Sports
Gig Harbor boys face O’Dea in regionals; Tides, Seahawks girls need a win to get in
The Gig Harbor boys basketball team will be playing in the Tacoma Dome for the first time in 15 years as the sixth seed after blowing out Spanaway Lake, 78-43, Saturday at home in a District 3/4 3A playoff game.
The Tides, with the school’s all-time best record to this point at 22-2, guaranteed themselves a spot in the state tournament, but first they must face third-seeded O’Dea in a regional game at 10 a.m. Saturday at Bellevue Community College. The loser will open state play on March 2 with the winner getting a first-round bye to March 3.
The Peninsula and Gig Harbor girls must both win play-in games Tuesday to reach regionals Saturday after the Seahawks wrapped up district play with a 49-27 loser-out victory over Auburn Mountainview and the Tides falling, 62-41, to Lincoln.
Luke Browne hits a three on his way to 24 points against Spanaway Lake. Photo courtesy of Jerry Chunn
Gig Harbor’s boys on Saturday presented crisp passing, sharp shooting and a quick, penetrating offense that the Sentinels didn’t have an answer for. Tides shooters were on fire in the first quarter, sinking nine of their first 11 shots from outside of 15 feet and scoring 32 points in the first eight minutes. They played as well as one could expect a high school team to play and were cruising to a sunny Saturday afternoon postgame celebration.
Asher Raquiza hit four threes and finished with 18 points, eight rebounds and six assists. Christian Parrish had seven points, six assists and four steals, leaving him only 18 shy of the school’s single-season record. Luke Browne led the team in scoring with 24 points, six of them threes, with three steals. The junior has averaged 22 points a game in the playoffs, with only one turnover in the last three.
The Tides’ Asher Raquiza has 18 points, eight rebounds and six assists in a playoff game against Spanaway Lake. Photo courtesy of Jerry Chunn
The sunny day darkened when Will Landram, the high flier who had 13 points and was playing well, came down from a shot, landed on a Sentinel player’s foot and rolled his ankle. The talented junior went down to the floor and did not return to the game. Unfortunately, the injury happened with the Tides holding a 20-point lead and the state tournament coming up in a week. If he can’t make the next game, seasoned veteran Ryan Pickles will take his place in the starting lineup.
Gig Harbor drew a Saturday instead of Friday regional game that might allow Landram to play with a week’s rest. The ankle was iced, wrapped and elevated immediately, and he was able to put some weight on it. Tests will be conducted to assess the severity of injury and ultimately decide his playing status.
In the Peninsula girls’ win at Auburn Mountainview, Kaylia Heidelberg carried the Seahawks with 27 points, hitting five threes. The score was tied at 19 at halftime as Malia Elliott, the Lions’ leading scorer, was hurting the Hawks.
Baylee Young calls an offensive set for Gig Harbor. Photo courtesy of Maria Dorsten
Peninsula Coach Mike Schick decided at the break, with nothing to lose, to roll the dice, and chose to play a box-and-one defense that the team hadn’t practiced all year. The strategy was explained during a five-minute talk and assignments were given. Grace Richardson followed Elliot all over the court while the other four Seahawks played in a 2-2 zone.
The strategy worked as Elliot didn’t score a single point in the second half and the other Lions were tamed, only managing eight total points after intermission without her. Peninsula pulled away and earned a defensive victory by 22 points.
Nineteenth-seeded Peninsula now gets the unenviable task of busing to 14th seed Hermiston High School in Oregon, a six-hour ride, on Tuesday. The Seahawks will travel on game day, get off the bus and play in a hostile environment at 7 p.m. against the 14-10 Bulldogs. The loser is out. If Peninsula wins, it will play 11th-seeded Everett (12-7) at 2 p.m. on Saturday at Everett Community College with the winner advancing to the state tournament in the Tacoma Dome on March 2.
Peninsula’s Kaylia Heidelberg scored 27 points in a playoff win over Auburn Mountainview. Photo courtesy of Bryce Carithers
In the Gig Harbor girls’ loss to Lincoln Saturday at Auburn High School, the Tides tried to control tempo against the athletic, sixth-ranked Abes, but got into a running game that resulted in a lopsided defeat. They didn’t help themselves by committing double-digit turnovers and missing 18 free throws.
Taylor Schwab led them in scoring with 15 points, Riley Peschek had a double-double with 10 points and 12 rebounds, and Olivia Paul chipped in eight points. Coach Guinasso singled out Baylee Young for her solid ball handling in bringing the ball up against maximum pressure.
“We have to remain positive,” Guinasso said. “These next two games are winnable, and now instead of being a favorite with more pressure on us, we get to be the underdogs.”
The loss puts the South Sound Conference co-champions in a position where they will have to win two games in a row to advance to state on March 2. The 13th-seeded Tides will play at 6 p.m. Tuesday at home against 20th seed Kennewick. If they win, they’ll continue Saturday at 2 p.m against 12th-seeded Bonney Lake at Auburn High School.