After securing its first-ever berth into the 3A state tournament and the District 1 championship Wednesday, the Glacier Peak boys basketball team had a week to wait before its next on-court action.
Brian Hunter and the rest of the Grizzlies staff didn’t know exactly who they would play until the draw that was held in Washington Interscholastic Activities Association headquarters in Renton Sunday afternoon, but based on the WIAA rules they knew that it would be one of four teams from the West-Central tournament that took place over the weekend.
While fellow Wesco team Meadowdale fought through the losers’ bracket, the Grizzlies got a chance to scout their next opponent, which turned out to be Franklin-Pierce (17-7 overall), giving them a leg up in preparation for their first-ever state opponent.
What Glacier Peak (19-5) may not be prepared for is the early morning tip time. “Your first reaction is that you’d rather not play at 9 o’clock,” Hunter said.
Glacier Peak senior guard Drew Cummins, who played for Snohomish as a sophomore is the only Grizzly who has donned a uniform in the Tacoma Dome, though he was not a part of the Panther rotation in 2008.
When Glacier Peak was founded Hunter said he didn’t expect to make it to state with his first senior class, which features seven players.
“I underestimated the kind of kids we had and the kind of competitive kids that we had,” Hunter said.
Those expectations changed after a strong first season and before the season the 2009-10 GP team’s mission became to make it to Tacoma.
Franklin-Pierce, ranked ninth in the most recent Tacoma News Tribune poll, figures to try to push the tempo and run a full-court press against the Grizzlies, something that Hunter said his team won’t be afraid to face.
“We don’t shy away from getting up and down the court,” Hunter said.
The other teams in Glacier Peak’s quarter bracket are No. 8 Franklin, the defending champion, and No. 4 Lakes, so the path to a trophy will not be an easy one regardless of Wednesday morning’s outcome.
Meadowdale may have drawn a great time — Mavs coach Chad McGuire said the team’s 3:30 p.m. tip is when the Mavs normally practice — but they’ll have to face undefeated and first-ranked Enumclaw (24-0).
“They are well coached,” McGuire said in a break from looking at film Sunday night. “They have some great athletes they have a big guy inside who’s really good and five guys who can score.”
Meadowdale’s 6-foot-8 center Connor Hamlett will have his work cut out for him trying to stop 6-6, 260-pound forward Tarren Van Trojen, one of five Hornets who score at least nine points per game.
The good news for the Mavs is that the slow down, half-court game will be a familiar one.
“Their style of play is like us,” McGuire said.
Should they pull off the first-round upset they would likely play Bellevue (22-3), which is ranked No. 2 (tied) and takes on Foster (16-8) in the first round.
On the girls side, Lynnwood (14-12) also drew the so-called Egg McMuffin game at the top of the bracket in its first appearance since 1994. The Royals will take on a team that is not shy on experience in sixth-ranked Prairie (18-6) of Vancouver. Prairie placed seventh in 2009 and has placed in three straight trips to State.
Should they escape the first round, the Royals would likely face No. 2 Holy Names (23-2), which has only lost to 4A trophy winners this season and takes on Yelm (18-7) in the first round.
District 1 champion Shorecrest (17-7) in its first-ever trip to the state tournament drew Lakes (18-7), which is making its third trip to the tourney in a row. They will play at 7 p.m.
At the 2A level, the No. 3 Archbishop Murphy girls are undefeated against 2A competition this year, but the Wildcats drew arguably the toughest quarter bracket in the field. They face ninth-ranked Ellensburg (15-5) at 9 p.m. Wednesday — the last game of the day, which they also drew in 2009.
“The thing I dislike is that we have the 9 o’clock game,” Murphy coach John Barhanovich said. “The kids have to wait around all day. They really want to play.”
Should the Wildcats advance, they would most likely run into undefeated No. 1 West Valley (Spokane) in the quarterfinals.
“Our bracket is not the easiest,” Barhanovich said. “We’ve got to take it one game at a time. But West Valley is tough.”
Both the 2A boys and girls tournaments are played at the Yakima SunDome.
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
