BELLINGHAM — The Peninsula College men’s basketball team remained in the running for a postseason berth, hanging on for a one-point victory on the road against Whatcom.
While the men won 81-80, the women crushed the Orcas 88-26, improving to 9-0 in the North Region. It was the 49th straight win in the North Region for the women, who improved to 17-4 overall.
In the men’s game, the Pirates were locked in a 79-79 tie down the stretch when Sam Tekeste drove to basket and laid the ball in with 1:32 left to play. Tekeste scored just five points on the night, but his basket turned out to be the difference.
The Pirates’ defense held over the final 90 seconds, forcing the Orcas into three missed shots. However, Whatcom had a chance to tie when a foul was called with 0.5 of a second left in the game. Whatcom’s Daniel Jackson Jr. made his first free throw but missed the second as Peninsula was able to avoid overtime.
It was the second straight win for the Pirates and the third in their last four league games. With a region record of 4-5, Peninsula is tied with Everett for fourth place in the North.
Patrick Odingo led the team with 23 points and five assists, while Parker Lambert had 16 points and 12 rebounds. Port Angeles’ Gus Halberg shot 3-for-5 on his 3-pointers to score 13, while Cinco McNeal had 10 points and Paxton Heitsch seven points and 11 rebounds.
Peninsula 81, Whatcom 80
PC 46 35 — 81
What. 35 45 — 80
Peninsula (81) — Odingo 23, Lambert 16, Halberg 13, McNeal 10, Heitsch 7, Hofmann 5, Tekeste 5, Driver 2.
Women’s Game
The Peninsula women held the Orcas to 7-for-55 shooting from the field (12.7 percent). The Pirates outrebounded the Orcas 53-17.
In the past three games, the Pirates have allowed just 61 points (20.3 points per game).
Leading the Pirates was Alecsis Smiyth with 20 points and 13 rebounds. Malia Garcia had 16 points and 10 rebounds, while Aspen Fraser had 13 points and nine rebounds.
Marlie Myers had seven assists, while Makena Patrick had 10 points and seven rebounds.
The Peninsula men (5-19 overall) next host Bellevue (9-0, 22-2) at 5 p.m. Wednesday, while the women play Bellevue (7-2, 12-11) at 7 p.m. Despite the women’s winning streak, they hold just a one-game lead over Skagit Valley, which won’t go away at 8-1 in the North.
Peninsula 88, Whatcom 26
PC 20 21 28 19 — 88
What. 5 9 9 3 — 26
Peninsula (88) — Smith 20, Garcia 16, Fraser 13, Patrick 10, Ostrander 8, Moss 7, Alfonso 6, Brown 5, Myers 3.
