AREA SPORTS: Peninsula College hosts First Federal Pirate Classic

Men’s and Women’s basketball tourney runs through Sunday

PORT ANGELES — Peninsula College is a haven for hoops lovers this weekend as the First Federal Pirate Classic offers up 12 men’s and women’s basketball games today through Sunday.

Games begin today at 4 p.m. when the Bellevue women face Wenatchee. The Pirate women will follow with a 6 p.m. scheduled start against Chemeketa.

Tickets are $7 for adults, $5 for seniors, veterans, youth ages 13-17 and free for Peninsula students and children.

Games begin at 11 a.m. Saturday with Lower Columbia, featuring 2022 Port Angeles High School graduate Bailee Larson squaring off against Bellevue.

The Pirate women will face Northwest Indian College at 3 p.m. Saturday with the Peninsula men taking on Lane at 5 p.m.

Sunday’s first game begins at 10 a.m. with the Pirate men tipping off at 4 p.m. against Mount Hood and the Peninsula women wrapping the tourney with a game against Lower Columbia set for 6 p.m.

Halberg drains 9 triples

PORT ANGELES — Black Diamond Electric and 7 Cedars Casino advanced to the second round of the Peninsula Basketball League playoffs with lopsided wins Wednesday night.

The Electric men stopped Big Barn Ballers 87-58, getting 21 points from Kenny Meier and 11 from Ryan Rutherford. Arni Lopez poured in 27 and Matthew Lund had 21 for the Ballers.

In the other first-round playoff, Jim Halberg buried nine 3-pointers and finished with 31 points to lead 7 Cedars in a blowout win over Olympic Spa, 107-38.

Kasey Ulin added 22 and Gabe Long 20 for 7 Cedars. Mark Shamp and Josh Perez led Olympic Spa with seven each.

Volleyball play

PORT ANGELES — 7 Cedars Casino, Elwha Food & Fuel, Wings Up and No Diggity recorded wins in Peninsula Volleyball League B Division play Tuesday night.

The casino club extracted a 25-22, 25-21 win from Steim Dental, Elwha Food & Fuel edged Busta Spike in a thriller, 24-26, 33-31, 15-9, Wings Up flew by Timber Spikes 25-10, 25-10, and No Diggity downed Harbinger 25-23, 25-13.

CFP expanding to 12

Over the past 25 years, college football’s postseason format for crowning a national champion has grown from two teams to four and now, starting in 2024, to 12.

The CFP announced Thursday that it will expand to a 12-team event in two years. It is a momentous step, one with billions of dollars at stake in terms of TV and streaming revenue and one that changes the very fabric of the postseason.

The format reserves six spots for the highest-ranked conference champions and the other six going to at-large selections.

Quarterfinals would be hosted by bowl games on New Year’s Day — unless that falls on a Sunday, in which case those games will be played Jan. 2.

The semifinals would also be hosted by bowl games.

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