Prep roundup: Brynna Maxwell, Gig Harbor rally past Peninsula; Kentridge secures league title; Jalen Green scores 51 points

GIRLS BASKETBALL

Top performer: JaQuaya Miller, Kentridge

Miller scored 21 points in the Kentridge Charger’s 74-27 win over Kentwood.

CLASS 3A

No. 9 Gig Harbor 47, Peninsula 41: It wasn’t easy, but the Tides secured their seventh consecutive win coming from behind to beat the Seahawks.

Gig Harbor trailed after the first quarter, but it turned to Brynna Maxwell, who led the team with 16 points as the Tides (13-4; 10-1 3A South Sound Conference) maintained their grip atop the league standings, while taking a two-game lead on Peninsula (14-3; 8-3) with three league games to play.

This sets Gig Harbor up in a league-title showdown on Friday at Timberline (11-5; 8-2), which handed Gig Harbor its only league loss so far with a 43-40 win on Jan. 3.

Belle Frazier scored 17 points for Peninsula, which had a 30-29 lead entering the fourth quarter before the Tides pulled away.

Sydney Langworthy scored 14 points for Gig Harbor and Maddie Willett scored 13.

CLASS 4A

No. 3 Kentridge 74, Kentwood 27: JaQuaya Miller scored 21 points and led the Chargers to clinch the league championship and move to 17-2.

“Miller was really able to dominate in the first quarter,” Kentridge coach Bob Sandall said. “We moved the ball really well and opened them up for some easy shots.”

While scoring, the Chargers also held the Conquerors to a low scoring game even holding them to only one in the third quarter while continuing to chip away on the offense on their way to the clinching the league championship.

“My kids, they’re proud of that. They’re not easy to come by,” Sandall said. “We’re proud of the accomplishment and we’re ready to move on.”

The Chargers have one league game remaining before facing 4A NPSL Olympic champion Todd Beamer at 7 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 3, at Tahoma High School for the 4A NPSL’s top pverall seed to the 4A district tournament.

Sumner 52, Curtis 37: The Spartans took control in the first quarter, and they never looked back as they cruised to their seventh straight win and their first over the Vikings this season.

Kelsey Bell led Sumner with 14 points, while Jalaiya Frederick had eight for Curtis.

The Spartans used a 15-5 run in the first quarter sparked by heavy defensive pressure. Better defense was a must this time around against the Vikings.

“The biggest takeaway was multiple the multiple defenses we threw at them this time,” Sumner coach Jessica Blakeslee said. “We also did well rebounding the ball on offense and defense. Last time against them, these were things we didn’t as well, and we knew it had to be better this time.”

Rogers 71, Puyallup 38: The Rams continue their surge, this time getting four players scoring in double figures in their win over rival Puyallup.

Ellie Hamel led Rogers with 18 points, Avery Campbell scored 14 and Maddie Egan had 12.

Rogers (10-7; 8-4 4A SPSL) has won five of its past seven games, with its only losses being against No. 5 Bellarmine Prep by 10 points and No. 2 (3A) Prarie by two.

CLASS 1A

Charles Wright Academy 35, Vashon 30: The Tarriers used a big second quarter to pull off the win against the Pirates.

RubyJoy Pikes led all scorers with 21 points, while Tamsen Henry led Vashon with 10 points. The win for Charles Wright ends its three-game losing streak.

CLASS 1B

Mount Rainier Lutheran 43, Evergreen Lutheran 10: The Hawks cut off most of the offense that the Eagles tried to muster in a game where defense came first.

“We emphasized defense ahead of anything else,” Mount Rainier Lutheran coach Jim Perry said.

That emphasis paid off as they shut out the Eagles entirely in the first quarter while scoring 14 of their own points which would have even been enough to win by itself.

“We made them work to get the ball up the court,” Perry said. “Even if they don’t get steals, we’re looking to take time off the shot clock and then drop into a 2-3.”

While the defense held off any real offense from the Eagles, Isabella Foxley got 11 points on offense along with nine rebounds and nine steals on defense.

“The girls have really made it part of their identity and take pride in how they play defense,” Perry said.

BOYS BASKETBALL

Top performer: Jalen Green, Lindbergh

51 points, 13 rebounds, 5 blocks in win over Evergreen

CLASS 4A

Kentridge 65, No. 6 Kentwood 46: The Chargers had lost nine consecutive games against their city rivals dating back to 2014.

But that streak is over.

Kentridge used a big first half and Jett Briceno’s game-high 22 points to cruise past sixth-ranked Kentwood.

Kentwood (15-4; 12-1 4A NPSL Cascade) was already secured of the division title entering the game. And Kentridge (14-5; 9-4) can’t most past No. 2 seed Kennedy Catholic (14-5; 10-3) even with a game remaining because the Lancers own the tiebreaker. But this will go a long ways in the confidence department before postseason play begins.

Owen Paznokas added 13 points for the Chargers and Tyler Cronk and Cruz Medina each had nine.

D’Angelo Minnis led Kentwood with 12 points and Anjaylo Lloyd scored 10 for the defending 4A state champions.

Graham-Kapowsin 48, South Kitsap 37: Once the Eagles got to the fourth quarter, they flipped the switch and were able to take over the lead for good in the win over the Wolves.

Graham-Kapowsin was able to hang around South Kitsap through the first half and into the third quarter, but it wasn’t until the Eagles found Noah Harvey in the fourth quarter that they were able to turn the game around.

Harvey drained four 3-pointers over the course of the final eight minutes to push Graham Kapowsin to the win, which ended its seven-game losing streak. Harvey finished with 12 points.

“Yeah, the fourth quarter is where everything just came together,” Graham Kapowsin assistant coach Anthony Judie said. “It just really seemed like they really wanted this one that much more.”

Auburn 53, Auburn Mountainview 47: The Lions had a third quarter to remember, but it wasn’t enough as the Trojans had one last run in them in the fourth quarter and came away with their third straight win.

After Auburn (13-6; 9-4 4A NPSL Olympic) built a 13-point lead going into the third quarter, led by Jason Brown’s 14 points, Auburn Mountainview went on a 19-0 in the third quarter to take the lead.

However, the Trojans forced their way to the free throw line in the fourth which allowed them to take back the lead and close out the Lions.

“Auburn just gets after you,” Auburn Mountainview coach Matt Sinnes said. “They’re toward the top of the league for a reason. Really, down the stretch, they made their free throws, and that made the difference.”

Zavion Trapp scored a game-high 18 points for AMV (5-14; 5-8 4A NPSL Olympic).

Enumclaw 73, Decatur 53: Kaden Anderson led the Hornets to a win over the Gators with 28 points.

“We had some breakdowns,” Decatur coach Jeffrey Forbes said. “They’re a good team, they have a good coach, and they execute well. They have good poise.”

CLASS 2A

Lindbergh 96, Evergreen 45: On the same night he was being recognized for crossing over 1,000 career points – and his senior night – Jalen Green had one of his best nights.

Green, whose brother, Dominic Green, starred at Hazen and is a 6-foot-6 junior forward at the University of Washington, went off for 51 points with 13 rebounds and five blocks in the rout of Evergreen.

Lindbergh led 43-27 at halftime before cruising in the second half – outscoring Evergreen 35-13 in the fourth quarter.

Green had 23 points in the first half, and he scored 18 in the fourth quarter. Lindbergh (9-9; 7-5) is a half-game ahead of White River and Franklin Pierce for the third seed in the 2A SPSL Mountain standings. It has two league games remaining – against Washington and Foss.

CLASS 1A

Charles Wright 48, Vashon 44: It’s been a long time since the Tarriers beat the Pirates.

Charles Wright hasn’t beaten Vashon since the 2011-12 season, and it got its first win since in dramatic fashion after the team’s leading scorer Henry Lenaburg went down with an injury in the first quarter.

Sophomore point guard Dane Jacobson stepped up in Lenaburg’s absence and led the team with 16 points. The Pirates were led by Noah Edmonds with 11 points and Jamiah Hoogen with 10 points.

CLASS 1B

Mount Rainier Lutheran 60, Evergreen Lutheran 33: Adam Bailey led the Hawks to a win over the Eagles scoring 16 points despite attempts to shut him out.

“Adam Bailey, he had a good game,” Mount Rainier Lutheran assistant coach Alexander Carter said. “Evergreen came out and tried to not allow him to get the ball. He was still able to help.”

It didn’t hurt that the team was able to hold off the Eagles and go on a run late in the game.

“We were able to hold them on the defensive end and then we went on a great 17-0 run to put it away,” Carter said. “It was a really great team win tonight against one of our rivals.”

This story was originally published January 24, 2018 at 8:43 AM with the headline "Prep roundup: Brynna Maxwell, Gig Harbor rally past Peninsula; Kentridge secures league title; Jalen Green scores 51 points."