Royal Gains: Lynnwood Girls Thrash GP, Stake Claim As State’s Best

The period of time I spent waiting in line to get into the gym at Lynnwood High School on Friday night was longer than the period of time that the game between the Royals and visiting Glacier Peak was actually competitive. And I didn’t even have to wait that long.

All those hundreds of people were there to see what was on paper the last, best chance for AP No. 1 Lynnwood (19-0) to be challenged during the regular season. When the two teams played up in Snohomish on Jan. 13, the defending 3A state champs narrowly escaped with a 60-54 win — to date, the only time this season their margin of victory was fewer than 14 points.

But this time around, on senior night at Lynnwood, when perhaps the two greatest girls basketball players in school history were on their home floor for the penultimate time, the Grizzlies never had a chance. Lynnwood jumped out to a 24-10 lead after the first quarter, which swelled to 49-25 shortly after halftime and 63-29 with 2:11 left in the third period. The final margin was 79-49, according to those who stuck around to watch the fourth quarter. I was not one of them.

This was a clinic, with guards Jordyn Edwards and Mikayla Pivec serving as chief practitioners. Pivec is the superstar, the top-25 national recruit who spurned Stanford to sign with Oregon State. But Edwards, who will play at Colorado State next year, shines pretty brightly herself. She’s the tip of the spear in the Royals’ unceasing full-court pressure and another gifted offensive player who can create shots for herself or for others. It’s tough to believe any backcourt in the state can match up.

It’s cliché to say that a player never changes her facial expression on the court, but with Pivec, it’s actually true. Whether she was slashing through the Grizzlies defense in transition for an easy deuce or throwing elbows around underneath the basket — both of which were frequent occurrences — the 5-foot-10 guard stared blankly ahead, unconcerned. Early in the game, she was fouled on a three-pointer and had her headband knocked off. Pivec left it behind, but a teammate brought it over to her at the line, and I could see her say, “Thank you.” Those might have been the only words that passed her lips all night. At one point in the third quarter, she dished the ball to an open Edwards, and calmly mimed a shooting motion. Edwards shot, and the ball went in. Pivec doesn’t give orders, she provides gentle suggestions. The two descriptors that kept coming to mind were laconic and stoic. The senior is a bit of a Spartan. With the ball in her hands and open court ahead, she is truly ferocious.

Edwards, meanwhile, is a tightly wound ball of unadulterated energy who looked like she was put on this earth to make opposing point guards miserable. Lynnwood ran a variety of pressure defenses, but all were predicated on the idea that Edwards can tirelessly guard the length of the floor and create enough turnovers to make it all worthwhile. In the most literal sense, she was always on her toes — like, whenever I looked, her heels never seemed to be touching the ground, which was actually a little disconcerting.

The speed that allowed her to qualify for state in the 200-meter dash last year was evident. And the basketball savvy was there, too, as you might expect for the daughter of Royals coach Everett Edwards. Part of what makes Pivec such an offensive force is her preternatural court sense, but such a skill is only as useful as the people around it (think LeBron James whipping no-look dimes past a ragtag crew of nobodies during his first stint in Cleveland). Edwards is the perfect complement, always seeming to be in the right place — often right beneath the basket — to make the most of her teammates gifts as a passer. Her jumper isn’t the prettiest thing in the world, a bit mechanical, but it goes in. We’re picking nits here. Edwards and Pivec are both awesome. The two seniors improved to 91-6 in their Lynnwood careers with the win.

Edwards finished the night with 17 points, and Pivec had 19 points, 11 assists and six rebounds. And yet neither was the Royals’ leading scorer Friday night — that was Kaprice Boston, who poured in 23. Guard Reilly Walsh hit a handful of big threes, and post Kelsey Rogers held her own against star GP center Kayla Watkins. There’s a lot to like in Lynnwood.

Lynnwood, West Seattle, Bellevue and Arlington are all still undefeated in Class 3A. The AP ranks the Royals No. 1, but the area’s two major newspapers both put Bellevue in the top spot. Thankfully, this will now all get decided on the court. Barring any upsets, Bellevue and WS will meet in the District 2 tournament, and Lynnwood and Arlington will finally square off in District 1. All four seem likely to qualify for the 3A state tournament at the Tacoma Dome, which should be a doozy on both the boys and girls sides of things.

I don’t know what will happen, but I’m excited to find out. And no matter what unfolds, I expect the Lynnwood backcourt to have a major hand in writing the script.