By Nathan Joyce
MaxPreps.com
Joyce Walker is a basketball legend.
She won a state basketball title as a player (1980) and a coach (2005) at Garfield High in Seattle. She was an All-American at LSU and a member of the Harlem Globetrotters.
Walker told her players last week that she is taking a leave of absence as she battles lung cancer, the Seattle Times reported.
Garfield principal Ted Howard told the Times he is looking for somebody to fill in on an interim basis, and even if Walker, generally considered the top female player from the Washington, wanted to return at mid-season, she could.
"She'll come back when she can handle it," Howard told the Times. "If Joyce is ready to come back at midseason, would we let her? You bet. That would be like Michael Jordan leaving and coming back at midseason."
Basketball: Hawes Returns to Bush
Steve Hawes, the uncle of potential NBA draft pick Spencer Hawes, is returning to coach Class 1A Bush, a private school in Seattle.
Hawes, who previously coached at Bush for seven seasons ending in 2003, is the University of Washington's career leader in scoring average (20.8). His nephew is exploring the NBA draft after one season as a Husky.
Hawes coached in the NBA for 10 years.
Fastpitch: Sophomore Fans 17 in No-Hitter
With the high school postseason kicking into high gear this week, Caitlin Colvin sent Bonney Lake into the playoffs with some momentum.
The sophomore fanned 17 in a no-hitter as Bonney Lake beat Franklin Pierce 6-0 to claim a share of the Class 3A South Puget Sound League title. She also walked three.
Baseball: Auburn Heads Into Playoffs Strong
Auburn headed into the Class 3A West Central/Southwest district tournament as a big favorite. The top-ranked Trojans took care of Mount Rainier, 8-5, to claim a No. 1 seed from the SPSL/Seamount sub-district.
The Trojans are ranked as high as No. 6 nationally by one publication.
Elsewhere in the playoffs, the defending Class 4A champs found themselves in the losers' bracket in the Northwest District playoffs. Mill Creek (18-2) lost to Stanwood, 6-4, and plays a loser-out game Tuesday against Kamiak.
Baseball: CK a Top Seed, but Top Starter Leaving Soon
Central Kitsap beat North Kitsap, 15-3, Saturday in the league tournament to decide who was the best team in the Narrows League. Both teams finished tied atop the league standings at 15-5. CK won in a mercy-rule shortened game to decide the top seed into this weekend's Class 4A West Central District tournament.
But they might only have their ace for one more start, no matter how long they go in the playoffs. Washington State-bound David Stilley, a lefty rated as one of the top pitching prospects in the Northwest, will have Tommy John surgery on May 16 and will be unavailable if the team qualifies for regionals.