Peninsula gets statement win over Lincoln, punches ticket to state

The Peninsula High boys basketball team, with all its success over the past few years, has been lacking one thing: A statement win in a high-stakes, high-pressure game.

The Seahawks finally got it Friday night. Peninsula won a nail-biter against sixth-ranked Lincoln, the Narrows 3A champion, 68-66 in a second-round West Central District III matchup at Rogers High School, punching a ticket to the regional round of the Class 3A state tournament and finally getting over the hump.

Last year, Lincoln beat Peninsula in the same round of the district tournament in the same gym. This year, it was the Seahawks’ turn to return the favor.

“We just knew the second time around that we were the better team,” said senior Garrett Kingman, whose 16 points included a thunderous dunk to score the first points of the game. “Last year, they were a better team. This time, we just knew we had to execute and we’d win. It was close, I’m glad we got it.”

In years past, Kingman conceded, Peninsula probably wouldn’t have won this game.

“I think the biggest thing is confidence,” Kingman said. “Peninsula used to be just a trash team. Now we’re all seniors and we know this is our year. We’re state ranked and we’ve got to take care of business and make it to state. That’s always our goal, to make it to the Dome and win the state tournament.”

While Kingman was the star of the first half, senior JaQuori McLaughlin showed why he’s such a highly-touted recruit in the second half, pouring in 17 of his 24 total points. McLaughlin picked up three fouls in the first half and had to adjust his style of play as a result of the tight officiating.

“I really just attacked the rim,” McLaughlin said. “I saw they wanted to take charges, so I started getting that midrange floater going. They were trying to get me to make offensive fouls. I had to keep my arms in, play smart and look for my teammates when they were coming to trap.”

Up by one point with 6.4 seconds to go, Garrett Kingman missed a pair of free throws, and on the second miss, the ball fell to senior Ryder Johnson, who has played sparingly off the bench this season. Johnson was fouled and went to the line. His first free throw: Banked in off the glass. But did he call it?

“Probably not,” McLaughlin said with a laugh. “But it’s Ryder. It’s going in.”

Johnson missed the second, and Lincoln’s half-court shot missed. The win seals Peninsula’s third state tournament berth in the program’s history and the first since 2008.

“I think it’s just the work we put in the offseason, the relentless grit that we have as a team,” McLaughlin said. “The fight that we have and the confidence that we have that we’re going to win every game we go into.”

GIG HARBOR GIRLS HEADED TO STATE

Gig Harbor beat Rogers, 63-51, in an opening-round district playoff game Feb. 11, and then followed that up with a 50-46 win over Curtis on Saturday to advance to the regional round of the 4A state tournament.

Gig Harbor will face Todd Beamer at 6 p.m. Thursday (Feb. 18) at Puyallup High School for a chance to go the district title game. The winner will face the winner of Kentlake versus Bellarmine.

The Tides now boast a 15-6 overall record. Todd Beamer enters Thursday’s matchup with a 20-2 overall record.

This story was originally published February 17, 2016 at 12:11 PM with the headline "Peninsula gets statement win over Lincoln, punches ticket to state."