Bothell girls basketball team’s Tacoma Dome trip ends early

Published 4:36 pm Thursday, March 5, 2026

In the round of 12 inside the Tacoma Dome, the Bothell Cougars (20-8) fell to Lake Stevens (22-3) 55-48 on March 4.

Bothell entered as the No. 7 seed in the 4A tournament. After a loss to No. 2 Union in the regionals, the Cougars were tasked with taking on the Vikings, with a trip to the quarterfinals on the line.

These two teams are no strangers as they met last season in a district consolation game that saw Lake Stevens eliminate Bothell in the final game before the state tournament. The Vikings won that game by a score of 59-52 back on Feb. 20, 2025.

In the first quarter, Bothell was slow to get out of the gates and trailed Lake Stevens 16-10 at the end of the first quarter.

But the second stanza saw a flurry of points, and the Cougars were able to draw level with the Vikings at halftime, with the score tied at 27.

In the third quarter, the two sides were in lock-step with each other. The Cougars led by as much as four in that third quarter, 35-31, which was short lived before Lake Stevens tied the game at 35.

Bothell led at the close of that third frame, 39-38, but in the fourth quarter, the well went dry and Bothell ran out of gas. The two sides were tied at 40 before Lake Stevens went on a 6-1 run. These two teams played extremely close the entire game with the largest lead being only seven points all game.

The Cougars had their worst scoring quarter of the game, putting up just nine points in the fourth as Bothell saw that quarterfinal appearance slip through their fingers. With 1:53 left on the clock, Sam Brooke hit one of two threes of the game and pulled Bothell to within two points, 48-46. Lake Stevens would go on to hold off the Cougars in the final minute of the game.

Charlotte Lipkin led all scorers with 26 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 blocks, 4 steals and was the only Cougar to reach double figures. Kayleah Hawkins was next closest with eight for the Cougars.