Through six winless games to start the season, the Gig Harbor High School boys basketball team missed some opportunities in the fourth quarter.
Against crosstown rival Peninsula on Saturday, the Tides made just enough plays in the closing minutes to get triumph.
Gig Harbor’s Jared Anderson made one of two free throws with 9 seconds to play, and that stood up as the winning point for the Tides in their 48-47 victory over the host Seahawks in nonleague action.
Peninsula freshman JaQuori McLaughlin, who scored a game-high 28 points, drilled a desperation 3-pointer just before the final buzzer, but because the Seahawks were out of timeouts, the clock expired and the Tides survived.
Anderson scored 18 points to pace the Tides, but the 6-foot-7 senior forward had a few butterflies in his stomach as he stepped to the line in the closing seconds of a one-possession game.
“I was kind of nervous; my free throws have been off lately,” he said. “But I rattled that one home.”
Peninsula (1-8 overall) hasn’t beaten Gig Harbor in 16 seasons.
Gig Harbor went up 25-12 after eight minutes. Some strong outside shooting from Carson Gearhart and Travis Hopkins complemented Anderson’s typically strong post presence.
“It’s easier to guard people when they’re taking the ball out of the hoop, rather than just getting a rebound and going,” Tides coach Craig Brooks said. “Our shots falling have a definite impact mentally, just getting the guys excited.”
The Tides (1-6) protected a comfortable lead most of the way, including 40-31 entering the fourth quarter. But McLaughlin wasn’t about to let his team lose without a fight. He scored seven straight points, including a 3-pointer and two free throws to cut Peninsula’s deficit to 46-44.
Gig Harbor travels to a four-day tournament in Ketchikan, Alaska, next week, and returns to Class 4A Narrows League play after the new year.
Curtis 77, Maranatha (Calif.) 43: Andre Lewis had a game-high 26 points, and the Vikings went 4-0 to win the Lahainaluna Invitational finals in Maui, Hawaii.
GIRLS BASKETBALL
Bonney Lake 53, Ketichikan, Alaska 44 (2 OT): Jessica Seger scored a game-high 20 points, including eight of her team’s 12 points in the second overtime, as the Panthers won the title at the Holland America Holiday Classic at Sitka High School in Alaska.
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