With reigning league MVP Frazier and surging supporting cast, Peninsula ready to contend for SSC title

For the first time in 29 years, the Peninsula High School girls basketball team reached the state tournament last winter.

But the Seahawks lost in the regional round of the Class 3A state tournament against Mount Spokane, falling one win short of reaching the Tacoma Dome. That didn’t sit well with the up-and-coming squad.

“I don’t think we’ve ever had more focus than we do this year,” said Peninsula guard Belle Frazier, the reigning MVP in the Class 3A South Sound Conference. “Everyone seems to be putting their lives around basketball at the moment, which is good. That really stuck with us that we didn’t make it (to the Tacoma Dome) last year.”

And then to watch crosstown rival Gig Harbor go on to win the state title? That was hard for the Seahawks to stomach, too.

“After losing that game (against Mount Spokane), we knew had to work harder to go farther,” said Peninsula sophomore guard Piper Bauer, who had a breakout freshman campaign and emerged as the team’s most lethal 3-point shooter.

This team looks like as good any Seahawks squad to reach the Tacoma Dome, though the Seahawks’ chances will largely hinge on Frazier’s health. Frazier, who has been the focal point of the Peninsula program since she stepped on campus as a freshman, had knee surgery on Sept. 5, after tearing her patellar tendon over the summer. She was recently cleared to play, but jumping back into action has been tougher than Frazier assumed it would be.

“The first day I was cleared to play, I thought I could just jump right back into practice,” Frazier said. “But it doesn’t work that way.”

The good news is that Frazier is ahead of schedule on her recovery. In the meantime, she has plenty of talented teammates to help her shoulder the load.

Bauer is one of the league’s top returning guards and shooters, while sophomore Linsey Lovrovich returns as one of the top athletes in the league and has turned into an all-around scorer. Junior guard Renee Doss has drawn solid reviews from her teammates and coaching staff, while senior guard Esther Pappuleas brings plenty of experience to the squad.

It’s a far cry from Frazier’s days as an underclassman, when she was essentially the only player opponents needed to worry about defending.

“It’s been a huge difference,” Frazier said. “Now that (Bauer and Lovrovich) have a year under their belts here, it’s even better.”

Bauer grew in confidence over the course of the season, having the green light to shoot when she saw fit.

“My confidence has gone up from last year,” Bauer said. “I’m just comfortable with the girls. They’re just great.”

Gig Harbor is the defending league champion, but lost Maddie Willett to graduation, who accounted for around 16 points and 10 rebounds for the Tides. While Gig Harbor returns Utah signee Brynna Maxwell, Willett’s departure has the Seahawks feeling good about how the league might shake out this season.

“We’ll be league champs,” Frazier said, matter-of-factly. “I think Timberline and Gig Harbor will probably be battling it out for second. The rest of the league has lost a lot of their players. … I think we’re just ready. The time is now.”

PENINSULA 2018-19 SCHEDULE

Nov. 28: Peninsula 73, Sumner 46

Dec. 6: Shelton, 7 p.m.

Dec. 8: at Auburn Mountainview (Highline College), 10:30 a.m.

Dec. 12: Yelm, 7 p.m.

Dec. 14: at Capital, 7 p.m.

Dec. 19: at Central Kitsap, 7 p.m.

Jan. 4: Timberline, 7 p.m.

Jan. 9: at Gig Harbor, 7 p.m.

Jan. 11: at Shelton, 7 p.m.

Jan. 16: North Thurston, 7 p.m.

Jan. 18: at Yelm, 7 p.m.

Jan. 23: Capital, 7 p.m.

Jan. 25: Central Kitsap, 7 p.m.

Jan. 29: at Timberline, 7 p.m.

Jan. 31: Gig Harbor, 6:30 p.m.