BOTHELL — Last year the 3A District 1 championship featured the Shorecrest Scots and Glacier Peak Grizzlies at Lynnwood High School on a Saturday night.
This year everything was set up the same.
Only the final result varied.
The Scots avenged last season’s overtime championship loss, defeating Glacier Peak 63-51 to take the district’s No. 1 seed heading into the regional round of the state tournament, which begins next weekend.
“It’s a great feeling,” Shorecrest head coach Dori Monson said as his team was cutting down the net behind him. “This year we have an unbelievable group of girls. I couldn’t be prouder of them.”
This season Shorecrest is 3-0 against the Grizzlies. The Scots were looking forward to this game “for 364 days, since our last loss to Glacier Peak last year,” Monson said.
Shorecrest senior Brianne Lasconia led all scorers with 26 points, including 12 during a fourth-quarter comeback. Lasconia made two 3-pointers 30 seconds after the final quarter started to give Shorecrest its first lead since halftime.
“I think Brianne Lasconia is one of the best players in the state,” Monson said. “Absolutely a great performance by a great player.”
Lasconia, who spent the whole day with teammates Allison Jones and Annie Schlachter, said she spent the day “so focused.” She had her headphones on and didn’t talk much.
“Oh my gosh,” Lasconia said when asked how she felt after the win. “The best feeling ever. We knew if we came out we could do it.”
Janie Uppinghouse scored 12 points and Onyie Chibuogwu added a double-double with 10 points and 14 rebounds. Both players had key baskets as Shorecrest began to pull away in the game’s closing minutes.
“Glacier’s a great team, and it’s tough to beat great teams three times in a season,” Monson said. “We told our girls it would take the best game of the year and they went out and played it.”
Last season, District 1 had three state playoff berths, with Shorecrest, Glacier Peak and Lynnwood earning trips to the state tournament. This year, that was downsized to two, which means Glacier Peak plays Lynnwood — a 70-54 winner over Ferndale (see below) — on Tuesday for the district’s second and final spot at state.
“There’s three teams deserving of a spot in the next round, and unfortunately only two get to go,” said Glacier Peak head coach Brian Hill.
Hill, Monson and Lasconia all agreed that a rivalry has been born between the Grizzles and Shorecrest because the teams meet often and usually have a lot riding on those games. They have faced each other in the championship game during the past three District 1 tournaments.
“They’re like our rivals, even more so than (crosstown school) Shorewood,” Lasconia said. “It’s always such a close game. We know not to take them lightly.”
The game was close throughout, until Shorecrest pulled away in the final minutes. The Scots led 21-16 after the first quarter, and were up 31-30 at halftime.
Glacier Peak took its first lead of the game after Taylor Rasmussen made a 3-pointer two minutes into the third quarter. The Grizzlies led by one as the fourth quarter started.
Lasconia opened the quarter with back-to-back 3-pointers, igniting a Shorecrest run. Glacier Peak responded with two 3s and a low-post basket from Allie Weathersby to briefly take a 49-48 lead, but Uppinghouse made a deep 3-pointer while being fouled and the Scots led the rest of the way.
“It’s a game of runs, and they made the last one,” Hill said.
Weathersby finished with a team-high 14 points and Rasmussen added 13. Grizzlies star guard Katie Hawkins scored nine.
While Shorecrest prepares for the state tournament, Glacier Peak braces for a showdown with Lynnwood, another team familiar to the Grizzlies, on Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. at Mountlake Terrace High School. It’ll be the second time the two teams have met in the district tournament, with Glacier Peak having beaten Lynnwood 46-36 in a semifinal game on Feb. 11.
“That’s the other team we just battle with,” Hill said.
At Lynnwood H.S.
Glacier Peak16141110—51
Shorecrest2110923—63
Glacier Peak—Hawkins 9, Rasmussen 13, Hill 5, I. Smith 2, Gere 4, Fausey 2, Manning 0, Weathersby 14, Mensing 2. Shorecrest—Shattuck 0, Lasconia 26, Jones 3, Schlachter 0, Monson 0, Chibuogwu 10, Greenburg 5, Uppinghouse 15, Matheson 4. 3-point goals—Hawkins 1, Rasmussen 3, Hill 1, Weathersby 3, Lasconia 4, Jones 1, Uppinghouse 15. Records—Glacier Peak 17-6 overall. Shorecrest 19-4.
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