Sports

The four local basketball teams have compiled a combined 22-8 record heading into the holiday break. North Thurston came to Purdy to face Peninsula on Friday, Dec. 16, and escaped with a 67-65 win. The lead changed hands repeatedly, but the Rams prevailed after a floater by the Seahawks’ Isaiah Browns rolled off. The Seahawks

Gig Harbor and Peninsula got off to fast starts in the pool, with both winning their first three dual meets against no losses. Both teams are led by experienced, accomplished coaches. Gig Harbor Tides coach Mike Kelly is a former All-American swimmer at the University of Southern California and is entering his 22nd year at

Basketball season has begun, and local teams are enjoying early-season success. The game of the week was on Dec. 14, when the Gig Harbor boys hosted Central Kitsap. The 4-1 Tides shot the lights out while defending their home unbeaten streak, which stretches back until late in the 2020-21 season. Gig Harbor prevailed, 84-31. The

The Gig Harbor girls basketball team got off to a fast 4-1 start, even after a hard-luck offseason in which two starters suffered season-ending knee injuries. Coach Mike Guinasso’s team was only one win away from the 2022 Class 3A state tournament before losing in the regional round to Kelso. His team was primed to

The Gig Harbor boys basketball team, coming off a successful 2021-22 season in which the Tides reached the state tournament, have begun this season 3-1 for head coach Billy Landram. The Tides reached the Class 3A state tournament quarterfinals last year with a 23-5 record, won the South Sound Conference championship and were undefeated at

The Peninsula High girls basketball team has swarmed its opponents on defense and attacked the rim on offense, allowing the Seahawks to sprint out to a 5-0 start for new head coach Hannah Lekson. Lekson begins her head coaching career in a familiar place. A 2011 Peninsula grad, she played basketball, soccer and ran track

The Peninsula Seahawks boys basketball team began the 2022-23 season and a new era with back-to-back wins. The Seahawks are led by first-year coach Sean Muilenburg, hired this summer to replace Matt Robles. Muilenburg, 47 and 6-feet-8, played at Redmond High School and Olympic College in Bremerton. He earned second team all-league honors in his

In this week’s Sports Beat, we say goodbye to the fall sports season with All-South Sound Conference volleyball selections and welcome in the winter season with early results from the basketball court. The latter includes successful debuts for two new Peninsula High coaches and two Gig Harbor programs that are among the state’s elite. All-conference

The Peninsula Seahawks volleyball team earned a 5th place finish by fighting through the consultation bracket at the Class 3A state championships at the Yakima SunDome on Nov. 17 and 18. Peninsula’s fifth-place finish followed a runner-up finish in the 2021 tournament. The third-seeded Seahawks opened the tourney in dominating fashion by defeating Lynnwood, 3-0.

The first thing one notices about new Gig Harbor High School athletic director Blair Suek is her beaming smile and enthusiastic attitude. As you get to know her more, her intellect and astute athletic insights become apparent. Combine those qualities with her experience as a college athlete, high school coach and athletic coordinator and it