PHS Hoops: Girls Secure Winning Record, Boys Struggle in Tough Season

The Peninsula High School Seahawks girls basketball team had an up-and-down season under first-year head coach Nelson Garbutt, finishing 12-10 overall with an 11-5 mark in the Puget Sound League, securing third place in the Nisqually Division.

Senior guard Grace Richardson led the way, earning Puget Sound League-Nisqually Division Co-Defensive Player of the Year honors. She was also named first-team All-PSL, capping off an incredible career in which she surpassed 1,000 total points, finishing with 1,261 (a 14.0 career points-per-game average). This season, she averaged 19 points, 8.9 rebounds, 4.6 assists, 4.5 steals, and 2.1 blocks per game.

After opening the season with three straight wins, Peninsula struggled to find momentum. Their results against Gig Harbor showcased this inconsistency — a 47-36 victory Jan. 15 was followed by a 50-30 loss to the same team in the conference tournament less than three weeks later. They also displayed their potential with a dominant 51-28 win over the Lakes High School Lancers but saw their season end last month to the same team in a 59-53 loss. They also traded wins with Silas High.

Senior Maci Miller also made an impact, earning an All-PSL honorable mention. She finished second on the team in scoring with 6.6 points per game and led the team in three-pointers made (27) and three-point percentage (21%).

As a team, Peninsula earned the division’s Sportsmanship Award, voted on by league coaches.

With Richardson, Miller and fellow seniors Brooke Kaufholtz, Katelyn Lea and Kenyon Ballard graduating, next season will be a rebuilding year for Peninsula. Coach Garbutt did give three freshmen significant playing time, which may come in handy down the road.

Richardson leaves as the school’s career assist leader with 397 over the past four years, including a single-season record of 124 assists set last year. Earlier this season, she broke two school records in a game against Mount Tahoma, with 14 two-point field goals and adding 14 steals, en route to a 30-point game. She recorded a triple-double against Gig Harbor at the Jan. 15 game, finishing with 11 points, 17 rebounds, and a school-record 13 assists.

Peninsula Boys Miss Playoffs, Finish 6-15 Overall

Based solely on wins and losses, the Peninsula boys basketball team met expectations, defeating teams with worse records and struggling against stronger competition. The issue was that this season, there were more teams with better records.

“There were four games where, if things had gone slightly differently, we could’ve been in the playoff picture,” third-year head coach Sean Muilenburg said. “But I think we were a lot more competitive in most games than people realize.”

The Seahawks finished the 2024-25 season with a 6-15 overall record and a 4-12 mark in the PSL, placing fifth in the Nisqually Division and missing the playoffs for the fifth straight year. The biggest challenge came in the form of health issues, as the flu disrupted the team’s rhythm in December just as they were finding their footing.

Despite that, Peninsula had two of their best performances in the early part of January: a narrow 64-59 loss to Timberline (14-11, 10-6 PSL) and a near-victory over rival Gig Harbor, where the Seahawks fell just short, 56-54.

Senior guard Isaac Shultz-Tait was the team’s standout, earning first-team All-PSL honors after averaging 17.1 points, 2.9 assists, and 2.43 steals per game. His leadership played a key role throughout the season.

“Isaac created a lot of opportunities on both ends of the floor and brought that emotional energy that can carry a team,” Muilenburg said.

Junior AJ Alexeev made an immediate impact after transferring from Sound Christian, finishing second in scoring with 15.1 points per game and adding 6.8 rebounds per contest. Sophomore Aiden Muilenburg emerged as the team’s top rebounder, averaging 9.5 boards and 2.2 blocks per game, proving to be a defensive anchor.

Although Peninsula will lose Shultz-Tait and fellow seniors Carson Zimmermann and Wyatt Abrigo, the Seahawks have a strong foundation moving forward. With Alexeev and Muilenburg leading a returning core and players like sophomore Talen McDonnell and junior Trevor Bingham poised to step up, Peninsula is looking ahead with optimism.

“The momentum is building,” Muilenburg said. “We’ve got guys already getting together for offseason workouts, and that’s a great sign.”