Tickets to the regional round of the state basketball tournament have been punched and there were some surprises in both the boys and the girls brackets of the West Central District tournament.

KENTWOOD GIRLS TO STATE, BOYS OUT

Thanks to a two-point victory over Rogers Feb. 16, the Kentwood girls basketball team punched its ticket to the state regionals.With that victory in a loser-out, winner-to-state contest, Kentwood defeated South Puget Sound League North rival Kentridge Monday night, 58-51, at Stadium for the sixth seed out of the district tournament. Kentwood beat Skyview in the first round Feb. 13 but lost to Todd Beamer in the second round Feb. 15. Beamer went on to the district championship game Monday night against top-ranked Mount Rainier.

Meanwhile, Kentwood’s boys couldn’t capitalize on its buzzer-beater momentum from the league seeding game and was eliminated Feb.15 by Mount Rainier in a 69-58 loss.

STATE STILL ELUSIVE FOR TAHOMA

After getting off to a quick start in the district tournament Feb. 13 at home against Olympia, Tahoma’s boys lost two straight to miss state. The Bears have not played in the state tournament since 1997.The Bears struggled Feb. 15 in a 73-55 loss to Todd Beamer at Mount Tahoma High in the second round of the West Central District playoffs.

Beamer knocked down nine threes as a team while Tahoma’s generally reliable outside shooter Ethan McCormack didn’t make his first three pointer until late in the game.In the winner-to-state, loser-out game Feb. 16 against SPSL North rival Thomas Jefferson, Tahoma couldn’t find a way to overcome the Raiders, who qualified for the playoffs thanks to a win in the last regular season game at home against the Bears. This is Jefferson’s first trip to the playoffs since 1985 and the 66-58 win was the Raiders’ third victory over the Bears this season.

It was a tough night Feb. 15 for the girls from Tahoma, too, who lost to Auburn Riverside Friday at Bellarmine Prep in a loser-out contest.