In Gig Harbor’s biggest game of the season, it was a freshman who stepped up

In Gig Harbor High’s regional state tournament win against Prairie on Friday night at Mount Tahoma High School in Tacoma, one player had perhaps the game’s biggest shots in the fourth quarter.

And no, this time it wasn’t Brynna Maxwell or Maddie Willett, as unsurprising as that would be.

It was freshman Meghan Edwards, off the bench, hitting back-to-back 3-pointers to put the game out of reach for the Prairie Falcons and give put to bed any hopes of a comeback for the visitors.

Not bad for a freshman who didn’t even take basketball too seriously a couple years ago.

In fact, Edwards said she wouldn’t even be here if it weren’t for Willett, a senior on the team, who talked her into joining her AAU program a couple years ago.

“She’s the reason I’m playing basketball,” Edwards said. “Her mom and her got me to play. That’s how I got started. She’s like a big sister to me. She helps me out. I eat with her at lunch.”

And now, the unassuming freshman guard with a funky shot — it’s something of a short step forward with her right foot and a launch at the hoop, instead of traditional vertical motion — delivered a clutch 14-point performance (with four 3-pointers) in Gig Harbor’s biggest game of the season.

“I’m so proud of her,” said junior teammate Brynna Maxwell, the team’s season points leader. “It was huge. She hit those back-to-back threes down the stretch and you could just feel the momentum shift. She’s crucial for us and she’s a huge part of our team. She stepped up for us tonight and just delivered. I’m really proud of her.”

She earned some praise from her coach, Megan Murray, as well.

“She played absolutely fearless tonight,” Murray said. “It’s just what she’s capable of doing. It’s just getting her to do that day in and day out. I knew it was in there. She stepped up tonight.”

When Edwards is on, the ball seems to naturally find its way into the hoop. But there have been some rough stretches, too, which is expected for a freshman.

“I started really badly,” Edwards said. “I’m just trying to gain confidence now. Just my teammates helping me out gives me a lot of confidence.”

She certainly got a vote of confidence from her coach, who had her in Gig Harbor’s biggest game of the season during crunch time. And she has earned the respect of her teammates, too.

“You can tell, she’s more mature than a freshman usually is because she plays basketball all the time,” Maxwell said. “She’s on an AAU team, she’s always in the gym. You can just tell. That wasn’t a lucky game. That’s how she always plays. She brought it tonight.”

Gig Harbor now has a first-round bye in the Hardwood Classic 3A state tournament at the Tacoma Dome this week. The Tides square off against the winner off the Bellevue/Bethel game at 9 p.m. Thursday (March 1). If Edwards can ride the momentum from her last game, it gives Gig Harbor yet another option on the offensive end.

“I think it’s just cool to be in the Dome,” Edwards said. “I really want to do my best and see how far we can go.”

This story was originally published February 27, 2018 at 4:30 PM with the headline "In Gig Harbor’s biggest game of the season, it was a freshman who stepped up."