Gig Harbor, Peninsula basketball teams eliminated from postseason

All four basketball teams for Gig Harbor and Peninsula High School competed and lost to their opponents in their second week of the district tournament.

Although these were not the ends of the seasons they were looking for, it leaves an open look on how they can take lessons from this season and apply them to next year.

Here’s how each team fared:

GIG HARBOR BOYS

The Tides under coach Billy Landram had arguably one of the better turnaround seasons a team has had in the 3A South Sound Conference. Going from 8-12 in 2019 to 17-3 in 2020, things were going their way.

Then they were upset by Mount Tahoma in their first game in districts 61-59, shoving them to a lose-and-go-home situation. And that bad fortune turned worse, as the Tides fell to Spanaway Lake 57-54.

“It was a good season in a lot of respects. For us, the journey is a lot of the fun,” Landram said. “We have goals in what we want to accomplish as a team. But the experience for the kids, both good and bad, create memories and serve them well.”

In their game against the Sentinels, Drew Parrish stepped up and played really well in the last game he would don a Tides uniform. Even though there was a letdown feeling from the T-Birds game, Parrish delivered the big plays when needed.

Parrish is part of a group of four seniors that weren’t at the meeting Landram held to go over the issues the Tides had in districts. Even as they begin to transition into the work for the 2020-21 season, Landram holds his seniors in high regard.

“Just knowing that those guys aren’t going to be around, they don’t get a chance to do this anymore, it kind of hits home,” he said. “Their time is up… It’s hard for kids to put that in perspective.”

As the Tides look to the future, they’re going to load up on talent from their feeder program as well as feature a more experienced core group of players that includes Zach Toglia returning for his senior year, Asher Raquiza for his junior, and Christian Parrish for his sophomore year.

GIG HARBOR GIRLS

In his first year as head coach, Mike Guinasso had a tall order on his hands. How was he going to replicate the success the team had without Brynna Maxwell?

Despite Maxwell leaving, Guinasso and the Tides found that they had a chance in every game they played thanks to their strong defense.

It showed as the slowed down an undefeated Bethel team to the tune of a one-point loss, which landed them in their district matchup against Wilson.

Unfortunately, the Tides could not stop the Rams’ offense and they eventually grabbed the 66-51 win. However, that doesn’t change how Guinasso and his team still think of this year as a success.

“There is a lot of talent coming in next year and the girls worked really this year with what we had,” he said. “I told them every game we can make it to state, which is the goal… I’ve told the girls all season how proud I am of them. They work hard so they’re a good team no matter what.”

It was easy for Guinasso to tell his team how much he was proud of them because of their consistent and high level of competitiveness they put on the court.

From seniors like Tate McReyolds and Abby Emmery to freshman Riley Peschek, they all played their hearts out against Wilson.

“Now that I’ve been here for a year, the parents and the kids know the expectations that we want kids in the gym,” Guinasso said. “With the talent we have coming in, hopefully the older kids see that and say ‘I got to work my butt off to keep my spot.’”

PENINSULA BOYS

In a season filled with perseverance, the Seahawks found that they were progressively getting better through their growth on and off the court.

At the beginning of the season, coach Matt Robles wanted his team to know that this year is not going to go the way they think it is. But despite finishing fourth in the SSC, the Seahawks made it to districts.

However, after a thrilling win over Central Kitsap and a rough game against Kelso, the Seahawks played their last game in a 55-50 loss to Timberline.

“We kept getting better on the court and off the court, we kept growing on the court,” Robles said. “Off the court, our potential and our growth really skyrocketed. I was really proud of how our boys handled adversity. We kept plugging away, kept competing, kept getting better as the year went on.”

As this season has wrapped up for the Seahawks, their future is going to prominently feature freshman Luke Browne.

Browne really came on for the Seahawks as he led the team in scoring, and is an exciting player to have in their program.

“He’s a special talent. It’s not very often you have a freshman come in and make varsity, play varsity and start just about every game,” Robles said. “He’s going to be a pretty big piece moving forward.”

The seniors graduating in the spring will always have a special place in Robles’ heart as these were his first full four-year kids. No matter where they end up, Robles hopes the experience they had together lasts a lifetime.

PENINSULA GIRLS

After winning six of their last eight games to make district playoffs, the Seahawks found themselves in a matchup in districts against a familiar opponent.

Where the Seahawks had a close finish in their first game against the Tornadoes that finished 74-71, the same cannot be said in their next game against Kelso.

Although the game ended at 63-41, the Seahawks kept it close in the first half. Heading into halftime, they were down three points. However, the Hilanders turned on the offense and didn’t look back.

The future looks bright for the Seahawks as they will have Linsey Lovrovich and Piper Bauer for their senior season next year.

This story was originally published February 25, 2020 at 6:00 AM.