MOUNTLAKE TERRACE — After watching the Glacier Peak boys basketball team complete a come-from-behind 15-point win in its own play-in game, the Glacier Peak girls were inspired.
The Grizzlies jumped out to a big lead in the nightcap of the playoff doubleheader, weathered a late Lynnwood comeback and eventually won 48-46 in a 3A District 1 winner-to-state, loser-out game Tuesday night at Mountlake Terrace H.S.
“I think it made us have more momentum coming into the game,” Katie Hawkins said of the wild boys ending that saw Zach Pederson sink a game-winning shot. “It kind of gave us more confidence.”
Buoyed by a large crowd that overflowed from the boys game and an impressive 37 combined points by seniors Hawkins, Rasmussen and Torrey Hill, the Grizzlies advanced to the 3A state regional Saturday against Lakeside at Bellevue College at 4 p.m.
“I’m excited that we won. We get to move on,” GP coach Brian Hill said. “I’m sad because I have a lot of respect for their players. I have a lot of respect for their coaching staff.
“It’s great for us but its sad that another good program from our league can’t have the state experience because they are deserving as well.”
Lynnwood won the regular season Wesco 3A crown, but lost to the Grizzlies at home on Feb. 11 in the district semifinals. GP lost to Shorecrest in the district title game Saturday, forcing them to play Lynnwood, which fought through the consolation bracket. The teams split the regular season series.
“For the past three years we’ve kind of had a little thing going back and forth as far as a rivalry,” Lynnwood coach Everett Edwards said. “It was just meant to be to play them tonight to go to state. It just wasn’t our night to win.”
The Grizzlies, who make their second consecutive trip to state and second ever, hoped to go for the first time in 2010, but the Royals knocked them out in that winner-to-state game.
“We thought of the game two years ago when we were in the same situation with them,” said Rasmussen, who lead all scorers with 17 points. “That was kind of our revenge. We wanted to get back on them. That was the game we thought of.”
Rasmussen helped her team jump ahead early hitting two 3s and scoring 10 points in the first half and it looked like GP might run Lynnwood out of the gym when Hill drained a 3 as the second-quarter buzzer sounded to give GP a 28-19 edge. Meanwhile Lynnwood looked lifeless besides senior Casey Evans, who had eight points in the first half — 10 total in her final game. Meghan Cross also had seven points in her final night in a Royal uniform.
But the second half was almost all Royals. Paced by a determined Jasmin Edwards, Lynnwood outscored GP 27-20 in the second half. Edwards biggest play came in the final minute after she returned to the floor from a minor injury that briefly sent her to the bench. Trailing by four, Edwards scored and drew a foul on Hawkins — her fourth — and though she missed the free throw, Aresenia Ivanov recovered the ball and scored to tie the game at 46-46 with 49.6 seconds left.
But Hill was fouled on the other end and hit a pair of free throws to make the final score.
Lynnwood had a pair of chances to tie the score late, but both shots were off the mark and the Glacier Peak players rushed to the center of the court to celebrate.
“We had a very good season,” coach Edwards said. “It would have been a great season if we would have got this win today, but I’m very happy with the effort that the girls played with.”
At Mountlake Terrace H.S.
Glacier Peak1117614—48
Lynnwood9101314—46
Glacier Peak—Hawkins 8, Rasmussen 17, Hill 12, I. Smith 0, S. Smith 0, Gere 2, Fausey 4, Manning 0, Weathersby 5. Lynnwood—Edwards 12, Maza 3, Douglas 2, Cross 7, Evans 10, Ivanov 8, Wilson 4. 3-point goals—Ivanov 2, Hill 1, Rasmussen 3, Evans 1, Maza 1. Records—Glacier Peak 18-6. Lynnwood 19-5.
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
