BELLEVUE — It’s possible that the only people that thought the Glacier Peak boys basketball team was capable of beating No. 3-ranked Garfield in a loser-out 3A state regional game on Saturday were the players and coaches in the Grizzlies’ locker room.
Midway through the fourth quarter it looked like that might be enough.
In the end, a valiant effort by Glacier Peak fell short and Garfield survived and advanced to Tacoma with a 62-52 win, ending the Grizzlies’ season.
Glacier Peak’s all-out effort for 32 minutes was exactly what head coach Brian Hunter wanted to see from his team.
“It’s what I expect and what I hoped for,” Hunter said. “I think if nothing else, people that watched the game saw a team. I think we played five guys together. We competed and battled back and got to where we got and had a chance to win the game because we simply played as a team. Individuals are great, but I think our squad was really collected and wanted to do it together. It was impressive. I was really proud of them.”
Garfield played like the favorite early in the game, jumping out to a 16-4 advantage five minutes in. To the shock of nearly everyone in the gym — especially the Bulldogs — the Grizzlies countered with a 7-2 run to close the quarter, capped off by a buzzer-beating reverse layup from junior guard Zach Hatch.
Glacier Peak kept it close in the opening minutes of the second quarter, but a 15-1 run by the Bulldogs gave them an 18-point lead with 1:04 to play in the first half. Glacier Peak’s Grant Peltier stopped the run moments later with a layup, making the score 36-20 at halftime.
In his final high school game, Peltier played all 32 minutes, scored seven points and made all three of his field-goal attempts.
“I just thought he played really, really solid,” Hunter said of Peltier. “To be able to play that way against one of the most athletic backcourts in our state and control the tempo and play the way that he did, I’m really proud of him. Grant had a super basketball game.”
After Garfield scored the first point of the second half, the Grizzlies mounted a 15-1 run led by junior guard Justin Guffey to pull within four points at 38-34. Guffey scored eight straight points, including two 3-pointers, for Glacier Peak during the run.
The Bulldogs scored the final six points of the quarter to lead 44-36 after three quarters.
It was Guffey who kept the Grizzlies in the game in the third quarter, it was Hatch’s turn in the fourth. He made two of his three 3s early in the fourth quarter to draw his team to within four. Moments after Hatch’s second three, Brendan Tetrault made his only three of the game to cut the deficit to three at 50-47 with 3:55 to play in the game.
“They’re competitors,” Hunter said of Hatch, Guffey and Tetrault. “I think we have a team of competitors. That’s the one thing that gave me hope in this game and made me think that we could compete was that our guys, from beginning to end, would compete.”
Hatch and Guffey each finished with three 3s. Guffey led the Grizzlies with 15 points. Hatch finished with 13.
The Bulldogs executed and used the clock to their advantage in the final two minutes to secure the victory.
Glacier Peak senior Brady Southard had 14 points and seven rebounds in his final high school game.
“He’s what every coach wants to coach,” Hunter said. “He gives you every ounce that he has. He’s fun. He’s underrated. People don’t realize that this is hard work. To have a kid that is fun and gets it and is just a great teammate, that’s priceless. He’s the kind of kid that every coach would be lucky to coach. He will be dearly missed, but he set a great example for the rest of the kids.”
Southard had an equal amount of praise for his coach.
“Playing for coach Hunter is one of the best decisions ever,” Southard said. “He’s a great coach and our team works great together especially when Hunter is coaching us.”
Glacier Peak’s season ends with an 18-6 record and one win short of playing in the Tacoma Dome.
“To beat a team like this in a game and an environment like this, you have to play your best game, but you also have to kind of get a bounce every now and then,” Hunter said. “We were close to getting some bounces, we just didn’t quite get them.
“I love coaching them,” Hunter added. “They compete the right way and I think they showed it tonight with how they played.”
At Bellevue College
Glacier Peak1191616—52
Garfield1818818—62
Glacier Peak—Zach Hatch 13, Seiver Southard 0, Brady Southard 14, Grant Peltier 7, Brendan Tetrault 3, Justin Guffey 15, Jacob Middendorf 0. Garfield—Jayshaun Agosto 6, Terrell Brown 4, Quentin Richardson-Daigle 2, Jaylen Nowell 24, Alphonso Anderson 14, Winfred Roberson 0, Teddy Howard 0, Jelani Howard 0, Tyrell Cummings 0, Austin Anderson 12. 3-point goals—Hatch 3, Southard 1, Peltier 1, Tetrault 1, Guffey 3, Nowell 1, Anderson 1. Records—Glacier Peak 18-6, Garfield 23-2.
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
