NEAH BAY — The leading scorer, distributor and performer under pressure for the Neah Bay girls basketball team, junior guard Qwaapeys Greene came through game after game for the now three-time defending state champion Red Devils.
Her consistency against all manner of competition earned her the state title, the state tournament team MVP award for her outstanding play and the North Olympic League MVP award for her regular season excellence.
Greene essentially doubled her sophomore season output in nearly every statistical category leading Neah Bay with 15.3 points on a team-best 45-percent shooting, dished out a Red Devils-best 3.2 assists, made 1.9 steals and hit 78-percent of her free throws and 32-percent on 3-pointers.
For all her accolades, Greene also has been selected as the All-Peninsula Girls Basketball MVP by the sports staff of the Peninsula Daily News.
“I’m so proud of us. Everyone did amazing. We worked so hard for it, we deserved it,” Greene said after lifting the gold ball in Spokane for the third time. “Coach [Cherish Moss] is always talking about setting a goal. We set a goal of defending our titles. On the first one, our goal was just getting a title.”
In state contests, Greene had 14 points in a state regional round victory and posted 20 points, four assists and three steals as the Red Devils beat Oakesdale in the quarterfinals, overcoming a 15-point deficit with a 20-3 fourth quarter.
Greene came up huge in the 46-36 championship victory over Garfield-Palouse finishing a 7-for-15 shooting day with a game-high 16 points, five rebounds and a team-leading four assists.
“She’s an outstanding player,” Garfield-Palouse head coach Garrett Parrish said.
Greene also had several huge games through January, beginning with a 35-point game on Jan. 4 against powerhouse Mount Vernon Christian.
Greene followed that game with a 20-point game in a win over 2A North Mason and a 27-point game against Crosspoint.
She and the entire Neah Bay roster minus reserve Tinslee Ramos, will return for a run at the program’s fourth straight championship and fifth consecutive state championship game appearance.
All-Peninsula Girls Basketball Team
• Lexi Smith, Sr., P, Port Angeles: Four-year varsity player rebounded, scored, defended and found open teammates for shots as Roughriders won Olympic League and Class 2A West Central District championship. Also earned a second-team All-Olympic League pick.
• Lindsay Smith, Jr., G, Port Angeles: Fiery first-team All-Olympic League selection was Roughriders’ leading scorer.
• Penina Vailolo, Jr., P, East Jefferson: All-Nisqually League first-team selection was once again a presence in the post on both ends for the Rivals. Vailolo averaged a team-high 11.7 points on an East Jefferson-best 47-percent shooting and hauled down a Rivals-best 11.2 rebounds per game with 2.3 blocks per contest.
• Teanna Clark, Jr., G/F, Port Angeles: All-around excellent athlete excels at filling up the stat sheet for the Roughriders. Clutch free-throw shooter. Second-team All-Olympic League choice by league coaches.
Honorable Mention
• Naomii Sprague, Jr. G, Crescent: All-North Olympic League choice averaged Peninsula-best 17.8 points per game and 8.2 steals per game.
• Kay Botkin, Sr., PG, East Jefferson: Four-year starter at point guard posted 9.3 points, 4.9 assists and 3.7 steals per game for the Rivals.
• Dylin Shockley, Jr., G/F, East Jefferson: Emerged as East Jefferson’s outside scoring threat. Averaged 11.2 points per game.
• Gracie Chartraw, So., G, Sequim: Wolves’ point guard was a second-team All-Olympic League pick by league coaches.
• Cerise Moss, Jr., G, Neah Bay: First-team All-North Olympic League choice posted 13.3 points per game, 5.1 rebounds, 2.3 steals and 2.1 assists for Red Devils.
• Wiinuk Martin, Jr., P, Neah Bay: Led Red Devils with 6.4 rebounds and scored 8 points per game. Second-team All-North Olympic League.
• Angel Halttunen, Jr., F, Neah Bay: Less heralded than her teammates, Halttunen was an unsung leader, posting 9 points, 6 rebounds, 2 steals and 1.6 assists per game.
• Bailey Johnson, So., G, Forks: First-team All-Pacific League choice.
• Chloe Gaydeski, Jr., C, Forks: First-team All-Pacific League choice.
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Sports reporter/columnist Michael Carman can be contacted at sports@ peninsuladailynews.com.
