The Washington girls punched their ticket to the State Basketball Tournament for the third straight year after defeating No. 5 Anadarko, 40-37.

They will play Roland today (Thursday) at 4:30 p.m. at the Big House at the Oklahoma State Fairgrounds.

Anadarko, who also made the State tournament field, was a formidable opponent in the Area tournament.

“It was a heavy-weight dog fight,” said Warrior head coach Kale Simon. “It was a good girls basketball game with good defense and we had to fight through to win.”

Anadarko’s physical style and team size made scoring the ball challenging.

Senior Breanna Lindert spent much of the night on the bench while in foul trouble and finished with just three points.

With Lindert sidelined, several Warriors rose to the occasion to pick up the team.

“Freshman Eternity Self replaced Lindert and had her best game of the season,” Simon said.

Self finished the night with a team-high 10 points and nine rebounds.

Another freshman, Briley Beller, picked up some of the scoring load and finished with nine points, according to Simon.

Meanwhile, her sister Kelby Beller, was steady at the point guard position.

“Kelby’s confidence, poise and demeanor was a huge factor in the game,” Simon said. “It was a team effort.”

Roland

The Warriors open the State tournament with Roland, 22-5 this season.

Simon said they are a team who is scary this time of the year.

“They have two really dynamic guards and a third girl who is a good inside-out player,” Simon said.

The State tournament-seasoned Warriors now have their sights on winning their last game of the year.

“Our approach is pretty easy and clear; every girl being exactly who they are and doing what they do to the best of her ability. Nobody has to play outside of who she is,” Simon said. “We need to be consistent and disciplined in all the boring little things that win games that matter.”

Washington is 27-1.

Boys

The Warrior boys’ path to State looked a little different.

In the consolation side of the Area tournament, Washington needed to win three games to reach the State tournament.

They started off with a 53-44 win over Kingston.

Head coach Trevor Smith credited his team’s defense for the win.

“We guarded really well on Thursday and all weekend,” he said. “Thursday just set the tone for us.”

It was Washington’s second meeting of the season against Kingston, having beaten them earlier in the season, 68-56.

The coach said his team was cautiously confident going into the game.

“We entered pretty confident but it’s always nerve-racking playing a team like that twice,” Smith said.

The Warriors held Kingston to only 13 points at half and 19 points by the end of the third quarter.

The Redskins went on a run in the fourth quarter, scoring 25 points. But Washington had already built a lead that wouldn’t be reached.

Cooper Collins led the way in scoring with 12 points.

Jack McKimmey scored 11 and Mason Adams had 10 points in the win.

Marlow

The Warriors’ next game was another rematch, this time against Marlow.

The two teams split during the regular season and Smith said his team was excited to play them again.

Washington came out on top this time, 32-27.

“Both teams played really good defense and it came down to a couple key plays,” Smith said. “It was an ugly, grinding game that was so exciting. It was a gritty, gutsy win.”

Anadarko

The Warriors next faced 3A No. 4 Anadarko with a berth to the State tournament on the line and came out on top, 41-33.

Washington’s defense showed up once again and held Anadarko to their season low score.

“We were on cloud nine,” Smith said. “Our fans were so great the whole time. It was really fun and the fans enjoyed it.”

Senior Teagen Foster led the team in scoring with 13 points, followed by McKimmey with 11.

“I’ve talked about our depth this season, but I 100 percent  believe that’s why we’re where we are now,” Smith said. “It has let us stay fresh and play hard the entire year.”

Crooked Oak

The Warriors will need to utilize their depth when they tip off against Class 3A No. 2 Crooked Oak at noon today (Thursday) in the Big House on the State Fairgrounds.

“They’re really athletic with good guards and shooters,” Smith said. “They’ll try to speed you up and make you turn it over. We’ll have to take care of the ball and make them score on our half court defense. We’re familiar with them and know who they are. It will be fun.”

Washington is 24-6 this season.