PORT ANGELES — Despite carrying out its defensive game plan to near perfection, the Port Angeles boys basketball team fell 38-28 at home to Olympic League 2A-leading North Kitsap.
Burned for 46 points by Vikings shooting guard Cole Rabedeaux in a 71-54 loss earlier this month, the Roughriders limited the league MVP frontrunner to just eight points in Tuesday’s game.
“That was the game plan we wanted to follow, make someone else beat us,” Port Angeles coach Kasey Ulin said.
“Cole is a great player and they are a good team. But our whole focus was to make him be a passer and we did a good job of that.
“I thought that was one of our best defensive performances of the year. They are the No. 1 offense in the league, they average 70 points a game and what did we hold them to, 38? And that’s us, that’s our identity.”
The Riders held North Kitsap to 13 of 48 shooting from the floor (27 percent), including 4 of 21 on 3-pointers.
Port Angeles’ struggles came on the offensive end, connecting on 13 of 48 shots attempts, including making just 1 of 16 3s.
Still, the Riders were in the game until the last minutes of the final quarter.
Port Angeles trailed 14-9 after one quarter, and 18-17 until Vikings’ post Kainen Warren hit a last-second 3 to give North Kitsap a 21-17 halftime lead.
Warren also notched a one-hand slam dunk in the first half after coming on to replace foul-plagued starter Jarrod Felix.
The Vikings controlled the offensive glass in the first half, including one stretch where the Vikings’ Joshua Benson grabbed four consecutive rebounds on his own missed shots down low before being fouled.
Benson led all scorers with 13 points.
“The Achilles’ heel for us was giving up too many offensive rebound,” Ulin said.
“One of our keys points for this game was to hold them to one [shot] and out.
“And sometimes when you play so hard defensively it allows chances for rebounds. And that was the one thing that really hurt us in their halfcourt set was too many extra chances.”
Noah McGoff was a bright spot offensively for the Riders, scoring eight of his 10 points in the first half, many coming on drives into the lane.
“He does a good job of putting it on the deck, he’s strong with the dribble,” Ulin said.
“He committed to the weight room and put on about 10 pounds of muscle.
“That really helps when you get bumped and you can still get to the hoop and finish.
“And when you work so hard on the defensive end I thought he battled through and played really well.”
Port Angeles drained its first three shots of the second half, a layup by Luke Angevine followed by scores down low and from the baseline by Lambros Rogers, to take a 23-21 lead with six minutes left in the third quarter.
Rabedeaux scored his first point, a free throw with 3:19 left in the quarter to tie the game at 24-all.
Grayson Peet guarded Rabedeaux for much of the game, following him around and through screens and limiting his touches of the ball.
“First time we went down there and played them Cole had a big game, so I know Grayson took it personally,” Ulin said.
“I think he was a little bummed that he didn’t shoot the ball well. But when he works that hard defensively against the guy who is probably the league MVP and holds him to eight points, he did a fantastic job.”
The Riders undoing was an inability to hits shots down the stretch.
Port Angeles went scoreless from the 4:25 mark of the third period until an Angevine basket with 3:45 left in the fourth quarter cut the Vikings’ lead to 32-26.
The Riders couldn’t chip away at the lead in the last few minutes and free throws accounted for the final margin.
“We had our chances but we didn’t make enough plays at the end of the game in the fourth quarter,” Ulin said.
“I’m proud of the effort to take the lead and put ourselves in position to win the ballgame.
“We struggle sometimes offensively, but if we can bring that defensive intensity and focus we can stay in games with pretty much anybody.”
Despite the loss, the Riders (4-5, 8-9) clinched a postseason berth when Sequim was eliminated from postseason contention in a 71-65 loss at North Mason.
Port Angeles visits the Wolves for a rivalry contest at 7 p.m. Friday.
North Kitsap 38,
Port Angeles 28
North Kitsap 14 7 8 10— 38
Port Angeles 9 8 7 4— 28
Individual scoring
North Kitsap (38)
Benson 13, Rabedeaux 8, Warren 6, Olmstead 4, Felix 4, Haugton 2, Barringer-Mahitka 1.
Port Angeles (28)
McGoff 10, Angevine 9, Rogers 5, Peet 2, McGuffey 2, Gochnour, Pederson, Joslin, Edwards.