PORT ANGELES — It’s a stay-tough season for the Port Angeles girls basketball team. Toughness can be a slippery concept to define for the Roughriders, a program that has shown its strength by winning two straight Olympic League titles, a district championship and making consecutive trips to the 12-team Class 2A State Tournament while going 41-12 overall the past two seasons.
But there have been some anemic postseason performances in the state regional round and at state as a young team worked through some issues and hopefully, matured against stiffer competition.
“How do you handle adversity when things go wrong?” Port Angeles head coach Michael Poindexter said. “Qualities like gumption and resilience. And it’s not that we lack it, we just have to get better at it.
“We will need it as a group. Individually, it’s not always enough. It needs to be a group mentality of coming together.”
That last bit from Poindexter —“a group mentality of coming together” — will serve the Riders right, if they can collectively buy in.
“I think we will have a fun group,” Poindexter said. “I’m filling good about this group and their ability to take that step.”
Port Angeles will be without last year’s Olympic League MVP Madison Cooke, a 17-point scorer and a double-digit rebounder, who has not been cleared to participate by the school’s athletic office, according to Poindexter. Poindexter declined to elaborate.
“We’re OK, we’re moving on,” Poindexter said. “This year I think we will become a team that relies on a full-court pressure system that hopefully, becomes our defensive identity. At least initially, we will work toward establishing a full-court defense that extends 84 feet [the full length of a regulation court] and can pressure you constantly.
“We are deep and when we go with full-court pressure we will end up with some mismatches that we don’t believe are going to hurt us. Our tall people with size are agile and our quick and agile people are strong. I think this system fits our group.”
The Riders also will mix in some 2-3 zone defense and some other looks. “We want to be a better 2-3 zone team this year and want to be versatile. I can see us pressuring more if we can understand it and buy into it.
Poindexter said the offense will look much the same as last season — a motion-based system that provides good looks inside and open 3-pointers from the perimeter.
“Our offense will look similar to last year, a read-and-react system,” Poindexter said. “We don’t want to get hung up on running the same actions which we did last year. We will force some sets, go back to some set plays and force some actions early that makes us less predictable.”
A talented team returns with junior forward Jaida Wood (9.9 points per game) junior point guard Millie Long (9.8) and sophomore forward Eve Burke (8.8) leading the way.
Senior Mikkiah Brady (5.4) and Long are team captains.
“Our two captains both bring on and off the court leadership in different ways,” Poindexter said. “They are incredibly inclusive, reach out to JV, C team varsity alike, team-focused not self-focused and they are leaders in a number of ways.”
Poindexter said leadership is available from every player.
“Every kid we have leads in different ways,” he said. “Jaida is vocal, with her defensive talk and enthusiastic uplift of her teammates.
“Eve Burke leads by inspiring others with her play. If you are on the court with Eve Burke you don’t want to let her down.
“Different kids can lead in different ways beyond the role of captain. Some with effort, some with insights, some with words. Every kid has to contribute for us to be our best.”
Other returners are senior post Kia Noel, junior forward Myra Walker and sophomore guards Bailee Larson and Catie Brown.
Freshman Anna Petty will be counted on defensively.
“Anna Petty is really the newcomer,” Poindexter said. “She brings solid athleticism, seeing her on the soccer field with her willingness to be physical. Her style of play translates well and the full-court defense will feed into her strengths.
“As a freshman she is an incredibly quick learner, we haven’t taught or drilled read and react, she’s already picked up features of it kind of by osmosis. She will make a mistake, and the next possession when she is in a similar situation she does not make the same mistake again.”
And Port Angeles will be tested — in and out of Olympic League play.
The Riders’ schedule includes home dates with Class 3A Bainbridge and perennial state contenders Lynden and WF West. And there’s a holiday tournament in Lynden with games against stiff 3A competition in Ferndale and Seattle Prep. Other games include a trip south to face defending Class 2A champ Washougal and a visit to 3A Bellevue.
“Some teams sought us out, we sought other teams out,” Poindexter said.
“It’s not just a matter of the RPI, but getting good practice for that [state] regional and Yakima [state tournament] environment. We always try to schedule good teams, maybe we were more successful this year than in other years.
“It’s challenging and losses won’t be the end of the world. We will learn.”
In Olympic League play, Poindexter expects the Riders to compete with North Kitsap and Sequim.
“A three-team race again,” Poindexter said. “… I wouldn’t be surprised if any of those three teams won the league. We enjoy that. It’s competitive and respectful.
“If you consider that three [Olympic League teams] made the final 16 in state, that says something about quality of the league. “It’s maybe not the deepest and best, but it’s far from the worst in the state.”
Port Angeles Roughriders
• Head coach: Michael Poindexter, ninth season (138-58).
• Last season: 11-1, 21-6. Repeated as Olympic League champions, won district championship, advanced to state tournament (1-2).
• Returners: Mikkiah Brady (sr., G, 5-8); Millie Long (jr., G, 5-8); Jaida Wood (jr., F, 5-9); Eve Burke (so., F, 5-7); Bailee Larson (so., G, 5-7); Myra Walker (jr., F, 5-8); Kia Noel (sr., F, 5-9); Catherine Brown (so., G, 5-8); Jenna McGoff (so., G, 5-0).
• Newcomers: Ava Brenkman (jr., F, 6-1); Jayde Gedelman (so., F, 5-6); Camille Stensgard (jr., G, 5-3); Anna Petty (fr., G, 5-0).
• Outlook: Roughriders should stay in the mix for a third-straight Olympic League title and state berth.
