Shorewood basketball wins district title and heads for state tournament

Basketball team poses with the district championship trophy after defeating Snohomish 51-36.
Photo courtesy Shorewood Basketball

By Zane Hopen, Assistant Coach

The Shorewood High School boys basketball team will begin its journey through the WIAA 3A State Tournament this Friday after winning its third district title in school history (1984, 1986).

The Stormrays defeated Snohomish 51-36 in the district championship game last Saturday night, and are seeded 10th in the state bracket awaiting the winner of Monroe and University (Spokane).

This marks the second consecutive season the Shorewood boys have appeared in the state tournament after breaking a 38-year drought last season where they were eliminated by Federal Way in the opening round as the 19 seed. This year, the Stormrays have to win one game to advance to the Round of 12 at the Tacoma Dome.

Sophomore forward Tyler Marlow (23) and senior forward Jaden Marlow (24) high-five after a big play. Photo by Kristi Lin

Season at a Glance

Following a successful year three under Head Coach Joey Petschl in the 2024-25 season, the Stormrays came into 2025-26 with a significant core of the drought-ending state team coming back. 

Preparation began for the season last June, with a strenuous schedule of weight lifting, practices, and games on the weekends against top competition, capping it off with a showcase at Bellevue College put on by the Washington Interscholastic Basketball Coaches Association with college coaches in attendance. 

With so many of the team’s contributors experiencing the highs and lows of the run to state, they worked extremely hard in the summer to prepare for their next goal: make it even further next season.

The Stormrays started the year 4-1 in their non-league games with two wins over WesCo 4A opponents Kamiak and Jackson. With three WesCo League games before the holiday break, Shorewood went 2-1 including an 85-61 win over rival Shorecrest, marking the program’s first win over Shorecrest under Coach Petschl.

Junior guard Yuto Allison shoots a corner three-pointer against Edmonds-Woodway.
Photo by Kristi Lin

Shorewood took its 6-2 record to Vancouver, WA for a three-game event at Mountain View High School over the holiday break, an essential stretch to prepare for the remaining league schedule. They went 1-2 with a win over Battle Ground and losses to Auburn Mountainview and Columbia River, who have both qualified for their respective state tournaments. Despite the tough competition, they didn’t play their best. The sky wasn’t falling by any means, sitting with a 7-4 record and only one league loss, but the trip south ended up being a big turning point in the season.

The team went 8-1 in January, with its only defeat being a 54-52 loss to Mount Si which is currently the No. 1 team in the state in 4A. All eight wins came in league play, outscoring opponents 533-392 and holding them under 55 points in eight of the nine games. Within the hot streak was a win over Edmonds-Woodway which at the time was undefeated and ranked No. 5 in the state, and a 63-55 win over Meadowdale which beat Shorewood earlier in the year.

Approaching playoff time, Shorewood had two crucial games to close the year: a rematch with Edmonds-Woodway in the season finale for the regular season championship, and a WesCo League North/South crossover game with Snohomish to solidify seeding for the district tournament. The Stormrays lost both (55-48 to Edmonds, 61-55 to Snohomish), earning themselves the fourth seed in the district tournament.

Senior guard Nathan Abraha shoots a three-pointer against Sedro-Woolley.
Photo by Kristi Lin

Playoffs

Shorewood won its first playoff game at home against Sedro-Woolley 63-45 in a strong defensive performance, setting the team up for a third matchup with Edmonds-Woodway in the district semifinals, with the winner clinching a spot in the state tournament.

After losing in their gym two weeks prior, Shorewood bounced back and beat Edmonds-Woodway in a hard-fought game 42-40, continuing to find ways to win with a defense-first mentality.

The win set up another clash with Snohomish in the district championship game, where Shorewood was able to get revenge yet again by securing the third district championship in program history with a 51-36 win.

The 3A state tournament bracket was released midday on Sunday where the seeding committee put Shorewood in the 10 slot, awaiting the winner of Monroe vs. University. The winner will advance to the Tacoma Dome in the Round of 12. 

The game will be this Friday, February 27 at 8:00pm at North Creek High School in Bothell, and streamed live on NFHS Network. Find the full state tournament bracket here.

Senior guard Nathan Abraha, junior guard Tommy Moles, and junior guard Kevin Cambronero playing defense against Edmonds-Woodway. Photo by Kristi Lin

Note from Coach Hopen

As an assistant coach, I speak for the whole coaching staff when I say I’m incredibly proud of the season the boys have put together. Since last June, each of these boys has been bought into the strategy, mentality, and principles we’ve preached in order to complete the incredibly difficult task of reaching back-to-back state tournaments. Through the highs and lows of the season, they’ve continually responded to every challenge put in front of them, and have done it the right way.

Senior class Jaden Marlow, Nathan Abraha,
and Elijah Haub pose with the district
championship trophy.
Photo courtesy Shorewood basketball

As a Shorewood alum, I’m even more proud to see the way these guys play the game and represent the school. Whether it’s running clinics with the youth teams or garnering attention from Shorewood basketball alumni of all ages with their on-court success, they are easy to root for and have put a massive spotlight on the program. 

They are role models to kids throughout the school district and community in how to carry themselves and how to compete.

Thank you to all of those who have supported us along the way, and we would love to see as many people as possible wearing blue at North Creek on Friday night, and hopefully at the Tacoma Dome beyond that. Go Stormrays!