Kent-Meridian senior Tariq Hill and Kentwood junior Blake Stempniak each will be huge contributors to their teams’ playoff runs. BEN RAY, Sound Publishing

Kent-Meridian senior Tariq Hill and Kentwood junior Blake Stempniak each will be huge contributors to their teams’ playoff runs. BEN RAY, Sound Publishing

Bracket Breakdown: Previews of opening round of West Central District Tournament

Kent hoops action.

Boys (All games 2/11)

(14) Graham-Kapowsin: 13-9

(11) Kentwood: 11-10

Last Meeting: N/A

Over Kentwood’s last six league games it played the top three teams in the league, losing all three matchups. But the one thing this Conqueror team has is youthful energy, the cardiac kids can cause some chaos this postseason. The average grade of a starter on the Conks is 9.6, a testament of good coaching and a team that can make an impact.

(8) Kentridge: 17-4

(1) Curtis: 21-3

Last Meeting: 12/16/21– Curtis 78-54

Kentridge might be one of the best eight seeds in the state at a district tournament. Their best win was against Mount Si at the ShoWare Center. The Chargers fell just shy of an upset on the road against Federal Way in late January. If any team is primed for an upset early, it could be this veteran Charger team.

(13) Kent-Meridian: 13-8

(12) Capital: 11-9

Last Meeting: N/A

The Royals struggled down the stretch losing three in a row to close out the season. The Royals started 8-1 at the start of the season, but an injury to Jordan Bailey hamstrung Kent-Meridian. The postseason is a great way to get rolling, and it starts on the road in Olympia.

Girls (All games 2/10)

(14) Puyallup: 6-16

(11) Kentridge: 14-6

Last Meeting: 2/4/2016 – Kentridge: 39-26

Kentridge lost two of its last three games, a rough end to a really strong season. The Chargers lost a showdown against Kentwood by four points, but Kentridge is one of the youngest teams on the girls side and has a ton of upside to their young roster. If both Kentwood and Kentridge win their opening round games a rematch would be held Feb. 14 at Kentwood.

(6) Kentwood 15-6

(3) Emerald Ridge: 17-5

Last Meeting: 2/11/21: Emerald Ridge 59-46

Kentwood lost out on the NPSL title by a single game, its only league loss of the season to Tahoma. The Conks have an extremely strong resume with wins over Decatur, Kentridge and Auburn Mountainview. This game against Emerald Ridge should be extremely competitive.


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