Sports

Tides girls’ season ends with 3-point loss to Bonney Lake

The Gig Harbor girls basketball team gave a valiant effort Saturday before falling a bit short against Bonney Lake, 61-58, in a Class 3A regional playoff game at Auburn High School. With the loss, the Tides’ season ended two baskets shy of reaching the state championships at the Tacoma Dome. Gig Harbor, starting mostly underclassmen, finished the year 16-6 with a share of the South Sound Conference championship.

The Panthers’ big and talented Jasmine Shipp scored 25 points and pulled down timely rebounds to provide just enough firepower for the victory.

Gig Harbor Coach Mike Guinasso said it was a good game and a good growing experience for his players, but they were hurt by 40% free throw shooting and their inability to block out Shipp and others from getting rebounds.

The Tides, playing fast and employing a man-to-man defense, were up by four at the end of the first quarter. Bonney Lake outscored them by 12 in the second period, taking an eight-point halftime lead.

Taylor Schwab contributed everywhere, scoring, passing and coming up with steals. Riley Peschek, although in foul trouble, frequently came free for passes at the free throw line and drove the lane for scores.

Baylee Young draws contact and drives hard to get by Peninsula’s Grace Richardson in a game played earlier this year. Photo courtesy of Bryce Carithers

In the fourth quarter, with the Panthers breaking to a 12-point lead, Guinasso called for his diamond-and-one press back to a 2-3 zone.

“We went to the press to try to quicken the pace, being down by 12, but what really turned it around is the fact that we started hitting shots,” he said. “Baylee Young and Olivia Paul hit some big shots late and we were right there.”

The Tides had a tough call go against Peschek, who got locked up with Shipp. Instead of the referee calling the foul on Shipp, he called a double foul that eliminated both players from the game.

“It wasn’t the refs that cost us the game, but that was a tough call at the time because Riley was really playing well,” Guinasso said.

The first-team all-league duo of Peschek and Schwab didn’t disappoint. Peschek led the Tides with 16 points and Schwab collected 12 points, six assists, five rebounds and four steals. Young handled the ball out front and hit some clutch shots, scoring 11 points, while Paul added six.

Tia Berry was the Tides’ most athletic defender and usually guarded the opposing team’s best player. Photo courtesy of Bryce Carithers

The season brings to a close the high school basketball careers for seniors Tia Berry and Jenn Rogg. Coach Guinasso said both will be hard to replace. He praised Rogg for her constant energy and high effort, always pushing her teammates. He was impressed with just how hard Berry always plays.

“Yesterday, Tia did all she could to help us win. She always did, and I could always count on that from her,” he said. “In the summer, Tia was one of our team leaders that encouraged our players to get in the gym. Whether it was mandatory stuff or not mandatory, she was always there and she was there working on her game.”

“The future is only getting better,” he added. “State would have been nice to gain experience for our girls, but they did get a ton of playoff experience that they haven’t had before — Riley, Baylee, Taylor, Olivia and all of the girls. I could see with every game the playoff experience was helping and they were getting better. Next year is going to be really fun. I know they will work hard through the summer. After the game, I heard the girls talking about keeping it going in the summer and getting to workouts. After a tough loss, that was so nice to hear.”