Tides boys fall to Lincoln and Foss

GH boys finding Narrows League

Marques Hunter

of the Gateway

It was more of a mental lapse than a competitive struggle for the Gig Harbor Tides boys basketball team last Wednesday against the speedy Lincoln Abes at Gig Harbor High School.

It was an early season opportunity for Gig Harbor to beat a top-flight Narrows League opponent and remain unbeaten.

Right from the start, however, Gig Harbor (3-2 overall, 1-2 league) missed nine consecutive free throws and a handful of high-percentage shots near the hoop.

The Tides’ shooting woes resulted in a 54-29 loss to Lincoln.

It was an all-around off night for the Gig Harbor offense. Tides head coach Tom Adams said failing to convert free throws or to finish at the rim made the game more difficult.

“Not making free throws is bad for the team morale and for the individual,” Adams said. “The more opportunities we had, it seemed like the harder they were.”

On the other hand, Lincoln (3-1, 3-0) found its offensive rhythm. The Abes jumped out to a 29-15 lead at halftime behind 4-for-7 shooting from 3-point range.

And the Abes’ full-court pressure disturbed Gig Harbor’s attempt to establish a half-court set.

The Tides shot a dismal 20 percent from the free-throw line and went 1-for-13 from beyond the arc. Gig Harbor’s Cody Williams had a team-high seven points.

Austin Seferian-Jenkins, the Tides’ 6-foot-6 junior post, was held to six points on 3-for-9 shooting. Gig Harbor guards Chris Repar and Brandon Gagliardi made strong attempts to spark the team but combined for six points.

In an attempt to bounce back later in the week at Foss in Tacoma, Gig Harbor dropped its second game in a row, 38-33.

The two games with fewer than 40 points came after a win over Bethel during which the Tides put 51 on the board.

Lincoln head coach Brason Alexander didn’t expect Gig Harbor to be off the entire game.

“They have people who can score in bunches,” Alexander said. “We got them on an off night, but I think defensively, we played well.”

Lincoln’s slender but lengthy defenders challenged most of Gig Harbor’s shots near the hoop. After they scored on the opening play of the second half, the Tides were held without a point until 1:46 remained in the quarter.

Lincoln’s scoring was spread throughout its lineup. Jordan Russell finished with a game-high 14 points and was a perfect 2-for-2 from behind the arc. All but two of the Abes’ 12 varsity players scored.

The nail in the coffin came when Lincoln junior Damani Coley caught an alley-oop dunk to extend the lead to 16 points with 6:50 remaining in the game.

Gig Harbor travels to Port Orchard to play South Kitsap tonight at 7.