HS Boys Basketball: Masini's 38 Pushes Gig Harbor by Silas

12/17/25

Gig Harbor 72, Silas 69

(Tacoma, WA) League play starts almost immediately in boys basketball in the Puget Sound League so the Gig Harbor Tides and Silas Rams had already been thrown in the deep end as they met in Tacoma on Wednesday night. After Silas won both regular season meetings by four points each before Gig Harbor dominated in the playoff meeting, these two teams have a habit of playing very exciting and close games for the most part. Silas would enter the game looking to move to 4-1 while Gig Harbor would try to avoid losing their third in a row.

Silas would get off to a nice start with an early three by Trey Collier to give the Rams the initial 5-2 lead. After that, it was all Gig Harbor for the remainder of the opening quarter. Silas had no answer to the 6’8 Michael Masini who showcased the skillset he will take to West Point next year. His height and attacking skills saw him take over while Quentin Bockhorn was the outside threat for the Tides with a couple of jumpers. Silas had no answer on offense as their jumpers weren’t falling and Masini was blocking everything inside. A 16-1 run ended the 1st quarter with Gig Harbor leading 18-6.

That run for Gig Harbor carried over into the 2nd quarter as it extended to a 20-3 run as the Tides had a commanding 22-8 lead but the fouls started piling up for both teams. That was really the story of the first half with a combined 29 fouls in the first half which saw Gig Harbor shoot 13/22 from the free throw line while Silas shot 6/10 from the charity stripe. The Rams full court press changed the game as the Tides began to turn the ball over, leading to transition points for the Rams. It was a balanced scoring effort in the first half for Silas as seven different players scored with six scoring four or more. A dunk after a steal by MakHai Pleasant-Tolliver put a stamp on a strong quarter for Silas as they cut their deficit down to 36-30 at halftime.

Trey Collier began the second half just like he did the first, with a three ball to cut it down to a three-point game. Neither team good go on a substantial run in the 3rd as both defenses played solid while foul trouble kept multiple scorers on the benches as they would be needed for the 4th. Michael Masini continued to be a difference maker on offense, but the Rams attacked him consistently to move him off his spot in the 2-3 zone before passing around him to the vacated spot for either easy buckets or fouls. The back-and-forth 3rd quarter saw this one move to the 4th with Gig Harbor still leading by six, 53-47.

With just eight minutes to go, both coaches left their preferred lineups on the court regardless of the fouls. Michael Masini picked up his fourth early in the final quarter which changed his play style on the defensive end. The Rams continued to drive right at him to try to get him out of the game, but the senior was very smart to keep himself from fouling out. MakHai Pleasant-Tolliver fouled out and was the only Ram to foul out which left a big void on the offensive end for Silas. Trey Collier poured in 15 in the second half as Silas cut it down to a four-point game late. Ty Buchanan and Troy Arnold did a fantastic job of breaking the press and giving Gig Harbor looks on offense. The Tides would hit their free throws down the stretch and despite Masini fouling out with 19 seconds left, it was too late for Silas to take advantage. It was a fast paced, highly entertaining game but Gig Harbor took home the win over Silas, 72-69.

Our Sumner Holiday Inn Express MVP of the game went to Michael Masini for Gig Harbor. Masini’s height made it impossible for Silas to score in the paint in the first half and especially in the first quarter. That was just the tip of the iceberg as Masini poured in 38 points, over half of the Tides total offense while cleaning up the boards as well. Masini played almost the entire 4th quarter with four fouls but avoided fouling out until there were less than 20 seconds left in the game, showcasing his situational awareness as well.

The win snaps Gig Harbor’s two-game losing streak and moves the Tides to 4-3 on the year and 3-2 in PSL play. Gig Harbor will try to turn the win into a winning streak when they visit first place Bellarmine on Friday at 7pm. Silas falls to 3-2 on the season and 2-2 in league play while showing how deep the PSL 3A is this season. The Rams will look to get back in the win column on Friday at 7:15pm when they visit Central Kitsap.

Scoring

Gig Harbor: Michael Masini 38, Quentin Bockhorn 12, Max Schwab 9, Ty Buchanan 7, Troy Arnold 5, Jack Johnson 1

Silas: Trey Collier 19, MakHai Pleasant-Tolliver 12, Keiondre Baldwin 11, Cannon Howard 10, Malachi Doss 10, Antione Vallarde-Larkins 4, Jamirie Pringle 2, Jaxen Lofton 1

Link to watch full game replay on the NFHS Network (subscription required)