YAKIMA – Zillah nation is always up to painting the Yakima Valley SunDome orange during the first week of March.

This year, the Leopards boys and girls basketball teams might give the Lower Valley town double the fun in the SunDome.

Zillah’s top-seeded boys are the lone unbeaten in either field, and are looking to give 10th-year coach Mario Mengarelli his fourth championship.

And the Leopards girls, who were ranked No. 1 by VarsityWA much of the season, are seeded second, and are seeking their first championship game appearance in 51 years.

“It’s a special community and the pinnacle of it is the semifinals in the SunDome when it is rocking and it’s a sea of orange,” Mengarelli said.

Mengarelli was a multisport star at neighboring Granger, a former SCAC rival.

He’s been welcomed into the community, even more so with the success on the court.

Girls coach Joel Yellow Owl transferred to Zillah from White Swan before his senior year of high school. He credits the community with helping him grow up.

“They poured a lot into me as a young person,” said Yellow Owl, who starred his one season for Hall of Fame coach Doug Burge, before playing at Yakima Valley College and Oregon Tech.

After coaching at Toppenish High School, where he’s an academic specialist in the counseling department, Yellow Owl returned to Zillah to coach the girls squad after the passing of popular coach and Zillah athletic legend Brandie Valadez.

Not that he needed it, but he quickly was reminded why he loves the community, and has made it home for him, his wife and their four children.

“Whenever you’re raising a family, you want to put them in the best environment,” Yellow Owl said, happy his wife and children find it home, too. “She’s loved it, and the kids have loved it, and when you can get the kids to love it …”

Both Zillah teams are off until Thursday, having won back-to-back games Saturday.

The girls (23-2) shook off a slow first half, and then smothered seventh-seeded Seton Catholic, 49-27, to avenge last year’s loss in the same round. Zillah will meet the winner of 16th-seeded King’s Way Christian and No. 8 Lakeside of Nine Mile Falls at 9 p.m. Thursday.

Zillah’s boys (24-0), uneven at times, beat No. 8 Seattle Christian, 64-55. The Leopards will get the survivor of Wednesday’s contest between No. 7 Chelan and 10th-seeded Cascade Christian.

“It’s March basketball, if you don’t bring it every possession, bad things will happen,” Mengarelli said.

Royal’s third-seeded boys found that out Saturday, falling to No. 6 King’s, 48-47. The Knights (21-4) will meet 11th-seeded Overlake at 9 a.m. Wednesday to get things going for a spot in the quarterfinals.

In the program’s return to state after a 25-year absence, Royal’s fifth-seeded girls topped No. 4 Annie Wright, 57-45, and on Thursday will meet Wednesday’s winner between 11th-seeded Wapato and defending champion Bellevue Christian, seeded sixth.

Wapato’s boys and girls won in lopsided fashion Friday night at Davis High School to punch their tickets to the SunDome.

Adolfo Garza’s boys squad welcomed the short Wapato-to-Davis trip after having to travel to – and win at – Cashmere and Medical Lake to advance to state.

The Wolves face No. 4 Bear Creek at 12:15 p.m. Wednesday.