Any team that takes on the undefeated, no. 1 ranked and defending 3A state champion Lynnwood Royals had better be ready. Unfortunately for the Stanwood Spartans, they were not on Wednesday.

The Royals blitzed the undermanned Spartans 63-24 in a Northwest District 1 3A Girls Basketball Tournament semi-final played Wednesday at Shorecrest High School in Shoreline.

Stanwood was playing without starter Kaitlin Larson who was missing-in-action due to an injury suffered at a team practice earlier in the week. Without the 5-foot-11 sophomore helping to contest for rebounds and get easier inside looks on offense, the Spartans were no match for Lynnwood.

“They’re missing one of their better players,” Lynnwood Coach Everett Edwards said on Wednesday. “We had a feeling that we wanted them to shoot from the perimeter; we didn’t want them to shoot lay-ups. That was part of our game plan, our strategy, and the girls executed it wonderfully. I think they came out and played great team defense.

The Spartans shot just 8-for-40 (20 percent) from the field against the stubborn Lynnwood resistance. Stanwood’s leading scorer for the season, senior Haley Strowbridge, scored just four points on just a 2-for-10 shooting performance.

Stanwood came into Wednesday’s game averaging 62.7 points per game. Their output of 24 points against the Royals was their lowest of the season.

With 1:22 left in the third quarter, Lynnwood’s lead over the Spartans reached 40 points, with a score of 56-16, triggering the running clock mercy rule to go into effect for the remainder of the game. Both coaches ultimately pulled their starters out of the game and sent their benches in to play out the fourth quarter.

Lynnwood was led by the 22 points of Mikayla Pivec.

“If she would have played more in the second half she could have scored 30,” said Edwards.

Kaprice Boston was the only other Royals to tally in double digits with 10 points as the squad had nine players make it onto the score sheet.

“We just played really good team basketball,” Edwards said. “We knew Stanwood was going to come out and play a little bit of zone against us. That’s a situation where you’ve got to share the ball and take the best possible shot you can get. So the girls did a great job at finding all of our players.”

Boston was all smiles following the victory, explaining how the win puts the team one step closer to reaching goals they have set for this season.

“Our goals so far have been to get the league title – which we achieved – and we’re working on our second goal: to get the district title,” Boston said. “And then from there to just win our regional game, and then our ultimate goal is another state championship.”

The triumph over Stanwood clinched the Royals a spot in the regional round of the WIAA 3A State Girls Basketball Tournament, but Edwards stated there is still plenty of motivation to win the Saturday, Feb. 20, district title game due to where the victor will play their regional game.

“We would rather play up north than go down to Bellevue College,” Edwards explained. “I believe the winner of (the district championship) game is going to get a regional game at Everett Community College and the loser is going to have to go to Bellevue College. We’ve played at Everett Community College the past two years for a regional game, and if we get a win (Saturday) we get a third chance to play there.”

To view the entire District 1 3A girls basketball tourney bracket, click here.

Prep Girls Basketball: Stanwood vs. Lynnwood, Feb. 17

Stanwood        6          6          4        8          —          24
Lynnwood     25        15        18        5          —          63

Lynnwood scoring: Mikayla Pivec 22, Kaprice Boston 10, Kelsey Rogers 9, Jordyn Edwards 6, Reilly Walsh 5, Taylor Fahey 4, Rachel Walsh 3, Abigail Yemane 2, Valerie Bell 2, Abby Douglas, Kaui Piilani, Kia Crawford

Stanwood scoring: Haley Strowbridge 4, Madison Chisman 4, Ashley Alter 4, Ashley Bierer 3, Kylie Wright 2, Anna DePew 2, Jillian Heichel 3, Koa Beck 2, Kayla Frazier, Addie Chism

Records: Lynnwood 22-0 overall; Stanwood 15-6 overall

Lynnwood next game: versus Arlington, Saturday, Feb. 20, 6:00 p.m. at Jackson High School in Mill Creek (2016 Northwest District 1 3A Girls Basketball Championship game)

–By Doug Petrowski