Sports
Tides boys, girls competing in regional basketball playoffs Saturday
The Gig Harbor boys basketball team will be taking its show on the road bright and early Saturday morning against the O’Dea Fighting Irish in a 10 a.m. Class 3A regional playoff game at Bellevue College.
The Tides, ranked sixth in the state, will face No. 4 O’Dea (20-6) from the always-tough Seattle Metro League. Gig Harbor, at 22-2, owns the area’s best record and is the highest-ranked 3A team in the South Sound, higher than basketball powerhouses Lincoln, Silas (Wilson), Mount Tahoma and Timberline.
The Tides are 22-2 and ranked sixth in the tough 3A classification. Top hero photo courtesy of Tony Overton. Photo courtesy of Christi Adams
The fact that Gig Harbor has risen above those respected teams is truly an accomplishment and indicative of the hard work and dedication of the players, Coach Billy Landram and his staff — Corey Schwab, Shane Sheppard and Brian Born.
The winner Saturday will get a first-round bye in the state tournament at the Tacoma Dome and open state play on Thursday while the loser will play in a first-round game Wednesday against the Mount Tahoma-Eastside Catholic winner.
Gig Harbor is on a three- game winning streak with playoff victories over Lincoln of Tacoma, Evergreen of Vancouver and Spanaway Lake by an average of 20 points. The Tides’ ball movement and shooting has been fantastic of late and they’ve been firing on all cylinders. Unfortunately, one of those cylinders might not be firing Saturday as Will Landram, who averages 14.2 points per game, is recovering from an ankle injury and is probably going to get some rest before opening in the Tacoma Dome.
Luke Browne is averaging 22.0 points per game in four playoff games. Photo courtesy of Christi Adams
The Tides still have plenty of firepower left, however. They are led in scoring by junior Luke Browne, who has averaged 22 points per game in the playoffs, and have exceptional shooters in Asher Raquiza (11), Ryan Pickles (7.5) and Christian Parrish (9.8). Tickets can still be purchased at gofan.co. The game will be called on radio by John Grobins for KGHP.
The Tides girls play on the Auburn High hardwood at 2 p.m. when they meet Bonney Lake in a loser-out regional contest. The winner advances to state at the Tacoma Dome.
Gig Harbor (16-5) at one point flashed a 12-1 record, but has since dropped four of its last eight games. Bonney Lake (15-5) finished second to Lincoln in the Pierce County League. The Panthers fell to Kelso by 12 in their district opener (Kelso beat Tides by 8), but have won three straight to stay alive. They smashed North Thurston by 17, a team the Tides split games with during South Sound Conference play and shared the league title.
Taylor Schwab averages 17 points per game and has led the Tides in scoring throughout the playoffs. Photo courtesy of Bryce Carithers
Gig Harbor beat Kennewick, 63-51, in a play-in gameTuesday to reach the regionals. The Tides are seeded 13th, the Panthers 12th.
Bonney Lake is paced by a couple of young 6-footers. Sophomore center Jazmyn Shiff averages 18.3 points and 9.5 rebounds per game, and freshman forward Brooke Mansfield 10.6 points and seven rebounds. The Tides have scorers of their own in sophomore Taylor Schwab at 17 points per game, Baylee Young 10 and Olivia Paul 8, and a perfect defender to handle Shiff inside in Ryley Peschek, who averages 14 points and 12 rebounds per game.