TACOMA — For the first three minutes of the second quarter, Glacier Peak boys basketball could not miss.
Facing Gonzaga Prep in the Boys 4A Basketball State semifinals at the Tacoma Dome on Friday, the Grizzlies scored on six straight possessions to open the second quarter, using the 11-0 run to go up 28-15.
A run like that could bury most opponents, but the top-seeded Bullpups were not most opponents. The Grizzlies knew the game was far from over.
Glacier Peak’s Jo Lee leaps in the air to make a shot during the 4A boys semifinal game against Gonzaga Prep on Friday, March 7, 2025 in Tacoma, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
“We came out swinging,” Glacier Peak senior Jo Lee said. “We were hitting our shots. I guess we knew it wouldn’t last all game, and it never does.”
Suddenly, the shots stopped falling, and after forcing three straight turnovers, No. 1 seed Gonzaga Prep (25-2) had a window. They cut the deficit to five points by halftime, then forced overtime, which they opened on a 9-0 run before sealing the 62-50 win.
Final: Prep wins 62-50
Bullpups go on 9-0 run in first 2+ min; shots don’t fall for Peak.
After holding a 13p lead in the 2nd Q, the Grizzlies can’t hang on and see their season end in the semifinals for the 2nd year in a row.
Lee + Nagel finish with 18p each @HeraldNetPreps— Joe Pohoryles (@Joe_Poho) March 8, 2025
For the second year in a row, the No. 3 seed Grizzlies (23-4) would fall short in the semis.
What went wrong?
“I’d just say it’s a good basketball team,” Glacier Peak coach Brian Hunter said. “Thirty-two minutes are long games, and sometimes there’s no lead safe in any game. Give Gonzaga Prep credit, they made plays and they kind of just hung in there and stuck around.”
A big reason Prep stuck around was being aggressive on the offensive boards; the Bullpups pulled down 11 to Glacier Peak’s four, and had an 11-0 second-chance scoring margin.
It also helped their case when the Grizzlies went cold. After going up by 13 in the second quarter, Glacier Peak did not make a field goal for the final 4:59 before halftime. A 50 percent first-half shooting percentage (11/22) turned into 35 percent in the second half (7/20), and just 12.5 percent in overtime (1/8).
“We always (could do things differently). It’s hard to lament on that or focus on that,” Hunter said. “I’m proud of the guys. I know how hard they worked, how badly they wanted it. I wanted it for them tremendously.”
Glacier Peak’s Reed Nagel reaches out for a loose ball during the 4A boys semifinal game against Gonzaga Prep on Friday, March 7, 2025 in Tacoma, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Lee and junior Reed Nagel shared the team lead with 18 points apiece. Senior Jayce Nelson had nine points and nine rebounds. Meanwhile, four Gonzaga Prep starters scored double figures, led by junior Ryan Carney (14 points).
Lee and Nagel got the offense started in the first quarter. Lee, who had his left knee wrapped from a sprain he sustained in Thursday’s quarterfinals, knocked down some clean fadeaways. With Nagel driving to the basket, the two combined for all but two of the Grizzlies’ points in the first quarter, which ended with Glacier Peak ahead 17-15.
Glacier Peak star Jo Lee has his left knee wrapped. Coming off a 4-for-17 shooting performance in the QF yesterday, and could have been hampered.
He’s still starting this afternoon and didn’t appear to be holding back in warmups, but something to keep an eye on @HeraldNetPreps pic.twitter.com/gjgHCiD3VD— Joe Pohoryles (@Joe_Poho) March 8, 2025
“Definitely before the game and stuff, it was bothering me a little bit,” Lee said. “But during the game, I felt fine.”
With just a five-point margin entering the second half, the two sides went back-and-forth at each other. The Grizzlies did not score much on the floor, but Lee and Nagel drew fouls and got shots at the free-throw line to stay ahead 38-36 entering the fourth.
The Bullpups’ proficiency on the offensive boards and ability to draw fouls allowed them to whittle the score to a 47-47 tie with 38.9 seconds to go. Glacier Peak had the ball and a time out with 21.7 seconds left and eight seconds separating the shot and game clock.
Lee inbounded the ball towards the backcourt to Nagel, who took it to the left elbow. Lee cut from baseline up to the top of the key, taking the ball back and spinning off a defender to get a shot up behind the foul line as the shot clock expired. The ball hit the back of the rim and bounced out. Gonzaga Prep could not get a shot up in the final seven seconds, and the game went to overtime.
The Bullpups scored a quick five points from the field, then knocked down four free throws to go up by nine. Nagel hit a 3-pointer with 1:04 left to cut the deficit to six, but that would be the Grizzlies’ only points of the extra period. Gonzaga Prep finished a perfect 10-for-10 from the charity stripe in overtime and clinched their first title game berth since going back-to-back in 2018 and 2019.
Glacier Peak, meanwhile, will have to keep waiting for its first.
Glacier Peak head coach Brian Hunter hangs his head as Gonzaga Prep takes the lead during the 4A boys semifinal game on Friday, March 7, 2025 in Tacoma, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
“It’s really hard to get here,” said Hunter, who pointed out the Grizzlies were the only semifinal team from last year to make it back this far again. “It’s really difficult. If it didn’t hurt to lose, it wouldn’t really mean that much to win. It’s hard to get to this moment, so we know the spot we’re in when we try to do things like this.”
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