WRHS girls take fourth in state basketball
Published 1:00 pm Monday, March 9, 2026
A shiny, new addition is headed to the White River High trophy case, courtesy of a fourth-place finish in last week’s Class 3A tournament by the Hornet girls basketball team.
In just their second season after making the jump from the 2A ranks to the larger Class 3A, White River won three of four games during the state tourney, which played out March 4-7 in the Tacoma Dome.
The state placing appears to set the stage for continued excellence on the rural Buckley campus, as this year’s squad lacked a single senior. The state roster listed four juniors, four sophomores and three members of the freshman class.
Also working in the Hornets’ favor is a track record built by coach Chris Gibson, who just finished his 29th season at the White River helm. His teams have made state tourney appearances nearly every season in the past two decades, failing to qualify for a state berth just twice since 2000.
Already an inductee into the Washington State Girls Basketball Coaches Association Hall of Fame, Gibson is the winningest active coach in the state (boys or girls). He celebrated his 700th victory in early February.
Having been around the block a time or two, Gibson is qualified to offer a post-tournament assessment.
“It was an amazing tourney for the kids,” he said, a day after the 3A festivities wrapped up. “I couldn’t be more proud.”
Here’s a look at White River’s Tacoma Dome experience, four days of hoops that culminated in the fourth-place finish in the Class 3A tournament.
GAME 4
Already assured of taking home a trophy, the White River squad led from start to finish in the state finale, defeating Evergreen High 56-44 in the Saturday morning showdown for fourth or sixth place.
The Hornet defense again did the trick, limiting the Plainsmen to just seven points in the first quarter and seven more in the second. Heading into halftime it was 25-14 for White River which proved to make all the difference after a nearly even second half.
The Hornets were paced by Maggee Schmitz who scored a game-high 22 points while on the way to a posting a most impressive stat sheet. The junior added nine rebounds, four assists and five blocked shots during her 30 minutes on the court.
Joining her in double-figure scoring were Gracie Banks, who had 11 points, and Malia Froemke with 10.
GAME 3
On a Friday night in Tacoma the Hornets had an easy time advancing to the final day of Dome play.
The stakes were high in the loser-out contest which sent the winner into Saturday play assured of a tournament trophy – either fourth or sixth place.
The Stanwood Spartans couldn’t muster much of an offense and White River coasted to a 47-28 victory. To no one’s surprise the Hornets never trailed.
Stanwood managed a measly two points in the first quarter and added just six more points during the second period, allowing the Hornets to enter halftime with a noteworthy 28-8 advantage.
The good times continued for White River during the third frame, with the Buckley bunch building a 42-13 lead, putting the game on ice with their largest lead of the night.
The victorious effort was sparked by Malia Froemke who buried six shots on the night, all from 3-point range, and finished with a game-high 18 points.
GAME 2
This one might be remembered as a game the Hornets would like to forget.
The Eastside Catholic girls, seeded No. 6 into the 3A tourney, held a distinct advantage in all major categories on the way to a 59-40 victory over the No. 12 Hornets.
During a span that stretched from midway in the second quarter and into the third, the Crusaders dominated. The private school squad from Sammamish enjoyed a 20-3 advantage, padded their lead to 25 points and looked up at a Tacoma Dome scoreboard that showed them on the winning side of a 42-17 score.
Eastside Catholic had a height advantage that showed up in the final rebounding column and contributed to a 16-3 advantage in second-chance points.
White River’s outside game, which can bury opponents when everything is clicking, was nearly invisible. The Hornets connected on just three shots from beyond the arc, missing 19 times.
The only good news for the Buckley crew was they lived to play another day, courtesy of their spot in the quarterfinal round.
Eastside Catholic went on to claim the 3A championship.
GAME 1
After an entertaining first half that saw White River and North Thurston head to the locker rooms with the score knotted at 23, the Hornets did some second-half damage.
Beginning midway through the third quarter the No. 12-seeded crew from Buckley went on a 17-2 run that pushed their lead to 48-31 and all but sealed the victory. In the end, the Hornets had posted a 60-45 victory over the higher-seeded, No. 5 squad from Lacey.
The game featured a matchup between high-scoring Hornet Maggee Schmitz and North Thurston standout Shayla Cordis. Both went 8-of-18 from the field, each was good on five of 12 two-point shots and each connected on three of six attempts from 3-point range. Schmitz held a clear advantage from the free-throw line, sinking nine of 11 attempts to finish with 28 points and claim game-high scoring honors.
Cordis entered the 3A tournament as the top scorer on the season, averaging a shade over 26 points per outing. She finished with 23 against White River.
White River 56, Evergreen 44
March 7 – for 4th/6th place
White River: 15-10-16-15 – 56
Evergreen: 7-7-18-12 – 44
White River scoring: Maggee Schmitz 22, Gracie Banks 11, Malia Froemke 10, Lilly Banks 6, Kaijah Young 5, Kaitlyn Hewlett 2.
WR field goals (total): 15-58, 25.9%
WR 3-point: 3-20, 15%
Rebounds: White River 54, Evergreen 44.
White River 47, Stanwood 28
March 6 – loser out, winner to 4/6
White River: 13-15-14-5 – 47
Stanwood: 2-6-5-15 – 28
White River scoring: Malia Froemke 18, Gracie Banks 8, Lilly Banks 8, Maggee Schmitz 7, Kaijah Young 4, Jordan Taylor 2.
WR field goals (total): 17/57, 29.8%
WR 3-point: 10/31, 32.3%
Rebounds: White River 47, Stanwood 33.
Eastside Catholic 59, White River 40
March 5 – Quarterfinals
White River: 11-6-9-14 – 40
E. Catholic: 18-18-14-9 – 59
White River scoring: Maggee Schmitz 18, Jordan Taylor 6, Gracie Banks 5, McKenna Rathbun 3, Malia Froemke 2, Lilly Banks 2, Kaitlyn Hewlett 2, Kaijah Young 2.
WR field goals (total): 12/51, 23.5%
WR 3-point: 3/22, 13.6%
Rebounds: White River 36, Eastside Catholic 44.
White River 60, North Thurston 45
March 4 – Round of 12
White River: 13-10-19-18 – 60
North Thurston: 11-12-8-14 – 45
White River scoring: Maggee Schmitz 28, Gracie Banks 12, Malia Froemke 6, Kaitlyn Hewlett 6, Kaijah Young 6, Lilly Banks 2.
WR field goals (total): 19/47, 40.4%
WR 3-point: 8/23, 34.8%
Total rebounds: White River 45, North Mason 30
