Shorecrest girls hand Glacier Peak its first league loss

Published 11:40 pm Friday, January 6, 2012

SNOHOMISH — It may not have been the prettiest of girls basketball games, but Shorecrest and Glacier Peak didn’t disappoint down the stretch in Friday night’s showdown between the top two teams in the Wesco 3A.

When the final buzzer sounded, Shorecrest had earned a 43-41 victory, handing the Grizzlies their first league loss of the season.

“I turned to my coaches with two minutes left and we were down two or down three and I said, ‘Man this is fun,’” Shorecrest head coach Dori Monson said. “Every time we play Glacier Peak — we had two overtime games and a buzzer-beater regulation game last year and then this game tonight — it’s just a battle like this. It was a lot of fun.”

The Scots’ victory was well-earned. The game featured six ties and 11 lead changes, none of them bigger than Janie Uppinghouse’s two free throws with 1.5 seconds remaining that clinched the victory for the Scots.

“Janie Uppinghouse had her best game of the season,” Monson said. “She picked a good night to have her best game of the season. I’m so happy for her. She has just been such a great four-year starter for us.”

Just seconds earlier, the Grizzlies had a chance to win the game in regulation, but the Scots came up with a steal and the Grizzlies fouled Uppinghouse. Without the foul, there didn’t appear to be enough time for the Scots to advance the ball up the court for a game-winning shot.

“That’s basketball,” Glacier Peak coach Brian Hill said. “You can look at it, at the end of the game, yeah, we turned the ball over and we fouled and gave them the opportunity. We had the opportunity there, but you know what? There (were) a lot of mistakes on both teams all game long. So, yeah, it comes down to the end, but there is a whole lot of stuff that goes on.”

Monson said the final play before Uppinghouse’s free throws was a tough break for Glacier Peak.

“Glacier (Peak) probably felt they had to foul on the breakaway when they didn’t have to because we could not have gotten the ball down court that quickly,” Monson said. “But they are such great competitors on Glacier that they were just scrambling at that point, too. It looked like a pretty good call from my perspective, but it’s a tough way for them to lose the game. They just played with great heart.”

The Scots got a game-high 15 points from Brianne Lasconia. Katie Hawkins scored 14 to lead the Grizzlies.

Hill said the season is still young and his team has to continue to move forward.

“It was an offensive struggle for both teams,” Hill said. “It was a great defensive battle for both teams. We knew it was going to come down to the end. They are coming off a two-game losing streak so they want to prove to people that they are still really good and we knew they were still really good. I knew it was going to be a game like that. Every time we play it is a game like that. So, we just have to regroup and move on. It’s a long season still.”

At Glacier Peak H.S.

Shorecrest971512—43

Glacier Peak4101611—41

Shorecrest—Shattuck 0, Lasconia 15, Jones 0, Schlachter 0, Chibuogwu 7, Greenburg 0, Uppinghouse 13, Matheson 8. Glacier Peak—Hawkins 14, Rasmussen 8, Gaffney 6, Hill 5, I. Smith 0, S. Smith 0, Gere 6, Mensing 0, Fausey 0, Weathersby 2. 3-point goals—Rasmussen 1, Hill 1. Records—Shorecrest 6-1 league, 9-2 overall; Glacier Peak 7-1, 10-2.