District basketball: Kamiak, Glacier Peak boys advance to tournament title game

MARYSVILLE — The third-seeded Kamiak boys basketball team rattled off 17 straight first-half points and held off second-seeded Monroe for a 57-50 win Saturday in a 4A Northwest District semifinal game at Marysville Pilchuck High School.

The victory advanced the Knights (14-8) to Thursday’s tournament championship against top-seeded Glacier Peak.

After starting the season 6-7, Kamiak has won eight of its last nine games.

“These guys have busted their butts,” Knights coach Cory West said. “We’ve come so far as a team since the beginning of the season.”

Senior Carson Tuttle led Kamiak with 17 points and Daniel Sharpe added 13. Senior post Landon Overturf hit several mid-range jumpers and netted 10 of his 12 points in the first half.

The Knights held Monroe (16-5) scoreless for more than five minutes while while rattling off a 17-0 run that straddled the first and second quarters. Kamiak’s swarming full-court pressure frustrated the Bearcats into 10 first-half turnovers and limited Monroe to just two points in the second quarter.

The Knights took a 31-15 lead into halftime after holding Monroe senior forward Colby Kyle scoreless in the first half.

“Our bigs played great defense,” West said. “They did a good job of staying in front and forcing him to take contested shots. They kept him off the boards, so that was huge. Defensive rebounds made a huge difference.”

The Bearcats came roaring back in the second half, slicing the margin to 39-34 late in the third quarter. Kyle scored 10 of his 14 points in the third period, including a two-handed alley-oop slam.

Monroe junior Taylor Sturgeon hit a pair of late 3-pointers that cut the deficit to 52-48 with 58 seconds to play, but Kamiak sank free throws down the stretch to seal the victory.

Sturgeon finished with a team-high 15 points and Spencer Davidson added 14 for the Bearcats, who will face fifth-seeded Lake Stevens in an elimination game Tuesday.

Saturday’s semifinal marked the seventh time in 14 months that Kamiak and Monroe have squared off.

The Wesco 4A rivals met twice in last year’s district tournament, with Monroe winning an overtime thriller in the semifinals. One week later, Kamiak secured a state regional berth by beating the Bearcats in an elimination contest.

“They’re always tough competition,” Overturf said. “We’ve always battled back and forth, but we came out on top today.”

Glacier Peak 61, Jackson 43

The top-seeded Grizzlies earned a return trip to the 4A Northwest District tournament title game, holding the fourth-seeded Timberwolves to their lowest point total of the season in a dominant semifinal victory at Marysville Pilchuck High School.

Senior Bobby Martin led defending district champion Glacier Peak (19-2) with 21 points, and junior Fletcher Douglas added 16.

The Grizzlies held Jackson (14-8) scoreless for the opening four minutes of the first and second quarters while building a 23-6 lead.

Evan Mannes scored 10 of his 13 points in the second period to give Glacier Peak a 30-16 halftime advantage. The Grizzlies led by as many as 25 points in the third quarter.

It marked the 10th time this season that Glacier Peak’s smothering defense has held an opponent to less than 50 points.

Christian Liddell scored 12 points for the Timberwolves, who will face sixth-seeded Cascade in an elimination game Tuesday.

3A/2A Northwest District tournaments

Dele Aribibola and Josh Gutierrez each scored 16 points in Arlington’s 69-59 win over visiting Ferndale in the first round of the 3A Northwest District tournament. … RaeQuan Battle scored 22 points and Luke Dobler added 11 for Marysville Pilchuck in its 52-44 win over visiting Meadowdale in a 3A Northwest District tournament game. Justin Chambers led the Mavericks with 23 points. … Matt Vail scored 20 points, and Stanwood beat visiting Edmonds-Woodway 68-64 in a back-and-forth 3A Northwest District tournament game. … Shorecrest defeated visiting Everett 55-48 in a 3A Northwest District tournament contest. … Lakewood lost to host Lynden 66-39 in a 2A Northwest District tournament game. … Sedro-Woolley’s Keenan Hofstad made a 3-pointer at the final buzzer to lift the Cubs to a 53-51 win over host Mountlake Terrace in a 2A Northwest District tournament game.

GIRLS

Lake Stevens 68, Mariner 25

Raigan Reed scored 33 points as the top-seeded Vikings earned their fourth consecutive trip to the 4A Northwest District title game with a running-clock semifinal rout of the fifth-seeded Marauders at Marysville Pilchuck High School.

Reed, a sophomore guard, netted 22 points in the first half. She hit three 3-pointers and scored many of her baskets on transition lay-ins.

Senior Kylee Griffen added 21 points for the Vikings (18-3), who will face defending district champion Glacier Peak in a title-game rematch Thursday.

Hannah Hezekiah scored 20 points for Mariner, which was coming off its first postseason win in appoximately two decades, according to coach Corey Gibb. The Marauders (13-9) will face third-seeded Kamiak in an elimination game Tuesday.

Glacier Peak 74, Monroe 31

Alexyss Newman scored 20 points as the second-seeded Grizzlies secured a spot in the 4A Northwest District title game with a semifinal rout of the sixth-seeded Bearcats at Marysville Pilchuck High School.

Newman, a junior, scored 10 points in the opening period and finished with three 3-pointers. Freshman guard Aaliyah Collins and senior Makayla Guerra added 10 points apiece for Glacier Peak.

The Grizzlies (15-6) raced to a 17-2 first-quarter lead while forcing numerous turnovers with their swarming full-court press. Glacier Peak led 25-6 early in the second quarter and cruised the rest of the way.

Monique Fierke scored a team-high 16 points for Monroe, which was coming off a first-round win over third-seeded Kamiak. The Bearcats will face fourth-seeded Jackson in an elimination game Tuesday.