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closeTides trounce Seahawks in preseason matchup
Tides break press; PHS implements unconventional substitution strategy
Marques Hunter
of the Gateway
The Gig Harbor Tides boys basketball team simply had more talent than the Peninsula Seahawks on Saturday night.
Gig Harbor blew out an inexperienced Seahawks team 88-35 in non-league matchup at Gig Harbor High School.
Peninsula’s frantic intensity and bizarre lineup shuffle didn’t faze the Tides, who jumped out to a 29-9 lead to end the first quarter and never looked back.
The dominating performance was just what new Gig Harbor coach Tom Adams was hoping for.
“We did a nice job of the initial speed and pressure they put on us,” Adams said.
It was nearly impossible for the Seahawks to defend 6-foot-6 junior post Austin Seferian-Jenkins, who finished with a game-high 28 points and 16 rebounds.
Jenkins said the Tides have been conditioning hard leading up to their first game and it helped counter a hyperactive Peninsula defense.
“It came down to my teammates giving me the ball in the right position,” Seferian-Jenkins said.
Four Tides scored in double figures, and Gig Harbor’s defense held Peninsula without a field goal until the 6:21 mark in the second quarter, when senior Darrian Creamer — the Seahawks’ only returning player with varsity experience — scored a layup.
The Seahawks’ offense consisted mainly of 3-point shots. They scored just four field goals the entire game.
On multiple occasions, Peninsula coach Kerry Yousey inserted a completely new lineup. In contrast, Gig Harbor found consistency and received additional support from its bench.
Yousey said as the Seahawks get accustomed to varsity basketball, they will get a better understanding of their system.
“As a team, we know this style is a big risk, big reward,” Yousey said. “If we sit back and play conservatively, most likely we’ll finish ninth (in the South Puget Sound League 3A Division). Playing this style gives us a chance to compete night in and night out. Offensively, we must do a better job taking good shots and getting shots for our best shooters.”
Gig Harbor’s speedy transition offense produced countless fast-break layups. Tides junior guard Brandon Gagliardi finished with 17 points.
“We knew they were going to press,” Gagliardi said of the Seahawks. “We trusted in what we’ve done in practice.”
Gagliardi added that the early season projection of the Tides finishing toward the bottom of the Narrows League has motivated them to step it up this year.
Creamer and Peninsula senior JR Grosshans combined for most of the Seahawks’ offense with 24 points.
In the first half, Gig Harbor senior David Bigelow sprained his ankle and did not return. He’s expected to miss two weeks, Adams said.
Gig Harbor’s first league game is scheduled for 7 tonight at home against Wilson. Peninsula is scheduled to play its first SPSL 3A game at 7 p.m. Friday at White River in Buckley.
Gig Harbor 88, Peninsula 35
Peninsula 9 13 9 4—35
Gig Harbor 29 27 29 3—88
Peninsula
(0-1): Greene 1, Leacy 0, Menkens 0, Hoskan 3, Grosshans 11, Hohbein 2, Olson 0, Davis 0, Vezzani 2, Gilman 3, Creamer 13, Dickinson 0
Gig Harbor
(1-0): Castle 2, Rothenberg 2, Gagliardi 17, Bigelow 0, Steingraber 2, Repar 19, Williams 4, King 2, Medak 11, Piercy 1, Guinn 0, Seferian-Jenkins 28