ATHLETE OF THE WEEK: Jolene Vaara, Sequim girls basketball

Published 1:30 am Tuesday, January 18, 2022

Sequim’s Jolene Vaara saved her best game of the year for Olympic Peninsula rival Port Angeles.

Vaara went off on the Roughriders, scoring 31 points on 11-for-15 shooting and a solid 9-for-11 on her free throws. She also added eight steals as the Wolves beat the Riders 60-55 for the first time since 2015. She scored 21 points in the second half and had a crucial 3-point play in the final two minutes to tie the game as the Wolves came back from eight points down in the fourth quarter.

She added a double-double — 14 points and 10 rebounds — in a loss to 3A Mount Vernon on Friday.

Vaara is also an all-Olympic League performer for the Wolves’ volleyball team.