1/7/2023

Gig Harbor 73, North Thurston 51

(Gig Harbor, WA)

The Lady Tides reminded the rest of the South Sound Conference that despite some injuries to key players, they are a team to beat in the SSC as they gave North Thurston their first league loss of the season in convincing fashion, 49-34 on Friday night at Jon Gorrow Gym.

Gig Harbor (7-4, 6-0 SSC) got a monster game from Senior Forward Riley Pescheck who earned the ESN Player of the Game honors with a game high 22 points and 24 rebounds. The backcourt of Junior Taylor Schwab and Olivia Paul was also strong, with Schwab finishing with 15 points and 5 rebounds and Paul hitting several 3-pointers for 12 points and 5 boards.

Gig Harbor’s defense stifled the normally potent Lady Rams offense, as North Thurston was held to a season low 34 points, half of those from Sophomore star guard Soraya Ogaldez’s 17 points. Grace Lee added another 8 for the Lady Rams.

Gig Harbor’s win means that they are the lone unbeaten team in South Sound Conference play at 6-0, with a date with rival Peninsula on Wednesday coming up. Peninsula and North Thurston are now both 1 game behind Gig Harbor with 5-1 league records.

The win for Gig Harbor gives them 2 straight SSC wins to start 2023 calendar year after they lost 4 straight non-conference games during the Winter Break. North Thurston had their 9-game winning streak snapped in the loss on Friday and hope to get back on track in a Non Conference game on Monday against Black Hills. Gig Harbor hosts rival Peninsula on Wednesday in the “Fishbasket” rivalry, Peninsula beat Timberline on Friday before a tough non-conference loss to West Seattle on Saturday.