TACOMA — The No. 13 Glacier Peak girls basketball team had looked anything like a double-digit seed in their first three games of the state tournament. Their first two outings at the Tacoma Dome saw the Grizzlies slay the fifth and third-seeded squads, executing in the waning moments of their Thursday quarterfinal overtime win over Chiawana.
Glacier Peak didn’t get a chance to execute in the clutch in Friday night’s semifinal against No. 1 Davis — they would go down 76-38.
Despite the bleak finish, Glacier Peak played up to its Cinderella reputation in the first half. The Pirates, known for their devastating transition game and vaunted full-court press, weren’t able to force many turnovers in the backcourt. Senior star and Long Beach State-commit Brynna Pukis (11 points) navigated Davis defenders each time up the floor, splitting double-teams and finding open teammates.
“When you play against better competition, it just gets more and more physical,” Pukis said. “Playing on the AAU circuit and everything, you get used to it.”
Although they trailed 18-9 at the end of the first quarter, Glacier Peak seemed to be executing head coach Brian Hill’s strategy of limiting transition opportunities early on. Although each trip up the floor was a battle, the Grizzlies finally broke through in the second. After Pukis hit a step back 3-pointer midway through the period, Davis star sophomore Cheyenne Hull (18 points, four steals) picked up a technical foul during a dead ball — her third foul of the game.
With Hull on the bench for the remainder of the half and the lead cut to seven, the Grizzlies looked to make their push. Pukis hit a 27-footer to cut the lead to five and junior Dylan Gordon drew an illegal screen call to swing momentum fully toward Glacier Peak.
But just as the Grizzlies looked to capitalize, Pukis picked up her third foul with three minutes to play in the second. Without Pukis’ ball handling to steady Glacier Peak against the harrowing trap, the Grizzlies turned the ball over twice in a row.
From there, the Pirates’ six-point halftime lead quickly grew out of hand in the early second half. Hull checked back in and immediately made an impact with a quick corner 3-pointer and some offensive rebounds to spark a 12-2 run. Davis’ Nevaeh Parrish (19 points, seven steals) also caused havoc on both ends to extend the lead.
On the other end, the effects of the constant trap were becoming apparent. Junior guard Zoey Ritter had her pocket picked at halfcourt while trying to dribble through defenders and slammed the hardwood with her hands out of frustration as the Pirates went coast-to-coast.
Glacier Peak’s Zoey Ritter becomes emotional in the huddle during the 4A girls semifinal game against Davis on Friday, March 7, 2025 in Tacoma, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
“They’re a team that wears on you, and they finally just wore us down,” Hill said. “You only get so many timeouts in a game to try to settle nerves.”
Without a consistent half-court offense, the Grizzlies could only watch as the bracket’s top seed scored in transition with ease. What had been a six-point halftime deficit grew into a 23-point hole as the fourth approached. By the end of the contest, Glacier Peak would only post 11 second-half points to Davis’ 43.
Facing a late 37-point deficit on the scoreboard and a 25-9 loss in the turnover margin, Hill put in his reserves — shifting focus to Saturday’s third-place matchup against No. 4 Woodinville.
From a four-game losing streak in December to being the second-lowest seed to make a semifinal in the state this year, it’s been quite a ride for Glacier Peak. Pukis, who cheered on her teammates from the sidelines during her foul trouble and made sure to high-five everyone during tough timeouts, was just grateful for the showing the Grizzlies have had late in her final season.
“I think we always knew we could do it — it was just about putting the puzzle together,” Pukis said. “Toward the end of the season, we want to be playing our best and here we are… We knew we were not a 13-seed, we knew we could beat anybody out there.”
Glacier Peak will need that mentality if they wish to secure a third-place finish in their first state appearance since 2020. Woodinville has won their first two matchups with the Grizzlies by an average of 29 points.
While the Falcons pose an obvious threat on the floor, Hill’s mentality remains the same.
“We’re still playing on house money. People didn’t expect us to be here, so we’ll just do what we can do,” Hill said. “We’re tired, we’re beat up. This was our third game (in Tacoma) and we’ve had to fight in every game…. We’ll see how day four goes.”
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