GIRLS BASKETBALL PLAYOFFS: Roughriders fire on all cylinders while crushing Orting 63-11
Published 8:45 pm Wednesday, February 18, 2026
PORT ANGELES — In the Port Angeles girls’ most dominating win of the season, the Roughriders served notice during their Class 2A West Central District tournament opener that their defense will be a force to deal with for the other teams in the district.
The Riders crushed Orting 63-11. Not only did they have a stifling defense, they shot well from the field and from the charity stripe, making 11 out of 12 free throws in the first three quarters of the game. The Riders finished the game shooting 12-for-16 on their free throws.
The game was never seriously in doubt as Port Angeles got up on Orting 27-4 to begin the contest with Lindsay Smith doing much of the early damage, scoring 13 points in the first 12 minutes of the game.
And Orting wasn’t a weak team. The Cardinals beat North Kitsap in the first round in the District 3 tournament and came in to Wednesday’s game with an 11-7 record.
With the win, the Riders (16-5 overall) are one victory away from qualifying for state, and they get two chances to get that win.
They next play Steilacoom (14-7) in the District 3 semifinals at Bainbridge High School at 7 p.m. tonight. Steilacoom got to that game by beating Sequim 44-38. Sequim will play Orting at home at 7 p.m. tonight in a loser-out game.
Even if Port Angeles loses tonight’s game, they would get another crack at state in the consolation round. If they win, they would play in the District 3 championship game at 7 p.m. Saturday in Bainbridge with both teams assured of a state-tournament berth.
Teanna Clark led the team with 25 points, hitting three 3-pointers, and added five steals, most of them in the third quarter.
The recently named Olympic League defensive player of the year made four steals and caused a turnover by drawing a charge, scoring nine points all in the second quarter.
Double-double
Smith scored 15 points, doing most of her damage in the first half. She had to sit for a while in the second half after painfully banging her elbow, but she was able to return to the game. She also added 12 rebounds, four assists and three steals.
Mikkiah Stevens had a good game, making a pair of 3-pointers and finishing with eight points. Sariah Doherty also finished with eight points, while Kenzie Moses had four steals and five points.
With a first-round bye, the last time the Port Angeles girls played was Feb. 5.
“We’ve been driving ourselves crazy in practice,” said coach Michael Poindexter. He said there were minor flaws in the Riders’ game.
“Our press wasn’t as effective as we want. We’ll work on that,” he said.
“We’ve all been super antsy to get back on the court,” Clark said.
Clark said she was proud of being named the defensive player of the year because she works so hard on her defense.
“I am so happy. For the coaches to nominate me for my defense. I love playing defensive more than offense. It’s nice to get noticed for something I love,” she said.
Port Angeles 63, Orting 11
Orting 4 4 3 0 — 11
Port Angeles 15 19 17 12 — 63
Port Angeles (63) — Clark 25, Smith 15, Stevens 8, Doherty 8, Moses 5, Manson 2.
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Sports editor Pierre LaBossiere can be contacted at sports @peninsuladailynews.com.
