Glacier Peak boys put clamp on West Valley of Yakima's perimeter shooting at SunDome Shootout
Rams limited to five 3-pointers as Grizzlies post 69-64 victory in top-10 showdown between 4A contenders
Editor’s note: This game story was originally published by content-sharing partner Stat Hound Media, founded by journalist Jerrel Swenning. Support that venture at stathoundmedia.com.
YAKIMA, Wash. — Third-ranked Glacier Peak was OK if senior post Parker Mills had a big game for No. 7 West Valley of Yakima on Monday night at the annual SunDome Shootout.
His damage, for the most part, is by twos. It was the deadeye shooting of the Rams’ wings that Grizzlies wanted to tamp down.
Glacier Peak limited West Valley to five 3-pointers — just one after halftime — and won the third meeting between the two teams, 69-64, over the past 10 months.
The Rams won last year’s regional matchup to open the state tournament, while the Grizzlies took the game for third and fifth place in the Tacoma Dome.
All three games have been decided by single digits.
“That was by design,” Glacier Peak coach Brian Hunter said of the death-by-a-dozen-twos defensive approach.
And early, Mills obliged. Six days after being held to just seven points in a home loss to sixth-ranked Chiawana, the stout center had 11 points in the first quarter.
That production would slow, and the offensive tackle recruit would finish with 25 points.
“We did a lot of scouting on West Valley and their 3-point shooting is what wins them games,” Hunter said. “It takes a lot of twos by Parker to beat you rather than a few 3s by the other guys.”
West Valley made 11 3-pointers against the Riverhawks the Tuesday before.
“This is the first team that made a concerted effort to take our shooters away,” West Valley coach Tyson Whitfield.
The Grizzlies also had their own all-league football player who doubles as a low-post threat come winter, and Zach Albright matched Mills’ first quarter output and totaled 23 points, 10 rebounds and closed the game out with four consecutive free throws.
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