Community Sports

Sports Beat | Gig Harbor girls clinch state tournament berth

One Gig Harbor basketball team qualified for the state tournament following an overtime game against River Ridge this week. The other was eliminated following an overtime loss to the same school.

The Gig Harbor girls punched their ticket with a 73-70 overtime victory over River Ridge in a West Central District III tournament game on Feb. 16. The boys’ season ended with a 55-53 OT loss to River Ridge on Feb. 19.

Girls await state draw

The Gig Harbor girls (18-5) later lost a district semifinal to Enumclaw, 51-46, on Feb. 18. But the River Ridge win mattered the most, since it clinched a berth in the Class 3A state tournament.

State play begins with an opening round Feb. 24. The Tides will learn their next opponent following a tournament draw on Sunday, Feb. 22.

Against River Ridge (15-9), Gig Harbor jumped out to a 28-19 lead in the second quarter.

Ashlyn Peirce shoots against River Ridge. Photo by Vincent Starr

Freshman Jalaay Miller dived on the floor several times to come up with loose balls, while junior guard Ashlyn Peirce knocked down a couple of long shots and handled dribbling duties against constant Hawk pressure.

During one stretch of the second quarter, Tide forward Willow Bonicci collected five consecutive rebounds. She finished the game with 15 rebounds.

The River Ridge press caused havoc in the second half, when the Tides struggled to enter the ball into the post for shots.

The Hawks wrestled the lead away in the fourth quarter, but made a mistake at the end that helped the Tides force overtime.

Key free throws

Gig Harbor trailed by three points with 11 seconds remaining in regulation when the Hawks fouled Kaliyah Miller on a 3-point attempt. Miller, a two-time first-team All Narrows Division guard, buried all three free throws without touching the rim.

Sophomore forward Annika Jones, who led the Tides with 19 points, made multiple critical free throws in overtime as Gig Harbor finally put River Ridge away. Jones had her best game of the season when the Tides needed it most.

Annika Jones of Gig Harbor scored 19 points against River Ridge. Photo by Vincent Starr

Kaliyah Miller added 17 points, Peirce had 16 points and Bonicci contributed 12 points to go with her monster rebounding. Gig Harbor advanced to state in the Tides’ first season under coach Michelle Hackett.

In the semifinal game on Feb. 18, the taller Enumclaw Hornets did just enough down the stretch to win. The only Tides to score in double figures in the defensive battle were Kaliyah Miller with 18 points and Peirce with 12 points.

Boys start slow, fall in OT

There is a saying in sports: “It’s not how you start, it’s how you finish.”

The opposite was true in the Gig Harbor boys’ 55-53 district tournament loss to River Ridge on Thursday, Feb. 19, at Foss High School.

River Ridge (14-10) came out with more energy, forcing turnovers with a swarming zone defense while crashing for offensive rebounds. The Hawks led 14-8 after the first quarter, a six-point margin that was more than enough to win the two-point game.

Gig Harbor (14-10) beat River Ridge 58-46 on Jan. 20, and the Tides had never lost to River Ridge in a South Puget Sound League or Puget Sound League game. The Tides demolished the Hawks 80-14 in 2023.

The Tides may have thought they would have another easy win. But head coach Michael Crosby’s team has come a long way in a short time.

The Hawks never led by more than eight, a mark achieved about halfway through the second quarter on a 3-pointer from the top of the key.

Gig Harbor senior Michael Masini scored 21 points against River Ridge. Photo by Vincent Starr

3-point struggles and successes

The Tides closed to within 25-21 thanks to the free throw line, which provided half their points in the first two quarters. Their marksmanship did not extend from the free throw line to the 3-point line, though: Gig Harbor was just 5 for 23 from 3-point range for the game.

One of those rare 3-pointers gave Gig Harbor its first lead of the game. Quintin Bockhorn connected with 3:03 to play in the fourth quarter, putting the Tides up 41-39.

After some big River Ridge free throws, another Bockhorn 3-pointer tied the score at 45 with about 30 seconds on the clock. Neither team scored again in regulation.

River Ridge forced a couple of turnovers in overtime while double-teaming center Michael Masini, who led Gig Harbor with 21 points.

The Tides had a chance late, when Ty Buchanan was fouled while attempting a 3-point shot with his team behind by four points.

Buchanan made the first two freebies — as well as the third, eliminating any chance for a game-tying tip-in by the 6-foot-8 Masini. Referees waived off the third make due to a lane violation.

The Hawks still had to inbound under their hoop with two seconds to go and the Tides playing denial defense. But they left one Hawk open, and the clock ran out on Gig Harbor’s season.

Graduating seniors include Masini, Bockhorn, Buchanan, Jack Brown, Troy Arnold, Wyatt Lumsden and Jack Johnsen.

Mat Classic begins

Several local wrestlers have already advanced at Mat Classic, the state wrestling championships taking place through Saturday, Feb. 21, at the Tacoma Dome.

Peninsula was in third place in the girls team standings after Thursday’s opening rounds. Four Seahawks are still alive in the championship bracket, giving the school a chance to collect its second Class 3A team title in three years.

The Seahawks’ Nehemiah Grandorff also advanced to the semifinals in the boys 150-pound division. Grandorff pinned a Lynwood opponent in 1:14 before prevailing against a Hermiston (Ore.) wrestler via technical fall, 19-3. He won his quarterfinal match 10-1 over Max Minov of Ingraham.

Seahawk girls dominate

On the girls side, two-time reigning state champion and No. 1 seed Bailey Parker made quick work of her first two opponents in the 155-pound weight class. She needed just 21 seconds to pin a Kelso wrestler, and 1:06 to pin Seahawk teammate Olivia Howell. She will face fourth-seeded Mai Klee from Highline in the semis while the second- and third-seeded wrestlers square off in the other semifinal.

Lindsey Shipp, the Seahawks’ other defending state champion, cruised through the opening rounds of the 170-pound division. Shipp pinned a Timberline wrestler in 2 minutes flat and a Hermiston opponent in just 1:10. Shipp faces Kiara Haertling from Southridge on Feb. 20 in the quarterfinal round.

Lindsey Shipp of Peninsula, shown in a match earlier this year, advanced to the semifinals at Mat Classic. Photo courtesy Peninsula High wrestling

Peninsula 100-pound wrestler Georgina Johnson, seeded first, reached the semifinals with two decisive victories.

Johnson, who may be the strongest 100-pound high school girl west of the Narrows Bridge, beat two opponents by a combined score of 28-0 to reach the final four. Johnson will face a fourth-seeded wrestler from Sammammish on Feb. 20.

Justus Johnson, Peninsula’s 125-pound wrestler, also advanced to the semifinals with three pins that took less than 2 minutes. The fourth-seeded Johnson faces No. 1 Malia Ottow of Snohomish with a chance to reach the state finals.

Justus Johnson of Peninsula. Photo by PHS wrestling

GH’s Nimrick makes semis

Ellanor Nimrick of Gig Harbor also reached the semifinals, in the 110-pound division. Nimrick, a senior, is seeded third in her bracket and scored pins in 28 seconds, 1:11 and 1:53 to advance to the semifinals. Nimrick will face second-seeded Emerson Woods from Mercer Island on Feb. 20. The top seed in the Class 3A 110-pound bracket was upset in the quarterfinals.

Nimrick has a record of 41-6 this season.

Ella Nimrick, a 110-pound wrestler for Gig Harbor, poses with her father, Tides assistant coach Jeff Nimrick. Photo by Veronica Foley

“Ella has routinely stepped up as a team leader and is a great example for our underclassman,” coach Blake Moser said. “Her grit and determination have always made her successful. I know it’s been tough for her to be the only girl on the team but she’s handled it well with poise and now the girls program is growing because of the work she has put in.”

Gig Harbor junior Juan Mateo, seeded seventh, advanced to the quarterfinals of the boys 106-pound class with 21-4 and 18-3 major decisions. The second-seeded wrestler in the weight class pinned Mateo in the quarters.

He and Seahawk wrestler Ben Griffin, who won his first match before losing his second, are in the consolation side of the 106-pound bracket. They could meet with a state placement position on the line later in the tournament.