Times Stars Of The Week

Ray Ailus, Redmond

The 6-foot-4 senior came off the bench to lead the Mustangs with 18 points in the state championship game last Saturday. The Finnish exchange student averaged 4.7 points per game during the regular season and had scored only 10 points in three tournament games before hitting five of six shots from the field and seven of eight from the free-throw line in the final. Redmond lost to Garfield 63-51.

Shanthi Barton, Lake Washington

The 5-foot-8 junior averaged 19 points per game in the state tournament for the Kangaroos, including a game-high 26 points last Friday in their 70-66 upset of No. 2 Redmond, despite suffering a hyperextended knee in the fourth quarter of the tournament opener last Wednesday. She scored 18 to lead the Kangaroos to a 58-54 victory over Lakes in the opener, but left the game after injuring her knee with 3 minutes, 30 seconds to go. She left the Seattle Center Arena on crutches but started the next day.

Lake Washington girls basketball

The Kangaroos (20-10) became the only KingCo Conference team to defeat KingCo champion Redmond this season and went on to place seventh in the tournament - the highest finish for an Eastside girls team - in its first state tourney appearance.

The Times selects a boy, girl and team as its Stars of the Week every Tuesday.