BOTHELL — Glacier Peak shrugged off a sluggish first half with explosive third and fourth quarters to overtake and then hold off Lynnwood, 65-57, clinching a spot in next week’s girls basketball 3A District 1 championship game and a place in the upcoming state regional.
Friday nig
ht’s victory was a bit of payback for the Grizzlies, who saw their season end a year ago in a winner-to-state, loser-out game against Lynnwood.
“The revenge factor, I guess,” said a grinning Brian Hill, Glacier Peak’s head coach.
Revenge, perhaps, but also an outstanding second half for the Grizzlies, who put up 45 points. In particular, Glacier Peak took advantage of a 22-10 scoring margin in the third quarter, highlighted by a string of 10 straight points in a two-minute stretch midway through the period that put the Grizzlies on top to stay.
Also, Glacier Peak shot 10-for-22 from the 3-point line, meaning nearly half the team’s points came from beyond the stripe. Lynnwood had just three 3-pointers, so the Grizzlies — their 10 3s tied a season high for one game — had a 21-point margin from long range.
“We haven’t been exactly stellar at the 3-point line the last couple of games,” Hill said, “but I guess we hit them when it counts. I have a team full of players who are confident from back there, so we let it fly.”
Glacier Peak’s 10 3-pointers “were tough to overcome,” admitted Lynnwood coach Everett Edwards.
Both teams started the night slowly, but Lynnwood closed the first half with a 14-4 scoring burst and went to the halftime locker room with a 23-20 lead.
After the squads traded baskets to start the third quarter, guard Taylor Rasmussen triggered Glacier Peak’s 10-0 run with a 3-pointer from right of the key. The Grizzlies used a half-court trap for some steals and layins by guard Torrey Hill and Rasmussen, and then capped the streak with a free throw from guard Becca Smith and an offensive putback by guard Katie Hawkins.
The Grizzlies used two 3-pointers later in the quarter and two more early in the fourth period to build an 11-point lead, their largest of the game. They also had two other leads of 11 points inside the last two minutes.
Lynnwood, though, made the last minute interesting with seven unanswered points to close within 61-57. But the Grizzlies sank four straight free throws in the last 11 seconds for the final margin.
“This was by far our best game (of the season),” said Smith, a captain and one of two Glacier Peak seniors. “We played like a team the whole game. No one worried about how many points they needed to score individually. It was like everyone wanting everyone (else) to do good so we could come together and win this game.”
“Glacier Peak had a great third quarter,” Edwards said. “Our kids never quit, but we couldn’t match them offensively. It just wasn’t our night for the ball to drop into the hole.”
This will be the first trip to state for Glacier Peak, a third-year school, and that’s why the celebration was long and loud in the team’s locker room.
“We’ve wanted this for the last three years, and last year we were so close,” Smith said. “(Losing to Lynnwood) was a heartbreaker, and this year we wanted it so bad. We’re all very excited.”
The Royals, meanwhile, can still claim a state berth, but must win two games next week.
The door is still open, but the task “is a lot harder,” Edwards said.
At Lynnwood H.S.
Glacier Peak 7 13 22 23 — 65
Lynnwood 9 14 10 24 — 57
Glacier Peak—Hawkins 17, B. Smith 9, Rasmussen 11, Gaffney 0, Hill 7, VanDlac 10, Gere 0, Fausey 0, Weathersby 11. Lynnwood—Edwards 14, Maza 0, Douglas 4, Cross 0, Evans 2, Fajemisin 19, Ivanov 8, Parker 5, Wilson 5. 3-point goals—Hawkins 2, B. Smith 1, Rasmussen 2, VanDlac 2, Weathersby 3, Ivanov 2, Parker 1. Records—Glacier Peak is 13-9. Lynnwood is 18-4.
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