Issaquah pulled off a big upset against Bellevue. Three goal underdogs based on Laxpower’s computer math, they leveraged one of the most important stats in the game of lacrosse – number of possessions. They now sit at 1st in KingCo and will look to protect this standing on Friday against Mercer Island.

The week that was….

In the Division 1 SPSL/Narrows conference, Tahoma and Auburn Riverside distanced themselves from the pack. The two meet to close the season in a game that will most likely decide the conference title. However, the race for the last playoff seed has also developed into a two-team dogfight between Emerald Ridge-Puyallup and Curtis. Emerald Ridge-Puyallup took a huge step towards capturing that berth by defeating Curtis 9-7. Not only are they now a full game up in the standings, they now hold the tiebreaker with Curtis based on their head-to-head win. This essentially gives them a 2-game lead.

So far this year, Washington has competed more than favorably with the top level of Oregon high school lacrosse. The dominant trend for our Washingtonians has been wins, or close losses at worst. The trend continued this week as Bainbridge lost by just one perennial Oregon power, Lincoln. In addition, Lake Washington held its own with Oregon Episcopal School, losing by only three.

Bothell-Inglemoor and Newport very nearly pulled off huge upsets. Newport built a lead but wasn’t able to outlast Eastlake on Friday night, despite what appears to be their best performance to date. Bothell-Inglemoor took Mercer Island deep – the Islanders needed 2 overtimes to escape the Cougars. Huge evidence of development for both underdogs, thanks to consistent coaching, talented players, and a tough conference that demands improvement.

Overlake held on to defeat Sehome-Bellingham 5-4, another victory for a D-II program over a D-I. The "upset" is an impressive statement for the ever-developing Metro conference. Overlake is a Division II program fighting for a playoff berth while Sehome-Bellingham has all but clinched a berth in the Division I playoffs as current top dog in the Wesco/Northwest.

Elsewhere in Division 2, Vashon put together an impressive performance against Port Angeles, greatly improving their playoff resume in the SPSL/Olympic. In the Central-South, Southridge was unable to repeat the feat they pulled off just a week ago. This time they fell to Camas. This put the Papermakers back in control of the conference while Southridge is now on the outside looking in. Southridge hosts King's Way on Friday 5/2 in a must win for them to remain in the playoff chase.

D2 Playoff preview

Eastern – total seeds: 2

Wenatchee has a very strong hold on the first spot in the Eastern Conference. The question remains: who will win the second spot? University-CV and Gonzaga Prep both have a shot, and will meet on the 29th in a game that will largely determine who is going to the playoffs. Last game was a 6-5 overtime win for University. Neck and neck, they should provide an exciting finish for the Eastern Conference.

Central/South – total seeds: 2

Camas and King’s Way are in a 2-way tie for 1st, and unless Southridge can pull off a key win against King’s Way on May 2nd at home, it should remain this way.

Metro – total seeds: 2

Seattle Academy leads and is clear favorite to remain there. Overlake has the inside track on the other playoff berth holding a win over the one other team in the mix, O'Dea. several conference games still to play so the Owls must continue to hold serve with the Irish nipping at their heels.

Wesco/NW - total seeds: 3

First place mostly belongs to Shorecrest, with a mix of Stanwood, Meadowdale, and Lynden battling for the next 2 seeds.

Olympic – total seeds: 2

Klahowya holds a slim lead right now, but Vashon sits in the most favorable position having already beaten Klahowya and holding a win over Emerald Ridge-Puyallup. Vashon has a very favorable schedule left with Peninsula its biggest one left. Meanwhile Klahowya must still face Auburn Riverside while Peninsula has Auburn Riverside and Tahoma left in their final stretch.

Another chance – play-in game between #3 in the Olympic and #1 in KingCo

Whoever ends up being the odd man out in the Olympic conference will by virtue of earning third in their conference meet Liberty, the only KingCo team in D-II.

Best upcoming matchups

D-I:

4/29: Curtis @ Auburn-Riverside: For both teams, this game has potential playoff implications. Auburn-Riverside can solidify their hold on one of their conference spots, while Curtis is fighting for their lives.

5/1: Lake Washington @ Eastlake: This one’s for a playoff spot, pure and simple. Barring unforeseen circumstances, the winner of this game is writing their ticket to the first round!

5/2: Mercer Island @ Issqauah: This one’s for first place in KingCo – can Issaquah hold on?

D-II:

4/29: Overlake @ Seattle Academy: Winner takes 1st in D-II Metro

4/29: University-CV @ Gonzaga Prep: Another University-CV win locks up a playoff spot. A G-Prep win could force the need for a tie-breaking third game between the two!

5/2: King’s Way @ Southridge: Southridge’s last chance

Anything we missed? Got some good comments or questions for us? EMAIL: [email protected]