Gig Harbor’s Maxwell breaks 3A state tournament scoring record

Shattering Gig Harbor High School program records wasn’t enough for junior Brynna Maxwell, apparently.

She wants state tournament records, too.

With Gig Harbor’s 51-48 Class 3A state championship game win over Garfield, Maxwell is the new 3A modern-era record holder for total points (83), average (27.7) and is tied for fields goals made (28) with Kamiakin’s Oumou Tooure, who set the record last year.

The WIAA’s tournament records are separated in two eras: From 1978 to 2010, when the tournament had a 16-team format, and 2011 to present, with the current regional format.

Maxwell scored 28 points in Gig Harbor’s 57-52 quarterfinal win Thursday over Bethel, 24 in a 55-46 semifinal win Friday over West Seattle and 31 in the championship game Saturday against Garfield.

Maxwell’s 83 points put her past Tooure, who had the previous mark in 2017 with 77. The 27.7 average broke the previous mark of 22.3, set by Bellevue’s Shelby Cansler in 2014.

When told that her star junior Maxwell was the new tournament points record holder, Gig Harbor girls basketball coach Megan Murray wasn’t caught off guard.

“I’ll tell you one thing, I’m not surprised,” Murray said. “But it’s amazing. Like I said earlier, it’s just the daily grind, all the work that she puts in, it’s worth it. It just pays off. I know she’s one happy kid out there.”

Maxwell was humble after the title win and record-setting performance.

“It was just whatever it took for us to win,” Maxwell said. “If it was passing, shooting, rebounding, just whatever it took, and this game it just happened to be scoring. All glory to God, he gave me the ability to do this and I’m just so grateful, so blessed.”

There’s a chance those records could be broken next season, but probably not by someone else. Maxwell will be back for her senior season, and with teammate Maddie Willett graduating this spring, Maxwell figures to shoulder the scoring load almost exclusively next season.

This story was originally published March 6, 2018 at 12:08 PM with the headline "Gig Harbor’s Maxwell breaks 3A state tournament scoring record."