Davis of Yakima shuts down Glacier Peak for 4A regional victory, 3 takeaways
SHORELINE, Wash. — Davis of Yakima knew it would likely be getting a tough regional matchup no matter what it was given.
The Pirates also knew they'd probably be in for a long road trip if they dropped out of the top four.
Once Davis was announced as the No. 5 seed, the lengthy trip across the pass was official, with the Pirates drawing a matchup with No. 4 Glacier Peak at Shorewood High School Friday night.
Davis made sure to make the 300-mile round trip adventure worth it, taking down Glacier Peak, 65-54, to advance straight into the Class 4A quarterfinals next week at the Tacoma Dome.
Junior point guard Cesar Hernandez scored a game-high 18 points to lead the Pirates. Seniors Finnegan Anderson and Brandon Lee each added 12 points.
Glacier Peak was led on offense by sophomore Reed Nagel and junior Jayce Nelson who each scored 13 points.
Davis' quarterfinal opponent will be determined next week at the Tacoma Dome. Glacier Peak will play a loser-out game against Camas at 7:15 p.m. Wednesday.
Here are three takeaways from the Davis-Glacier Peak game:
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EARLY FOUL TROUBLE NO PROBLEM FOR DAVIS
It only took three minutes for Hernandez to pick up two fouls.
Davis coach Eli Juarez opted to take Hernandez out for the rest of the first quarter, but the Pirates' offense didn't miss a beat without its leader and point guard on the floor.
"I think the person that came in, (Tyson Lee), does an excellent job for us," Juarez said. "He's our little bulldog that just goes in there and defensively gets after it, but he also takes over when somebody is in foul trouble. I would commend him for the excellent job he did."
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QUIET NIGHT FOR GLACIER PEAK STAR JO LEE
When all was said and done, Glacier Peak guard Jo Lee managed to score just 11 points.
Juarez said he thought it was a combination of things that allowed the Pirates to contain the Grizzlies' best player.
"We switched a lot and we got into them quite a bit," Juarez said. "I knew we were aware of where (Lee) was and we did a good job of switching onto him."
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NO HEARTBREAK WEDNESDAY THIS YEAR
For two consecutive seasons, the Pirates have had to play the first day at the Tacoma Dome.
And for two consecutive seasons Davis has lost on that day, putting an end to its season prematurely in Tacoma. The Pirates made sure to avoid a third consecutive Wednesday game, advancing straight to the quarterfinals with the win.
"For us, having a quarterfinal game, it's nice to sit back and kind of breathe a little bit," Juarez said. "We understand we still have work to do, but the kids are ready for it."
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