Stanwood comes back from 11 down to beat Glacier Peak, advances to Wesco District final


Stanwood comes back from 11 down to beat Glacier Peak, advances to Wesco District final
By Colin Caruso 

Saturday- Feb. 9 -2013- 3A District Semi-Final
Jackson High School 1st 2nd 3rd 4th Final
Glacier Peak 17 16 14 11 58
Stanwood 6 17 19 20 62

Both schools brought a strong student section, to make a great atmosphere in the second district one semifinal matchup between Glacier Peak and Stanwood.  This was a rematch of their January 8th meeting where Stanwood irked out a 1 point win at home, 55-54.

Glacier Peak came out with relentless defensive intensity, forcing seven turnovers in the first quarter and only allowing six points.  Dreu Vader led the offensive charge for the Grizzlies, scoring eight in the quarter to take a 17-6 lead into the second.

Stanwood cleaned up their offense in the second quarter, did not turn the ball over, and capitalized on five offensive rebounds.  Ian Zipp of the Spartans had seven of his team’s 17 in the quarter, but was outmatched by Mitchl Pohrman’s ten for the Grizzlies.  Stanwood cut the Glacier Peak lead to 10 going into the half, 33-23.

Stanwood posted another turnover-less quarter in the third, while forcing four and capitalizing on those opportunities.  Junior Josh Thayer for the Spartans led all scorers in the quarter with eight, Stanwood was able to cut Glacier Peak’s lead to just five heading into the fourth, 47-42.

Both student sections remained electric throughout the contest, but they both picked up the energy in the fourth as the game came down to the wire.  Stanwood cut the Glacier Peak lead to just one with 5:42 left in the game.  The next three possessions resulted in turnovers, two for Glacier Peak, one for Stanwood.  After the turnover barrage, Stanwood senior Mason Garcea knocked down a three to take the lead 52-50, their first lead of the ballgame.

Senior Dreu Vader answered for the Grizzlies, scoring four points in a row to re-claim the lead with 2:26 to play, 58-57.  Stanwood junior Josh Thayer then responded with a driving layup to take the lead by one, 59-58.

On the next possession, Grizzly senior Ramsey Rosales elevated for a three-pointer and barely missed, the rebound going to Stanwood.  Garcea was fouled and stepped to the line and made one of two, resulting in a two point lead for the Spartans with 22 seconds left to play.  Glacier Peak’s next possession resulted in another three point opportunity that was right on target but missed short, the ball going out of bounds to Stanwood.

Stanwood senior Drew Sears was fouled on the inbound pass and made both free-throws, icing the game with a final of 62-58.

Stanwood and Mountlake Terrace face off next Saturday at 8:00 PM at Jackson High School for the District Championship.

Leading Scorers:
Glacier Peak
Dreu Vader (21)
Mitchl Pohrman (11)

Stanwood
Ian Zipp (16)
Josh Thayer (14)