BOTHELL — Two days after a one-point victory over highly ranked Eastlake, the Glacier Peak girls basketball team faced another KingCo 4A powerhouse Monday afternoon.
This time, the Grizzlies didn’t have quite as much success.
Top-ranked Woodinville showcased why it’s a state-title favorite, handing fourth-ranked Glacier Peak a 64-54 loss in the Class 4A Wes-King Bi-District Tournament title game at North Creek High School.
“They’re the number-one team in the state for a reason,” Grizzlies coach Brian Hill said. “They’re very talented all the way around.”
KingCo 4A champion Woodinville (23-2), last year’s state runner-up, held Glacier Peak without a field goal for the game’s first four minutes and led 19-7 after the opening quarter.
The Wesco 4A champion Grizzlies (20-2) cut the margin to five points by halftime, trailing 31-26 at the break after a 3-pointer by Sydney Guffey in the closing seconds of the half.
But after the teams traded baskets during a frenetic start to the third quarter, Woodinville rattled off a decisive 15-2 run to build a commanding 52-32 lead. The Falcons led by as many as 21 points early in the fourth before Glacier Peak closed the gap in the final minutes.
“They can beat you (in) all different directions,” Hill said. “They can beat you inside, they can beat you outside (and) they have good penetration to the rim. They’re strong, they’re physical and they’re very fundamentally sound.”
Glacier Peak’s Maya Erling attempts a layup after splitting two Woodinville defenders. (Andy Bronson / The Herald)
Seattle University-bound senior Madison DuBois led Woodinville with 21 points, including five 3-pointers. Sophomore post Mia Hughes added 19 points, establishing her presence inside with 11 points in the third quarter.
Veronica Sheffey, a freshman, chipped in 14 points for the talent-laden Falcons, who extended their win streak to 12 games.
Guffey scored a team-high 11 points for the Grizzlies and sophomore Aaliyah Collins added nine. Glacier Peak’s 19-game win streak ended with the loss.
Both teams had already clinched 4A state regional berths, and both are virtually locks to be top-eight seeds when the regional matchups are announced. The top eight seeds square off in non-elimination state regional games and are guaranteed spots in the Tacoma Dome for the Hardwood Classic.
“It’s good to be humbled once in a while,” Hill said. “I think we might’ve gotten a little bit humbled today. But if this is what the number-one team in the state looks like right now, we were able to compete and we have some things that we can definitely fix up (to) try to get us better.”
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