WALLA WALLA — The Peninsula College women’s basketball team beat defending NWAC champion Columbia Basin 96-82 at the Warrior Classic hosted by Walla Walla.
The Pirates and Hawks met in the first round of last year’s NWAC championships. Columbia Basin won 91-49, the first step in a dominating tournament performance.
“Last year’s CBC team was one of the best teams I’ve seen in the NWAC, ever,” Peninsula coach Alison Crumb said.
“They dominated teams and we knew we had a tough matchup, traveling across the state to try and beat a team that returned half of their lineup from last year.”
The Pirates (1-1) had four players score in double figures, led by Neah Bay graduate Cierra Moss with 22 points, 16 coming in the second half.
Sophomore post Gabi Fenumiai scored 18 points and grabbed five rebounds in 15 minutes of action.
Zhara Laster scored 15 and Miranda Schmillen added 13. Laster and Schmillen led Peninsula with seven rebounds each.
Madison Pilster contributed nine points for the Pirates, Cherish Moss, also from Neah Bay, added seven, and Whitney Nemelka scored six points and dished out a team-high four assists.
As a team, Peninsula had 16 assists and just eight turnovers, while forcing the Hawks into 20 turnovers.
The contest was competitive from the start, with the Pirates and the Hawks trading baskets and exchanging leads.
But then Peninsula began to take over, led by freshman guard Laster, who scored 11 points and had five rebounds in the first half.
Schmillan, a sophomore guard, also chipped in 10 points in the first half.
“I thought we did a good job of starting off strong and attacking the basket,” Crumb said.
“Our guards put pressure on and ran the floor well, which is exactly what we wanted to do. We didn’t want to be intimated, we wanted to match their toughness and find ways to exceed it when the time was right.
“We started off aggressive and that set the tone for the rest of the game.”
The Pirates ended up taking a 12-point lead at halftime, forcing 12 turnovers in the first half and putting most of the Hawks’ leading scorers in foul trouble.
“We took care of the ball and capitalized when they made mistakes, and ultimately attacked the basket, which put a lot of their players in foul trouble,” Crumb said.
“We knew in the second half they were going to come out and respond, and we needed to handle that, which we did.”
The second half began with the Hawks cutting the lead to seven points.
The Pirates responded, gaining a 21-point lead, the largest of the game, with a couple 3s from Cierra Moss.
Eventually the lead was cut again, but each time the Pirates maintained composure and slowed Columbia Basin’s roll.
“There were times when it could have gone either way,” Crumb said.
“CBC is a good team and they can score in a hurry, so I am happy that our girls showed toughness down the stretch, made free throws and exchanged baskets.
“We had some moments where we were not playing good basketball, but then someone would step up and either make a stop or get a bucket.
“That is a sign of a good team, a team that can manage the tempo of the game.”
Peninsula shot much better than in its season opener, making 46 percent from the field, an impressive 53 percent from the 3-point line and 81 percent from the free-throw line against Columbia Basin.
“Our patience on offense and our ability to attack and get to the free throw line, opened up shots from the outside,” Crumb said.
“That is how it needs to work for us. We need to attack first, then shoot, which takes pressure off our shooters, and allows us to get into a better rhythm.
“We have excellent 3-point shooters, but in our first game we forced it too much.
“Free throws is also an excellent indication of how strong a team is mentally.
“Ultimately, we shot with confidence, and it showed. That’s how it needs to be every game if we’re going to compete at a high level.”
Crumb said the pirates had three goals with an underlying theme of toughness: transition, rebounds, and collective effort.
They achieved all three goals winning the boards, the turnover battle, and having more players in double figures.
The Pirates had 16 assists with just 8 turnovers and out-rebounded the Hawks 44-42, having four players in double figures.
“We knew we had to control tempo, which we did, and we needed to win the boards, which we did,” Crumb said.
“But I’m most impressed with how well we played together. Everyone did their part, and everyone played a lot of minutes.
“Our depth is going to be our strength and we need to continue to get multiple people involved.”
Sydney Mercer scored 23 for Columbia Basin (1-3) and Lyndsay Oswalt had 22.
“After the game, I told our team we earned respect with this win,” Crumb said.
“However, with respect comes a huge responsibility, because now our expectations our higher, and us coaches know how we can play and how we need to improve.
“This win doesn’t mean anything if we don’t continue to strive to be better and play at a high level.
“It’s just one win, and now we need to go out and win against a very tough Walla Wall team. Nothing comes easy, so we have a lot of work to do.”
The Pirates play at Wenatchee Valley today.