GIRLS REGIONAL PLAYOFFS: Riders ride off to the SunDome with win

Published 10:30 am Sunday, March 1, 2026

TACOMA — The Port Angeles girls basketball team held back a late Renton rally Saturday night to qualify for the state 2A tournament at the Yakima SunDome.

The Roughriders beat the Redhawks 51-39 as Becca Manson went 4-for-4 down the stretch on her free throws to keep Renton at bay.

The Riders (18-7, No. 12 in Ratings Percentage Index), a No. 12 seed, next play No. 5 Archbishop Thomas Murphy (18-5, No. 6 in RPI) at 12:15 p.m. Wednesday at the SunDome. That is a loser-out game.

Port Angeles jumped all over Renton early in the game thanks to a huge first half from senior Teanna Clark, who was not ready to see her final high school season end. Clark hit three 3-pointers in the first half and scored 16 points as the Riders took a 29-16 lead into the break. Morgan Politika also had seven points in the first half.

The second half bogged down into a defensive struggle as Clark was held to just one point in the second half and both teams scored just six points in the third quarter.

”Manson and Sariah Doherty’s defense was key throughout the game in holding Renton’s leading offensive threat, Gigi Victo Hill to just eight points in the first three quarters. Mikkhia Stevens also stood out defensively with intelligent play,” said coach Michael Poindexter.

After Doherty scored two straight baskets and Stevens hit a clutch 3-pointer, the Riders had what appeared to be a safe lead at 46-30 with less than four minutes left in the game.

That was when Renton got hot. The Redhawks responded with two quick 3-pointers and a three-point play in just over a minute to make the score 46-39 with about two minutes to play. Renton had all the momentum and had showed it was capable of scoring a lot of points in a hurry. The Riders’ three-possession lead suddenly felt shaky.

Up until this point of the game, the Riders had made just 3-of-9 free throws and Renton started fouling to stop the clock. Port Angeles turned the game around at the free-throw line. Manson and Clark combined to hit 5-of-6 free throws in the final 90 seconds of the game when it mattered most.

Poindexter also gave Lindsay Smith credit for her second-half play.

“Smith’s 12 rebounds, most of them defensive, were vital in reducing Renton’s second-chance opportunities,” he said.

Clark led the team with 17 points, seven assists and four steals, while Lindsay Smith had nine points. Doherty had seven points with six of her points coming in the second half. Politika finished with seven points and Stevens six rebounds.

Port Angeles 51, Renton 39

Ren. 6 10 6 17 — 39

PA 14 15 6 16 — 51

Port Angeles (51) — Clark 17, Smith 9, Politika 7, Doherty 7, Manson 4, Stevens 3, Moses 2, Bourland 2.

Nathan Hale 54, Sequim 36

BELLEVUE — The Sequim girls basketball team kept it close against Nathan Hale until late in the third quarter, but the Raiders went on a 10-0 run, opening up a big lead that the Wolves couldn’t make up in a 54-36 2A regional loss.

The loss ended Sequim’s season with a record of 15-8.

“We couldn’t make anything today the worked hard. [It was a] tough way to end the season but I’m proud the girls fought. They had a good season,” said coach Joclin Julmist. “The seniors will be missed. They were fun to coach and are great kids.”

The Wolves hung tough with Nathan Hale for most of the game, down just 27-23 with under three minutes left in the third quarter after a Gracie Chartraw basket. Nathan Hale responded with two straight 3-pointers to open the lead up to 33-23, then added two more baskets in the fourth quarter to open the lead to 37-23. Sequim could never get within single digits after that.

Chartraw finished the game with 16 points, seven rebounds and six steals. Jordyn Julmist had 10 points and six rebounds while guarding Nathan Hale’s top player.

Hailey Wagner had five points and 10 rebounds.

“She worked really hard tonight. I’m proud of the way she ended her high school career,” coach Julmist said..

The Wolves graduate Wagner, Navaeh Owens, Olivia Barros and Rilynn Whitehead. The future looks bright next year as Olympic League MVP Chartraw returns along with Jordyn Julmist, who was a big contributor as a freshman, and starter Kaiya Robinson.

Nathan Hale 54, Sequim 36

Seq. 9 8 6 13 — 36

NH 14 9 12 19 — 54

Sequim (36) — Chartraw 16, Julmist 10, Wagner 5, Owens 3, Daniels 2.