Role players shine in Glacier Peak girls’ 63-53 win over Lions

Published 1:30 am Saturday, February 25, 2017

MILL CREEK — Samantha Fatkin, Paisley Johnson and Kayla Watkins receive a lot of attention as the star players for the Glacier Peak girls basketball team, and for good reason.

But all season long, Grizzlies coach Brian Hill has worked hard to remind the team’s other players that their contributions are vital to the team’s success.

In Glacier Peak’s 4A state regional playoff contest against Bellarmine Prep on Saturday at Jackson High School, Fatkin and Johnson combined to score 48 points, but the Grizzlies would’ve been hard-pressed to win if they didn’t receive sterling efforts from some of their key role players.

Thanks in part to Abbie Juozapaitis’ tough rebounding and Nicole Jensen’s great defensive effort, Glacier Peak ran its winning streak to 22 with a 63-53 victory over the Lions. The Grizzlies had already qualified for this week’s 4A Hardwood Classic at the Tacoma Dome, but they will have a first-round bye thanks to Saturday’s win.

”It was good for us to get pushed to test our composure,” Hill said. “This (win) takes the pressure off. But we’re not done yet.”

Glacier Peak knew it needed to slow down Bellarmine Prep’s star player, junior wing Shalyse Smith, who’s given an oral commitment to the University of Arizona. (In a nice moment during the pre-game introductions, Smith shook hands with Grizzlies senior point guard Samanatha Fatkin, who has signed on to continue her career at UA).

But Jensen, the team’s top defender, was up for the challenge. The 5-foot-7 guard covered the 6-1 Smith for most of the first half and helped to hold Smith to three points in the first two quarters.

Smith ended up with 17 points, but didn’t have an efficient shooting night. Glacier Peak’s defense, a concern at the start of the season for Hill, is getting better.

”My game plan was to help the team on defense, because that’s what I’m good at,” said Jensen, who had three steals. “I’m not a scorer. My role is to defend and help the team that way so the others can score.”

“She’s one of the best defensive players we’ve ever had,” Hill said. “She plays with pure effort. She’s aggressive, but it’s a clean aggression. She doesn’t foul.”

Johnson was the Grizzlies’ star on the offensive end, finishing with 29 points. Fatkin had 19 points and six assists, and Juozapaitis had eight rebounds.

“They’re absolutely a (state championship) contender,” said Lions coach Kevin Meines. “They’ll be a matchup problem for a lot of teams.”