What we learned from Gig Harbor versus Peninsula hoops doubleheader

The Gig Harbor High School boys and girls basketball teams hosted crosstown rival Peninsula on Jan. 9 in a doubleheader.

The Tides came out on top in both games, with the girls winning 52-51, and the boys winning 50-42. Here are some things we learned from last week’s doubleheader.

Maxwell is on another level

OK, we already knew this, but Wednesday’s performance was additional proof that the Utah signee, who recently passed 1,500 career points, is a special player for the Tides. Bryanna Maxwell scored 35 points, including the game-winning shot with under 15 seconds to go, propelling her team to a victory over the Seahawks.

Maxwell was on the floor for the entire game and was visibly exhausted in the second half, but her unparalleled will to win kept her going. With just one game remaining against Peninsula, Maxwell still has yet to lose to the Seahawks in her high school career.

At some point, Maxwell will need some help

As dominant as Gig Harbor’s star has been this season, at some point, she’s going to need a little help from her teammates.

Maxwell accounted for 67 percent of her team’s total scoring on Wednesday, with the next highest scorer on the team chipping in six points for the Tides. While getting the ball into Maxwell’s hands is clearly a sound strategy, eventually, the double and triple teams are going to slow her down, especially in the postseason. That’s going to free up plenty of open looks for teammates, who are going to need to step up if Gig Harbor wants to return to the Class 3A state tournament.

Forward Tate McReynolds has shown some flashes this season, while guards Sydney Langworthy and Meghan Edwards have occasionally shown the ability to beat teams from behind the arc. But that production will need to become more consistent as the season progresses.

Peninsula girls have balance

They didn’t get the win they so desperately wanted, but for much of the game, the Seahawks looked like the superior team because of their offensive balance.

Peninsula’s Belle Frazier was impressive as always for the Seahawks, scoring a team-high 18 points. Esther Pappuleas played a fantastic game, scoring 12 for the Seahawks, while Linsey Lovrovich scored six and Piper Bauer scored five.

In the rematch, Peninsula will likely want a bit more scoring from Lovrovich and Bauer, who were held well below their season averages. But they’ve shown an ability to score all season and there’s nothing to suggest that won’t be the case heading into the final stretch of the season.

Toglia emerges as Tides’ top option

Against Peninsula, Toglia poured in 23 points, scoring in a variety of ways for the Tides. Toglia, who is just a sophomore, has a good shot from 3-point range and has the ability to beat defenders off the dribble and get to the hoop, also.

With freshman Asher Raquiza also emerging for the Tides, Gig Harbor has a fairly athletic, versatile team this season with plenty of players who can put the ball in the hoop. Toglia is averaging 12.9 points per game for the Tides this season.

Peninsula boys: No margin of error

With Peninsula’s loss to Gig Harbor and a 71-65 loss to Shelton two days later, Peninsula dropped to 2-6 in league play. While Peninsula isn’t out of contention, moral victories will no longer suffice for a team that has dug itself quite a hole.

With six league games remaining in the regular season, Peninsula will probably need to win at least four games to be in the playoff conversation. The good news is Peninsula has a talented roster, with Tyler Spurlock in command of the offense. Spurlock, who is a good athlete and shooter, also showed a quality post-up game against the Tides.

Kaleb Lichau and Roman Bockhorn can also put the ball in the hoop for the Seahawks. A sense of desperation can be galvanizing for a team. We’ll see over final three weeks how the Seahawks respond.

Gig Harbor gets a sweep

Gig Harbor won six out of six games against Peninsula, when factoring in the c-team and junior varsity games for both the boys and girls programs. While it’s not worth looking too closely into sub-varsity results, the clean sweep paints a picture of depth for Gig Harbor that, as of right now, Peninsula isn’t matching. Of course, top-end talent at the varsity level is ultimately what counts, and a varsity sweep at home on Jan. 31 by the Seahawks would quickly erase that narrative.

Packed house for girls game

Gig Harbor High School athletic director Bob Werner estimates around 1,600 fans took in the girls varsity game, which tipped off prior to the boys game. But this didn’t seem to be a case of a crowd trickling in late in the second half in anticipation for the boys game. Much of this crowd was in place from the beginning.

With the Gig Harbor and Peninsula girls programs in something of a golden age right now, it’s encouraging to see so many fans turn out to watch high-level high school basketball. And they were treated to a great game, too.

This story was originally published January 16, 2019 at 10:24 AM.