Peninsula, Gig Harbor girls basketball teams compete in holiday tournaments

Sometimes, the result of a complex basketball game boils down to the simple concept of shooting.

For the Peninsula High School girls basketball team in its two games over the weekend, that was exactly the case.

In the Sterling Christmas Shootout at Kennedy Catholic High School, the Seahawks dropped their first in a two-game tournament to Sumner in a 74-55 loss.

The key? Peninsula only shot 5-23 from three-point range.

But when the team connected on over half of their three-point attempts — draining 12-23 from beyond the arc against Kennedy Catholic — the Seahawks took down the host Lancers in a convincing 76-48 victory.

Peninsula Coach Mike Schick had a simple reason for the success in game two.

“We shot the ball a lot better,” Schick said, chuckling. “We were able to get out in transition [and get] back to Seahawk basketball. Putting up 76 points is really the range we want to be in. … The girls are starting to understand that a lot of our offense comes from our defense. The harder they play on defense, the easier it is on offense.”

For a team with their eyes set on a league title, the Seahawks know the importance of a high-scoring offense.

Peninsula’s Piper Bauer also knows the significance of teamwork, chemistry, and unselfishness. The Seahawks guard attributed Saturday’s success to the ability to work together and stay focused, despite a recent losing streak.

“We had team chemistry,” Bauer said. “We played better and we were all having fun. We were more focused, and (our) coach helped a lot. He was giving good energy and was trying to keep our spirits high even though we’ve been losing. He’s been trying to keep us focused and ready to play.”

Bauer forms a backcourt with Linsey Lovrovich, who both draw significant attention from defenders. After the departure of now-Portland State guard Belle Frazier — who Schick dubbed as “Miss Do-It-All” for the Peninsula program — Bauer and Lovrovich have become the first and second scoring options for the Seahawk offense.

That doesn’t necessarily mean they’re the only ones putting the ball in the basket.

“The thing I love about those two kids is that they’re so unselfish,” Schick said. “They understand the game very well. They understand that if [they’re] being guarded by two girls, somebody else is open. They’re very unselfish in the sense that they know they can score, but they’d rather give up a good shot for a great shot and give everyone the ball.”

Currently at fourth place in the 3A SSC, the Seahawks are just two games behind three undefeated teams.

The Gig Harbor Tides (5-4 overall, 4-0 SSC 3A) are one of them.

Roughly 113 miles north of the tournament at Kennedy Catholic, the Tides participated in the Cloud 9 Christmas Classic in Lynden.

In two non-league games, Gig Harbor dropped a pair to Meridian and Ferndale, losing by 10 and 15, respectively.

And in Gig Harbor’s case, the team’s inability to control runs and maintain momentum was what spoiled their weekend.

“We talked for about an hour after the game,” said Gig Harbor Coach Mike Guinasso. “Being away … it’s not like you get to go home. That’s really hard on the girls. But we needed one of those (losses) to take a step going forward, especially with the tougher part of our league coming up.”

The Tides travel to Olympia to face Capital on Jan. 8 in their return to league play. It’s where the battle for the league title officially resumes, with Capital and Yelm tied with Gig Harbor atop the standings.

Co-captain Tate McReynolds viewed the weekend losses as an important opportunity to gauge the team’s ability to compete with the state’s best.

“Taking those two losses was really good to see where we’re at when we play strong teams,” McReynolds said. “We just can’t make the mistakes on the little things.”

And the little things — whether it’s grabbing a rebound or finding an open shooter — will be the key for the Tides as they head into the bulk of their schedule, particularly in games against those who share their spot atop the SSC standings.

And McReynolds, now in her senior year, has one goal: to play with no regrets.

“We talk about it a lot. … At the end of the season, we want to look back and be like ‘we left it all out on the court and we did everything we could,’” McReynolds said. “Every game and every practice, we’re just working toward that goal.

“For me, this is my last year of basketball as a senior, so I’m leaving it all on the court and playing as hard as I can, because I know that this time next year, I won’t be able to play the sport I’ve grown up playing.”

This story was originally published January 2, 2020 at 6:00 AM.