By Brenda Sexton

Bonney Lake High made an appearance at the West Central District championship games Friday night at ShoWare Center in Kent.

The Lady Panthers’ basketball team may have played in the afternoon for the No. 3 seed, but Bonney Lake High senior Ashley Reisen played to the crowd, belting out the national anthem at both of the later contests.

She added Friday night’s star-spangled performance to a long list that includes the Panthers’ home volleyball season, a few home basketball games this winter and the 4A district tournament a week ago.

The 8 p.m. contest between Enumclaw and Union’s boys’ teams was a thrill for the Panther alto.

“There’s a bigger crowd at guys’ basketball,” Ashley said.

Taking center court isn’t novel for Ashley.

She’s a right-side and middle-hitter for the Panthers’ volleyball team and plays singles for Bonney Lake’s tennis team.

In fact, while playing volleyball with her club team at a tournament in Reno, Nev., Ashley was asked to sing the national anthem. That, she said, was a big crowd.

The anthem, as we know, is not an easy song to sing, but Ashley said she found a key that works for her voice. Bonney Lake High choir director Amy Fuller said Ashley’s been a fixture in the choir room since seventh grade.

She’s also co-president of the chamber choir and performs with the jazz choir.

“She is a very committed young woman,” Fuller said. “Ashley is a natural-born leader with a positive spirit that is contagious to all around. She makes people feel at ease and comfortable. Ashley will be greatly missed from the choral program next year and I don’t know what I would have done without her help.”

Ashley will be the third generation from her family to attend Principia College in Illinois in the fall. Her talent in the classroom has earned her a full scholarship.