MILL CREEK — The Jackson High School basketball team didn’t waste any time locking in on its home floor against league rival Glacier Peak on Wednesday night.
The Timberwolves jetted off to a 19-7 first-quarter lead and held off a late rally as they handed the Grizzlies their first loss of the season, 58-49, in a Wesco 4A matchup.
Senior guard Trey Hawkins led Jackson (10-3 overall, 3-0 league) with 18 points and a pair of steals while going 10-of-12 from the free-throw line. Three other Timberwolves finished in double figures. Senior 6-foot-6 post Ryan Mcferran had 13 points and ripped down 15 boards, while Colby Cooke and Drew Pepin chipped in 10 points apiece. Pepin added six rebounds.
Glacier Peak junior standout Jo Lee was held in check for the majority of the night, closing with just eight points (all in the second half) as Jackson sophomore Seamus Williams drew the defensive assignment.
“I think the kids had a good couple days of preparation,” Jackson head coach Steve Johnson said. “They were really focused, particularly on the defensive end. We knew (Glacier Peak) was going to shoot much better and get some points in the second half. … It was nice that our defense was so locked in to give us that cushion, and we certainly needed some of it to finish it out.”
After dropping a narrow 54-53 loss to the Grizzlies (12-1, 2-1) on Dec. 30 at the annual Cloud 9 Kennedy Holiday Classic, the Timberwolves righted the ship in their second meeting.
Jackson’s Trey Hawkins finishes a layup at the rim against Glacier Peak on Wednesday at Henry M. Jackson High School in Mill Creek. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Williams stuck to Lee like glue on the defensive end, denying him the ball as the rest of the Timberwolves made sure a clean look at the hoop was tough to come by.
“Great defense from Seamus,” Johnson said. “Chasing around such a great player like Jo Lee around the whole game, that’s not easy. I was tired just watching him, because he’s such an active player and moves so well without the ball.”
Glacier Peak registered just four points in the second frame, with the Grizzlies only bucket coming off a 3-pointer from Reed Nagel (11 points, four rebounds) in the first minute of the second.
After Jackson took an 32-11 advantage into intermission, Lee, along with multiple other Grizzlies, turned it up a notch in an effort to erase a 21-point deficit in the second half.
Lee opened the third with a hard drive and finish in the lane as he converted a three-point play for his first points of the game.
After a 3 from Nagel, Lee drilled a 3-pointer from the corner to pull Glacier Peak closer at 38-26 at the 1:45 mark of the third.
Glacier Peak’s Reed Nagel tries to get a twisting shot to fall against Jackson on Wednesday at Henry M. Jackson High School in Mill Creek. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
The Grizzlies shaved the lead down to as little as four points in the final period after Nagel took a steal and converted a lay-in on the other end to make it 50-46 with 1:07 remaining.
“They’re a good team,” Hawkins said. “They cut our lead down, and they’re not a team that’s ever going to give up. We had to make sure we keep our energy high the whole game. They’re gonna hit shots, so we have to do the little things in between to make up the difference.”
Hawkins went 6-for-8 at the line in the fourth, while Pepin and Williams each hit two free throws as Jackson closed the door in the final minute.
“If we want to win Wesco and go back-to-back, we have to beat GP,” Hawkins said. “We know they’re the powerhouse in Wesco right now, we have to beat them whenever we see them. It feels great, but we still have to beat Lake Stevens this Friday and we have the second half of our Wesco schedule coming up, so we’ll all have to stay locked in and keep doing what we’re doing.”
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