SunDome Shootout Tickets: $14 adult, $11 youth/senior/student, 1 day; $23/$18, 2 days. Friday 11 a.m.: Tenino vs. King's (Court 1); Selah girls vs. Cashmere (Court 2). 12:30 p.m.: Lakewood vs. Lake Stevens (1); Brewster vs. Bear Creek. 2 p.m.: Port Angeles vs. Quincy (1); Cascade Christian vs. Lakeside (Nine Mile). 3:30 p.m.: Burbank vs. East Valley (1); Zillah girls vs. Brewster (2) 5 p.m.: Zillah vs. Bonney Lake (1); Selah vs. North Kitsap (2) 6:30 p.m.: West Valley vs. Bremerton (1); Wapato vs. Riverside (2) 8 p.m.: Grandview vs. Lynden (1); Davis vs. Shorewood (2) Saturday 9 a.m.: Lakeside vs. Tenino (1); Quincy vs. North Kitsap (2). 10:30 a.m.: Burbank vs. Cascade Christian (1); Brewster girls vs. Cashmere (2). Noon: Selah vs. Lakewood (1); Lake Stevens vs. Davis (2). 1:30 p.m.: Lynden vs. Bonney Lake (1); Riverside vs. Brewster (2). 3 p.m.: Bremerton vs. Grandview (1); Shorewood vs. West Valley (2). 4:30 p.m.: King's vs. Zillah (1); East Valley vs. Port Angeles (2). 6 p.m.: Bear Creek vs. Wapato (1); Zillah girls vs. Selah.
The annual Wilbur-Ellis SunDome Shootout remains one of the most popular holiday destinations for top 1A and 2A teams, even amidst ongoing financial challenges.
Finding teams to play in the same building that will host the 1A and 2A state championships in March may be the easiest part of the job for Zillah boys basketball coach and event coordinator Mario Mengarelli, who said he turned down another 15-20 teams beyond the 14 scheduled to play on Dec. 27 and 28. But it will cost Zillah basketball's nonprofit $35,000 to host the 28 games, and Mengarelli said they actually lost money last December.
"It's just tough because the costs just keep going up and up for everything," Mengarelli said. "We're alive, but we're hanging by a thread just to put this on."
Games will begin Friday at 11 a.m. when Tenino faces King's on one court and the Selah girls meet Cashmere on the other in a matchup featuring two of the tournament's four girls teams. The Vikings girls team will also conclude the tournament Saturday at 6 p.m. when they face Zillah while the Bear Creek boys take on Wapato.
Nine Yakima Valley teams are scheduled to play, including the Big 9's top two contenders, Davis and West Valley. Mengarelli's bringing in all four 2A semifinalists and scheduled a rematch of last year's state title game between Lynden and Grandview for Friday at 8 p.m.
"I think there's going to be a lot of good games," Mengarelli said. "I'm excited about the lineup."
He works together with staff to try and ensure competitive matchups while also taking into account the preferences of teams wanting to play earlier or later in the day. Coaches are often given a chance to offer input on their opponents as well.
Bremerton will play West Valley and Grandview in its first-ever SunDome Shootout appearance after missing an upset of No. 1 Lynden by only a point in the 2024 2A semifinals. Mengarelli initially gave Zillah a rematch of the state title game in which it beat Annie Wright, but the Gators chose to accept a late invite to the Les Schwab Invitational, forcing Mengarelli to bring in Bonney Lake as a replacement.
The introduction of playoff seeding committees for all sports beginning in the 2021-22 seasons put more of a premium on notable nonleague wins for teams hoping to earn top seeds in the state tournament. Mengarelli said he believes six coaches present at this year's Shootout serve on seeding committees, so the two days will offer them a valuable chance to see state contenders in person.
Last year's SunDome Shootout featured seven boys teams that returned to Yakima for the state tournament, including both champions and two other trophy teams. Fans can expect to see a handful of teams capable of matching those accomplishments this week.