Local fifth grade basketball team takes state championship

Published 4:00 pm Wednesday, March 18, 2026

A group of Plateau fifth-grade girls recently capped their basketball season by winning five consecutive games in Spokane and claiming a state tournament championship.

As part of a White River feeder program coached by Steven Gray, the girls went through tryouts in September and practice sessions in October before launching their tourney schedule. The Sting team made appearances close to home (Auburn and Tahoma, for example, with a trip over the mountains to Cle Elum) before heading east for the March 13-15 tournament.

In Spokane the team first played at North Central High School then moved to The Podium, an addition to downtown that boasts nine basketball courts in addition to volleyball courts, wrestling mats and track and field amenities.

The local fifth-graders – four who attend Mountain Meadow Elementary, four from Elk Ridge and two from Carbonado – left the Podium with top honors in their division.

On their title march, the squad posted a 36-10, Day 1 victory over a team from Monroe; on Day 2 the Sting defeated Rochester 22-12 and knocked off a Cheney team 35-10. On the final day, playing at 8 a.m. the White River girls downed Mountlake Terrace 31-8, setting up a title tilt against Cashmere; the finale was the closest contest for the local girls but they emerged with a 21-16 victory.

The tourney-winning roster includes Riley Murphy, Kinsley Klemkow, Kayden Mothershead, Maisie Watterson, Bailee Gray, McKinley Anderson, Joey Merna, Adyson Burger, Lucia Blakley and Olivia Hansen. Assistant coaches are Ashley Murphy and Erin Mothershead.