The magic nearly continues for Sumner, but Glacier Peak clutch down the stretch to top Spartans, 57-52
When it mattered most, No. 2 Glacier Peak hit crucial shots down the stretch against No. 9 Sumner in the Class 4A state tournament quarterfinals at the Tacoma Dome on Thursday night, outscoring Sumner 16-9 in the fourth quarter to come away with a hard-fought, 57-52 win to advance to the tournament semifinals tomorrow night against No. 3 Mount Si.
“In the fourth quarter, we were thinking we were going to play defense like we did in the third,” said Glacier Peak’s Tucker Molina, who scored 11 points in the win. “We were playing really lazy defense in the first half. I don’t know why. We just weren’t there. We just wanted to play defense how we did in the third and keep that same energy.”
Glacier Peak outrebounded Sumner, 34-29, and 12 of the 34 rebounds came on the offensive end. To Sumner coach Jake Jackson, second-chance points were the difference.
“I thought our half-court defense was phenomenal, but then the second-chance points, where they’d have an open three,” Jackson said. “That’s what’s hard for me, we did a great job on defense, did a great job suffocating what they were trying to do. But then giving them the boards was the difference maker.”
It didn’t help that Josh Lear, Sumner’s best player, picked up his fourth foul midway through the third quarter. That forced him to the bench until early in the fourth quarter, and when he made his return, he was playing cautiously on both ends.
“I thought he was hesitant,” Jackson said. “On offense and defense, he didn’t want to pick up a foul and foul out. He didn’t want to go hard on defense with his rotations and closeouts because he didn’t want to get a foul called. So I think him in foul trouble definitely hurt us. We were not in sync on offense. When he’s out there, he’s drawing defenders to him, where other guys get open. Without him out there, it was hard for our offense to have synergy.”
Champ Spencer had a strong game for Sumener, scoring a game-high 16 points. Lamar Campbell scored 15 and Lear scored 12.
For Glacier Peak, Tristan Bates scored a game-high 15 and Molina and Brayden Quantrille added 11 apiece.
Sumner will play Federal Way on Friday in the consolation bracket at 2 p.m., with the winner advancing to the fourth/six place game on Saturday.
“Season’s not over, let’s go play Federal Way tomorrow, and a win pushes us to Saturday,” Jackson said. “Only one team can win out of 66 4A schools. These guys need to be proud. They brought our whole community here together, under one roof, everyone came together as a family and a Sumner community. So I told them to leave the locker room with their head held high.”
