For the first time in Annie Wright history, the Upper School for Girls’ basketball team is playing at the Washington State Tournament in Yakima, WA.

Yesterday the team loaded up and departed for the tournament as the entire school cheered them on. Today the #6 Gators faced #11 Zillah High School at 9:00 am in a single elimination game. The Gators prevailed 71-67, but the lead switched 5 times during the game. With the score tied at 63 and 90 seconds to go, Senior Agye Mintah and Freshman Jazmyn Stone scored the winning four points of the game. Sophomore Julianna Walker lead the team with 38 points.

This win allows them to advance to the quarter-final round at 9:00 am tomorrow, February 28, against #4 Cashmere High School. If the Gators win against Cashmere, they will proceed on to semi-finals. If they do not win, they will still have a chance to compete for fourth place.

This season, the Gators broke the school record with 18 regular season wins and only 2 losses. They broke the record when they played Vashon High School on January 29, which was also senior night honoring seniors Agye Mintah, Amhina Webb and Ali MacCord. Webb, MacCord, and Walker are the team captains.

During the first week of December, Walker was named WIAA player of the week. She has consistently led the nation in scoring.

Head coached by Chris Spivey and assistant coached by LJ Walker and Dante Jackson, the Gators are the Nisqually League Champions. The team averaged 71 points per game, leading the state of Washington for all school classifications.

Check out @anniewrightinkwell on Instagram for more State basketball tournament updates.