Island fifth-grade girls hoops team notches state title

March 14, 2023 5:30 pm
Fifth-grade girls state champs: Back row (standing): Coach Tony Locascio, Julia Gribble, Marlowe Eskridge, Claire Oberto, Maija McCune, Chloe Chen, Elsie Pierce and assistant coach Grace Shaddle; Floor: Margaret Shea, Aylwen Battersby, Sydney Munson, Lana Cuneo, Paige Anderson, Sophia Clark and Mackenzie Helman. Courtesy photo
Fifth-grade girls state champs: Back row (standing): Coach Tony Locascio, Julia Gribble, Marlowe Eskridge, Claire Oberto, Maija McCune, Chloe Chen, Elsie Pierce and assistant coach Grace Shaddle; Floor: Margaret Shea, Aylwen Battersby, Sydney Munson, Lana Cuneo, Paige Anderson, Sophia Clark and Mackenzie Helman. Courtesy photo

Mercer Island Girls Basketball Select’s fifth-grade team won the state gold division crown on March 12 at the 2023 Washington Middle School Basketball Championship in Spokane.

Led by coach Tony Locascio, the team went undefeated over the weekend and notched the program’s first state gold championship. The locals beat Skyline Silver, 30-17, to win the title. Earlier in the tourney, they defeated PBC (Pasco), 23-14, and Tahoma, 29-19, in pool play, and Lewiston Legacy, 33-26, in the semifinals.

In all, five Mercer Island girls select teams competed at state, including squads in grades four, six, seven and eight.