Kingston girls advance to state after winning two elimination games

Published 1:30 am Thursday, February 19, 2026

No. 6 seed Kingston has qualified for the regional round of the state tournament after winning two elimination games during the District 3 2A girls basketball tournament Feb. 20-21.

The Buccaneers beat No. 11 seed Franklin Pierce 53-38 in their opening district game Feb. 14 before falling to No. 3 seed Bainbridge 62-44 Feb. 18. Kingston then handled No. 6 seed North Mason 69-47 before beating No. 4 seed Steilacoom 60-51 to advance to state.

Kingston will be the No. 15 seed at state and will play No. 10 seed Mark Morris at 4 p.m. Feb. 28 at Kelso High School.

The Spartans lost their district semifinal game against No. 2 seed Fife 45-39 Feb. 20 and then lost an elimination game the next day to No. 5 seed Sequim 46-44. Bainbridge will miss the state tournament after qualifying last season.

In the district quarterfinal game, both Kingston and Bainbridge imposed full-court presses early on in the game, but Bainbridge jumped out to a 14-4 lead by the middle portion of the first quarter.

Nonetheless, the Bucs rallied, cutting their deficit down to eight, making the score 21-13 at the end of one.

Anna Rowe scored a layup with 5:42 remaining in the second quarter, getting the Spartans’ lead back out to double digits at 25-14. Spartan Kaela Cole and Buccaneer Taizah Franklin were the leading scorers at halftime with 12 and 10, respectively.

“We just tried to focus and make our rotations and just do what we’ve been doing in practice,” Buccaneer coach Charles Deam said.

Spartan Camille Carey kicked off the scoring at the beginning of the second half, drilling a three to get Bainbridge’s lead out to 13.

Buccaneer Tati Fontes-Lawrence responded with a quick fastbreak layup, but the Spartans upped their aggression on defense, quickly getting themselves out to their largest lead on the night at 15 with five minutes remaining in the third quarter.

The Bucs came out in the fourth quarter with an aggressive defensive mindset, forcing Spartan turnovers and getting the deficit to within five.

Nonetheless, the Spartans bounced back through scores from Cole and Rowe, increasing their lead back out to double digits at 52-41 with 4:09 remaining in the game, ultimately sealing the victory for Bainbridge.

Other Kitsap scores

In 1B district girls action, No. 2 seed Crosspoint Christian lost the district title game to No. 1 seed Neah Bay 60-47 Feb. 21. The Wildcats will be the No. 6 seed at state and will play No. 3 seed Waterville-Mansfield at noon Feb. 28 at Wenatchee High School.

In 1A, No. 4 seed Klahowya was eliminated by No. 3 seed Cascade Christian 63-30 Feb. 20.