Richland scores final 11 points, emerges to beat Glacier Peak in 4A semifinals
During his postgame interview with SWX Sports, Richland guard Joshua Woodard was surrounded by all 11 of his teammates. He was the only Bomber to field questions from the baseline — but everyone on the roster stood at his side, unwilling to celebrate Friday night’s win without the Richland playmaker.
Senior guard Christopher Daniels placed his hands above Woodard’s head in the shape of a crown, as if to anoint him as royalty. In a 4A semifinal that featured 15 lead changes, Woodard facilitated a late-game surge – posting a 17-point, 11-rebound double-double to push seventh-seeded Richland over No. 4 Glacier Peak, 70-59, at the Tacoma Dome.
“You’ve got to value every possession against a team like that,” Woodard told The News Tribune. “(Glacier Peak has) lots of great scorers… We’ve got to make sure we get a good shot.”
Talk about lead changes: this back-and-forth contest was tied at 10, and again at 20. It was tied at 38, and again at 48.
It was tied at 59 in the fourth quarter before Richland built an 11-0 run in the final three minutes and stormed to victory.
Woodard was 6-of-12 from the field and 3-of-7 from three-point range. Don’t leave him open beyond the arc, or else his quick release typically results in a trey.
“That’s why I like to try to hunt my shots, when we’re down late in the shot clock, to try to get that momentum,” Woodard said.
Richland forward Lucas Westerfield dropped 20 points and grabbed 12 rebounds, both team-highs, and blocked two shots.
“He’s dominant,” Woodard said. “Any time he touched the ball, you almost knew he was gonna score. And defensively, he’s getting five, six blocks a game. It helps us a lot.”
These two programs won strikingly-different quarterfinal affairs on Thursday night at the Tacoma Dome to reach this thriller. No. 7 Richland cruised over No. 8 Kentwood by 24 points. And Glacier Peak needed a last-gasp rally to erase a 10-point deficit with under four minutes in regulation, force overtime, and survive No. 3 Gonzaga Prep behind clutch three-pointers by junior wing Josiah Lee.
Lee was again Glacier Peak’s top scorer Friday night (22 points), both a perimeter threat and mid-range shot creator. Grizzlies wing Jayce Nelson added 15 points. But Glacier Peak’s offense fizzled late, much to the credit of Richland defenders.
Richland meets No. 1 Mount Si in the Tacoma Dome on Saturday at 3 p.m. It’s a rematch of last year’s 4A quarterfinals, where the Wildcats won handily, 70-47.
“I’m not really (thinking about that),” Woodard said. “I’m just excited for the state championship. They’re a great team, so we’re gonna have to come ready to play.”
This story was originally published March 1, 2024 at 11:29 PM.
