Reigning 3A state champion Gig Harbor eliminated in regionals loss to Edmonds-Woodway

Gig Harbor High School, the reigning Class 3A state girls basketball champions, have been knocked out of the postseason, losing to Edmonds-Woodway, 48-45, on Saturday evening in the regional round of the state tournament at Mount Tahoma High School.

But it certainly wasn’t because of a lack of effort from senior Brynna Maxwell, a Utah signee and the MVP this season in the South Sound Conference.

Maxwell, who will leave Gig Harbor with nearly every school record to her name, scored 31 points for the Tides, despite constant double teams and a diamond-and-one defense designed to deny her even getting the ball.

Maxwell tied the game with a 3-pointer with under a minute remaining, but Edmonds-Woodway junior guard Brooke Kearney answered with a 3-pointer of her own with 7.8 seconds left in the game, giving Edmonds-Woodway a 48-45 lead.

With one more chance to tie the game, the Tides looked to Maxwell, who shot a tightly contested 3-pointer. Whether or not Maxwell was fouled on the final shot was on the mind of Gig Harbor coach Megan Murray after the game.

“There was contact,” Murray said. “I’d have to go back and watch film but there was a lot of contact. The girls played hard right up until the end.”

Maxwell, for what it’s worth, said there was definitely contact.

“I got hip-checked,” she said.

Kearney was the hero for the Warriors, knocking down two 3-pointers in the final two minutes of the game, including the game winner.

“We know they’re all shooters from the outside,” Murray said. “That was our focus, to stay extended in the zone and we just got over-rotated on it. Our focus was to stay out, make sure we got a hand out on all of them. She hit two huge threes, but we kept fighting and coming back. That one cost us in the end.”

Maxwell said Kearney wasn’t on the team’s scouting report as one of the biggest shooting threats for the Warriors.

“That hurt,” Maxwell said. “You kind of have to roll with the punches. It was a deep 3, too.”

Murray said she was proud of the effort from the Tides’ players in the loss.

“100 percent, they left it on the floor,” Murray said. “They kept fighting, getting after it and we just adjusted on some things. I thought our ball movement was a lot better. We were getting shots that we wanted to get and needed to get. We had a chance at the end to tie it up.”

After winning a state championship a year ago, not getting back to the Tacoma Dome this year was a tough pill for the players to swallow.

“Our goal was to get back to the Dome,” Maxwell said. “Winning state last year, our standard was set pretty high. Every team played their best game against us. We had a big target on our back. Our team played really well after tough losses this season.”

The toughest part of the loss may be the realization that Saturday was Maxwell’s final game in a Gig Harbor uniform.

“I’m beyond proud of that kid,” Murray said. “It’s definitely going to be hard to soak in, knowing that was my last game coaching her. She gives so much to the game and the game gives back to her. I’m super proud of everything she’s done. She’s left her mark here and deserves everything she’s earned. I’m glad she can walk out of here with everything that she’s accomplished and she has a ring on her finger, too.”

Edmonds-Woodway will face Bethel in the opening round of the Hardwood Classic at the Tacoma Dome at 10:30 a.m. on Feb. 27.

INDIVIDUAL SCORING

EW – Poling 24, Dasalla-Good 9, Kearney 7, McMahon 4, Martineau 2, Fosberg 1, Reijonen 1

GH – Maxwell 31, Langworthy 5, Edwards 4, Neil 3, McReynolds 2

This story was originally published February 23, 2019 at 8:02 PM.