Madness Begins

March Madness isn't just the NCAA men's tournament, though Seattlest knows they've trademarked the name. At the risk of a lawsuit, we apply it to the hundreds of loser-out basketball tournaments taking place all over the country, from the South Dakota state "A" championship to the public school championships in New York City. Local teams began tournament life last weekend with the Pac-10 Women's basketball tournament and the State 3A Boys and Girls Tournaments.

In San Jose, the Huskies won their first game against Oregon State, but lost in the 2nd round to Oregon. The Husky women were in rebuilding mode this year, and it went as scheduled--the team of mostly sophomores and juniors struggled early, but finished very strong, winning five of their last seven games. The entire team will be back for 2005-06, including stellar sophomores Cameo Hicks and Jill Bell, who made All-Pac-10 honorable mention.

Seattle schools swept the 3A state basketball championships. Chief Sealth (of West Seattle) crushed previously undefeated River Ridge in the girls final, and O'Dea (it's on First Hill) beat Spokane's Mark Morris for the boys championship.

The state's biggest schools compete in the 4A championship, which begins tomorrow at the Tacoma Dome. Seattle's Garfield High is the clear favorite among the girls teams, theirs may be one of the best in state history. On the boys side, Seattle is represented by Roosevelt High, led by Arizona-bound Marcus Williams, who is profiled today in the Times. It's Roosevelt's first state berth since 1987. They are among the favorites in a wide-open field.

Photo by Mary Deaton