WOMEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL: PC women complete another perfect season in the North

Published 1:30 am Thursday, February 26, 2026

PORT ANGELES — The Peninsula College women know that their undefeated streak in the NWAC’s North Region will stretch to an incredible 48 months.

For now, they have the postseason to prepare for.

The Pirates won their fifth straight North Region title this weekend when second-place Skagit Valley lost and they won. Wednesday night’s game against the Cardinals was about pride and keeping up the momentum and the Pirates didn’t disappoint.

The Pirates clobbered a good Skagit Valley team 74-49 in a game that was actually close midway through the third quarter. With the victory, the Pirates won their 54th straight North Region game. Peninsula has gone 14-0 in the North for three straight seasons and last lost a region game on Jan. 14, 2023.

They don’t start region play again next season until January 2027 so that streak will last at least four years. Coach Alison Rose said the team doesn’t emphasize its remarkable streak.

“Today was the first day we talked about the streak,” said coach Alison Rose. “We don’t really talk about it.”

Peninsula (22-4), ranked No. 3 in the NWAC, will go into the postseason as one of the top seeds in the conference.

The gym was packed for sophomore night. At least 30 people traveled from Neah Bay to watch Ryana Moss play her final home game for the Pirates. Port Angeles High School graduates Paige Mason and Parker Nickerson both play for Skagit Valley and there was a large contingent cheering for them, as well.

After the win over Skagit Valley, the women celebrated with a net-cutting ceremony.

Rose said this team has a special togetherness. She had her second child just before the season began which took demands on her time and energy, so she had to depend more on her players and assistant coaches to help out.

“I really had to rely on my sophomores this year to be our leaders,” she said. “I’ll remember this group forever.”

Skagit Valley kept pace with Peninsula almost all season, lurking just one game behind the Pirates until this weekend when Peninsula finally opened up a two-game lead on the Cardinals.

And the Cardinals kept pace with the Pirates through the majority of Wednesday’s game. The Pirates just couldn’t shake the Cardinals through the third quarter, holding a narrow 35-32 lead with 6 minutes left in the quarter.

The win streak was never in doubt, however. Relying on their trademark defense and dominance on the boards, the Pirates went on a 19-2 run to end the third with a 54-34 lead. They stretched the lead to 61-36 early in the fourth before Rose began taking her sophomores out of the game. In just 8½ minutes, the Pirates turned what had been a close game into a 25-point blowout.

Jackson hits for 13

Leading the charge during that run was Veniza Jackson, part of the Pirates deep bench who had one of her best games of the year.

She scored seven points during Peninsula’s run and finished the game with 13 points, shooting 6-for-7 from the field. Her one miss was her last shot of the night well after the game was decided.

It was Carliese O’Brien’s final home game and she personifies the toughness of this team as she is one of a half dozen Pirates wearing some kind of knee brace. She put 15 minutes on the floor despite a torn ACL. She hopes to be able to play in the postseason. She credited the younger players for embracing the culture of the program.

“They came in and adapted to what we do,” she said.

Smith double-double

The Pirates were led by Alecsis Smith, who had her usual double-double with 18 points and 15 rebounds in the post.

Smith also credited the team’s culture for its continued success.

“Just working hard no matter what and playing for each other. Looking at each other and saying ‘I’m her for you’,” she said.

Kimberlee Brown added 15 points and Aspen Fraser had 10.

Mason had six points in her final regular-season game for the Cardinals.

Peninsula 74, S kagit Valley 49

SVC 15 9 10 15 — 49

PC 15 18 21 20 — 74

Peninsula (74 — Smith 18, Brown 15, Jackson 13, Fraser 10, Moss 8, Patrick 5, Garcia 2, Ostranger 2, O’Brien 1.

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Sports editor Pierre LaBossiere can be contacted at sports@peninsuladailynews.com.