The Peninsula High School girls basketball program said goodbye to its five seniors Tuesday night, and I was there to capture the experience.

Peninsula lost a 40-34 decision to Bonney Lake, the final home game in the careers of Seahawks players Sarah Tysdal, Carley Council, Chandler Mason, Kelsie McDonough and Hanna Sterlington.

Peninsula finishes its season Friday night at Lakes. Below is the recap from Tuesday's game, complete with thoughts from Tysdal and Council on the season as a whole:

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As the gymnasium cleared for the final time, tears rolled down Carley Council’s cheeks as she spoke about her senior season of basketball with the Peninsula Seahawks.

“It’s sad that it’s over, but we ended on a good one,” Council said after the Seahawks’ 40-34 loss to the Bonney Lake Panthers in a Class 3A South Puget Sound League game on Jan. 31.

“Unfortunately, the outcome wasn’t like we wanted it, but we all wanted to go play hard in our last one, and we did that.”

With Peninsula (3-16 overall, 0-9 league) mired in last place and out of playoff contention entering the night, the team wanted a victory for its five seniors — Sarah Tysdal, Kelsie McDonough, Chandler Mason, Hanna Sterlington and Council.

The Seahawks played their best ball in the first quarter, getting a pair of 3-pointers and nine points from reserve guard Maddie Stelle to take a 12-11 lead.

But Bonney Lake (6-11, 3-5) got Peninsula out of its offensive rhythm the rest of the way. The Seahawks committed 20 turnovers, and couldn’t break full-court pressure quickly enough to patiently run plays or find open shots.

“It’s just one of those games where you get hot for a second, and then cool down,” said Council, who led the Hawks with 11 points. “They had some good plays. They hit their shots, and unfortunately for us, we just couldn’t get all of ours in that we wanted to.”

The Panthers started the second period with an 8-0 run, holding Peninsula scoreless until Leigh Iosia’s layup with 2 minutes, 20 seconds left before halftime.

They committed an undisciplined foul on Council’s half-court heave, though, and Council made all three free throws with no time on the clock to draw the Seahawks within 20-19 at the break.

Peninsula took better care of the ball in the second half, and had a brief lead after Council drilled a 3-pointer early in the third quarter. The Hawks also created foul trouble for the Panthers and sent Naomi Pounds, one of their best players, to the bench for a big chunk of the second half.

But Peninsula’s offense never found a groove, and when Bonney Lake’s Kayla Seger sank a 16-foot jump shot to put her team up 37-30, it virtually iced the final result.

Mekenzie Voellger had 13 points to pace the Panthers, with Pounds scoring 10 and Seger adding nine.

The Seahawks haven’t had much success over the course of the 2011-12 season, but Tysdal, a point guard, said her only varsity season was a memorable one.

“Our team is a family, and it doesn’t matter if we lose or win,” she said. “It feels like we won this season.”

The players felt head coach Steve Jacobson, who took over the program’s reins over the summer, was a galvanizing force.

“(Jacobson has) a different outlook on basketball,” Tysdal said. “Steve is still, ‘Win, win, win,’ but it’s more that we did our best, and that’s OK.”

“He is an amazing coach,” Council said. “He’s just brought so much more to this program, and I’m excited to see how the girls do next year, with having one year of experience with him and knowing his coaching style.”

The team’s five seniors have played side-by-side since their freshman seasons, Council said, and Senior Night activities were a bittersweet celebration of their time together.

“We’ve been sticking together, and moving up and down together, and it’s sad to have to leave all of them, but it’s time,” she said. “All of the seniors got along together, and all of the girls got along together. There were never any cliques, and we all bonded and always had fun. If anything, we’re like sisters.”