berrett’s final numbers were impressive, the senior did start the game slowly, missing her first four shots from the field and her initial attempt from the free-throw line. Lynnwood took advantage, leading during the first four-and-a-half minutes of the contest. 

The two teams then traded the lead three times and the first quarter ended with the Spartans holding just a one-point advantage at 14-13. But Stanwood took control of the game by going on an 11-0 run to start the second quarter and never trailed in the game again.

In addition to Berrett’s 31 points, Stanwood’s individual scoring totals included senior Tatum Brager, who had 11 points. and freshman Ellalee Wortham, who added 10 points from the bench.

Teyah Clark led the Royals in scoring with 20 points while teammate and fellow junior Kayla Lorenz contributed 14 points.

After the game, Mcferrin told his squad to “just stay focused” and that the loss to Stanwood doesn’t raise any concerns in his mind; instead it can be used as a measuring stick for the rest of the regular season and the postseason District 1 3A Tournament in February.

“This game’s not going to hurt us,” Mcferrin said. “It’s not going to make us or break us. It’s a great challenge for us — now we know where we’re at.”

The Royals have four games remaining in the regular season, starting with a pair against Edmonds School District rivals Meadowdale and Mountlake Terrace in the next week. Mcferrin is looking forward to those two contests.

“Meadowdale’s going to be difficult,” Mcferrin said. “We always love to play against Gia (Powell); she’s a handful. And then going against Mountlake Terrace, Nick (Terrace Coach Nick Starks) has them playing well right now so we’re excited to go in there. I actually used to coach those young ladies at Brier Terrace Middle School when they were in seventh and eighth grade — they come to play.”

Mcferrin is hoping the next two weeks will prepare his squad well for the upcoming postseason push. “We’re just trying to close out the season strong and go into district’s with a positive note, he said.

Prep Girls Basketball: Stanwood at Lynnwood, Jan. 21

Stanwood 14 20 16 14 – 64

Lynnwood 13 10 19 13 – 55

Lynnwood individual scoring: Teyah Clark 20, Kayla Lorenz 14, Aniya Hooker 8, Nyree Johnson 7, Mataya Canda 3, Jocelyn Tamayo 3, Dina Yonas, McKenzie Rose-Martin, Eve Pereira

Stanwood individual scoring: Vivienne Berrett 31, Tatum Brager 11, Ellalee Wortham 10, Ava Depew 6, Grace Walker 3, Chloe Santeford 3, Jazmyn Legg

Records: Lynnwood 9-2 in 3A Wesco League, 11-4 overall; Stanwood 10-1 in 3A Wesco League, 14-2 overall

Lynnwood next game: versus Meadowdale; Wednesday, Jan. 25; 7:15 p.m. at Lynnwood High School

Stanwood next game: versus Arlington; Wednesday, Jan. 25; 7:15 p.m. at Arlington High School

— Story and photos by Doug Petrowski