From now through early March, this basketball season will be filled with memorable matchups. Here are 10 dates to circle on the calendar that feature some of the most compelling regular season storylines of the season.
Tuesday
Grandview at West Valley: This season-opener features a matchup between the 2A runner-up Greyhounds and a Rams team with serious aspirations. West Valley's Landen Birley (24.95 points per game last season) and Grandview's Cameron Draculan (23.00) should put on a show.
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Friday
Zillah at Grandview: The reigning 1A champion Leopards will be lethal again with boys basketball Athlete of the Year winner Dekker Van De Graaf back for his junior year. Zillah beat Grandview 71-66 last December, when the Leopards beat both of the eventual 2A finalists.
Friday, Dec. 13
Davis at Eisenhower: The Cadets are on a positive trajectory under third-year coach Nikhil Lizotte and bring back the prolific scoring of junior Lucas Stevens. Davis graduates three all-leaguers, but returns CBBN player of the year Cesar Hernandez and will prove to be a formidable test for any team on its schedule.
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Friday, Dec. 20
Sunnyside at East Valley: Returning all-leaguers Eli Esquivel and Chase Staymates are trying to lead the Red Devils back to state for the first time since 2014, while the Grizzlies were a win shy of state last season as Aiden Sanchez enjoyed a breakout freshman season.
Friday, Dec. 27
Zillah vs. Annie Wright and Grandview vs. Lynden: The SunDome Shootout always provides a preview of the top contenders coming to March's state tournament, and this year it features rematches of the 2A and 1A boys title games.
Saturday, Jan. 4
Zillah at Royal: The Leopards haven't lost a league game since Feb. 4, 2022, but in the remade SCAC they'll face the Knights, who earned the No. 6 seed at state last year, twice.
Tuesday, Jan. 7
Prosser at Selah: The Mustangs beat the Vikings in a winner-to-state, loser-out game on their way to a fourth-place trophy, the program's best finish since 1967. Selah closed the 2010s with five straight state appearances, but haven't been back since 2019-20.
Friday, Jan. 10
White Swan at Cle Elum: The Cougars beat the Warriors by a point to grab the program's 22nd state berth and beat the EWAC West No. 1 seed Warriors' season. A new yet familiar name will lead the Cougars' program. Former White Swan girls coach Don Jones takes over the boys program while his daughter Amber will coach the girls.
Saturday, Jan. 25
Ellensburg at Grandview: One of the Greyhounds' three regular season losses last season was a 21-point defeat by the Bulldogs. Six-foot-nine Garrett Marrs scored 20 points in what was the Bulldogs' first league win in six tries. The Hounds, who didn't have a player listed above 6-foot-4 last year, have struggled against taller opponents.
Saturday, Feb. 1
Davis at West Valley: The Rams have CBBN title aspirations, and to win their first league title since 2019, they'll need to go through Davis. West Valley forward Parker Mills bullied the Pirates down low last year, scoring 78 points in three matchups last season, including 28 in a CBBN district title game victory.