Madison Rubino blocked a potential game-tying shot in the closing seconds to lift the sixth-seeded Glacier Peak girls basketball team to a 47-45 win over seventh-seeded Union in the Class 4A third/fifth-place game Saturday in the Tacoma Dome.
With the Grizzlies (23-5) holding a two-point lead, a Union player drove to the basket for a chance at a last-second shot to force overtime. But just as the Union player was releasing the ball, Glacier Peak’s junior post slid up and delivered a one-handed swat to ultimately secure a third-place state trophy for the Grizzlies.
It marked Glacier Peak’s third top-four state finish in the past four seasons. The Grizzlies were the 4A state runner-up in 2017 and earned a fourth-place trophy last year.
Glacier Peak led by 10 points early in the fourth quarter, but Union (21-7) rallied with a 12-2 surge. Lolo Weatherspoon capped the run with a game-tying basket that made it 42-42 with two minutes to play.
Then after the teams traded baskets, Glacier Peak’s Maya Erling drove to the hoop and was fouled with 1:00 remaining. Erling sank both free throws, giving the Grizzlies a two-point lead that Rubino later preserved with her game-sealing block.
Erling scored a team-high 16 points for Glacier Peak, which bounced back from Friday’s semifinal loss to then-unbeaten Woodinville. Aaliyah Collins added 12 points for the Grizzlies and four steals. Rubino finished with nine points and 15 rebounds.
With the victory, Glacier Peak avenged a 49-45 non-league loss to Union on Dec. 13.
Mason Oberg scored 15 points for the Titans.
3A GIRLS
Arlington 61, Eastside Catholic 57
Jenna Villa swished a go-ahead 3-pointer with 45 seconds remaining and the third-seeded Eagles rallied to beat the top-seeded Crusaders in the third/fifth-place game.
Hailey Hiatt drained five 3-pointers and scored a team-high 24 points for Arlington (24-3), which erased a nine-point fourth-quarter deficit. Keira Marsh added 11 points, Makenzie Gage scored nine and Villa finished with eight for the junior-laden Eagles.
Trailing 52-43 with less than six minutes to play, Arlington’s Josie Stupey and Sierra Scheppele each hit a 3-pointer to close the gap.
Later in the period, Villa sank a pair of free throws to make it a one-point game with 1:43 remaining. The 6-foot-1 freshman then buried the go-ahead 3-pointer in the final minute to give the Eagles the lead for good.
Eastside Catholic (26-3) missed a potential game-winning 3-pointer in the closing seconds. Villa grabbed the rebound and hit a pair of game-sealing free throws with 1.5 seconds to play.
The victory gave Arlington its fourth top-four state trophy in the past eight seasons and its first state trophy since 2016.
Malia Samuels led the freshman-laden Crusaders with 19 points and eight rebounds. Isabel Sullivan added 15 points. Makena Daggett posted a double-double with 11 points and 13 rebounds for Eastside Catholic.
The Crusaders shot just 3-of-18 (16.7%) from 3-point range.
4A BOYS
Union 63, Glacier Peak 49
Kaden Horn drained five 3-pointers and finished with 25 points to lead the top-seeded Titans past the second-seeded Grizzlies in the third/fifth-place game.
Both teams took a perfect record into Friday night’s state semifinals before suffering their first loss of the season, setting up this rare consolation matchup between squads with only one loss apiece.
For the second consecutive game, Glacier Peak (25-2) fell behind by double digits in the first quarter. Union led 17-5 after the opening period and took a 46-30 lead into the fourth.
Tanner Toolson added 18 points and nine rebounds for the Titans (27-1), who shot a red-hot 10-of-21 from 3-point range. Horn also had five steals on defense.
Bobby Siebers led the Grizzlies with 13 points. Tristen Bates added 11 points and eight rebounds. Brayden Quantrille and Tucker Molina each scored 10 points for Glacier Peak, which finished just 16-of-48 (33.3%) from the field.
The Grizzlies finished fifth in the tournament and claimed the third state trophy in their program’s 12-year history. Glacier Peak placed fourth in 2010 and fifth in 2011.
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