Community Sports

Sports Beat: Peninsula vs. Gig Harbor for girls basketball title

Peninsula hosts Gig Harbor at 7 p.m. Friday, Jan. 3, for the South Sound Conference girls basketball title.

Peninsula (16-3, 12-1 SSC) is ranked 10th in the latest WIAA Class 3A RPI rankings. The Seahawks beat the Tides, 59-51, on Jan. 11.

Gig Harbor (12-7, 11-2 SSC) can share the league title with a win in Purdy. Three of the Tides’ seven losses this season came to Class 4A teams.

The Tides spent much of that first matchup on Jan. 11 in foul trouble, with Riley Peschek and Taylor Schwab — who each average 18 points per game — on the bench for long stretches.

Peninsula coach Hannah Lekson has her team on the verge of a league title in her first year on the job. The Seahawks are led by guards Grace Richardson, who averages 11 points and four assists per game, and Kaylia Heidelberg, who leads the team with a 18.4 points per game. Peninsula forward  Brook Zimmerman averages 13 points and 9.5 rebounds per game.

Peninsula’s Kaylia Heidelberg looks for space to shoot against Olivia Paul of Gig Harbor.

Gig Harbor wins 7th straight vs. Peninsula

The Gig Harbor boys (19-2, 12-2 SSC) wrapped up the regular season with a 78-47 win over Peninsula (7-11, 5-9) on Thursday, Feb. 2.

The Tides played a suffocating defense, led by guards KeVaughn Harvey and Christian Parrish.

The Seahawks, who lost to the Tides by 46 points on Jan. 11, looked much more competitive in this contest. They were only down by a manageable 14 points at halftime. But the Tides, led by Will Landram, steadily extended the lead in the second half.

Gig Harbor coach Billy Landram called in the reserves with the Tides up by 25 points with seven minutes remaining in the game. Back-up centers Nic Fortney of Gig Harbor and Devin Lichau of Peninsula staged an entertaining battle, culminated in both of them banking in free throws.

It was Gig Harbor’s seventh straight boys basketball win over Peninsula.

The Tides begin their playoff run on Saturday, Feb. 11, against a yet-to-be-determined opponent. The Seahawks’ season ended. They will say good bye to seniors Cole Bashaw, Gabe Sarno, Luke Benoit, Lichau, Landon Bottcher and Jones Stalker.

Peninsula’s Isaiah Brown and Gig Harbor’s KeVaughn Harvey fight for the ball during the Tides’ win on Thursday.

GH swimmers win league title

The Gig Harbor swim team won the South Sound Conference boys swimming and diving championship meet with 487 points. North Thurston was second with 337 points and Timberline third with 332 points.

The Tides got a boost from their divers, who finished in 2nd, 3rd, 6th and 8th place.

Next up, the Tides will compete in the West Central District III Class 3A meet Feb. 3 and Feb. 4 at the Mount Tahoma pool.

Tide coach Mike Kelly won his eighth boys league title in nine years.

“We are excited for the upcoming district meet and would like to get all of our relays qualified for state, along with as many individual swims as possible,” Kelly said.

In next weeks Sports Beat we will have a report on the wrestlers competing in district competition, the basketball playoff schedules, the results from the district swim meet as well as catching up with the local dance teams and cheerleaders as they prepare for their state competitions.