FORKS — The resurgent Forks girls used a stifling defense and got five 3-pointers from Jayden Olson in beating Chimacum in the first of a home-and-home series 46-27.
The win pushes the Spartans’ record to 5-1, their best start to a season in many years.
“I was very happy with how they played. We knew Chimacum would come with pressure and press a little bit,” said Forks coach David Hurn.
Hurn was also pleased that the Spartans didn’t give up more than seven points in any quarter.
Olson led the team with 19 points in her best game of the season. Chloe Leverington continued her strong play with 14 points and Rian Peters, nursing a sprained ankle, scored 10.
The Cowboys were led by Maddy Dowling and Mia McNair, who each scored five.
Forks (0-0, 5-1) gets a whole week off. The Spartans’ next game will be Tuesday, this time at Chimacum, with tip-off at 7:15 p.m.
Chimacum (1-0, 2-2) next hosts league foe Klahowya at 7:30 p.m. Friday.
Forks 46, Chimacum 27
Chimacum 6 7 7 7 — 27
Forks 15 11 9 11 — 46
Chimacum (27) — Dowling 5, McNair 5, Yaley 4, Nordberg-Williams 4, Clark 4, Trafton 3, Matthes 2.
Forks (46) — Olson 19, Leverington 14, Peters 10, Kratzer 3.
Port Townsend 38, Coupeville 32
PORT TOWNSEND — For the first time in three years, the Redhawks handed Coupeville an Olympic League 1A loss, using some tough defense in the third quarter to beat the Wolves.
It was also the Redhawks’ (1-1, 1-4) first win of the season.
Port Townsend gave up just 14 points in the first three quarters and outscored the Wolves 13-0 in the third quarter to take a 26-14 lead into the fourth.
“I was very, very happy with the way the girls played. We pressed them pretty successfully,” said coach Scott Wilson. “We switched from zone to man and the zone was most successful.”
Coupeville rallied in the fourth quarter, scoring 18 points after managing zero in the third. Wilson said the Redhawks fell into a bad habit of fouling too much, allowing the Wolves to make nine free throws.
“We did better at the end of the fourth and closed the game the way we should have,” he said. Wilson gave a lot of credit to Jaz Apker-Montoya, who drew a critical charge in the final minutes of the game to stop Coupeville’s momentum.
Izzy Hammett led a balanced scoring attack with nine points, while Apker-Montoya and Kaitlyn Meek each scored eight.
Port Townsend next plays at Bremerton at 7 p.m. Friday in a nonleague game.
Port Townsend 38, Coupeville 32
Coupeville 4 10 0 18 — 32
PT 5 8 13 12 — 38
Coupeville (32) — Ellfranke 10, Roberts 9, Smith 8, Wright 5.
Port Townsend (38) — Hammett 9, Apker-Montoya 8, Meek 8, King 6, Nielsen 5, Kellogg 2.
Quilcene 31, Northwest Yeshiva 30
QUILCENE — After giving up 13 points in the first quarter to Northwest Yeshiva, Quilcene clamped down on defense, giving up just two points in the fourth to come from behind to beat the Lions 31-30.
After Gina Brown hit a basket with 2:20 left to pull Quilcene to within one point at 30-29, Abby Weller hit a basket with seven seconds left, hitting a pull-up jumper from the top of the perimeter to give the Rangers a one-point lead.
Coach Briana Weller said the Rangers started off slow both on offense and defense early, falling behind 13-4 after the first quarter. Quilcene had difficulty containing the Lions’ two top scorers Tamar Jacobson and Branya Sandorffy.
“ … then the girls started making the adjustments to the game that were required. [We] started to gain and make headway against the deficit and didn’t look back,” Weller said.
“I have to hand it to the girls. Their effort and desire to climb back and take this game was inspiring. They did a great job of taking the coaching adjustments and applying them to their game. This is a team with a ton of heart and it is exciting to see them get rewarded for their efforts,” said Weller.
Gina Brown led the team with 13 points, while Abby Weller had 10 points.
Quilcene in four games this season is giving up just 28 points a game.
Quilcene (2-0, 3-1) played Tacoma Baptist Wednesday after press deadline. The Rangers next play at home at 3:30 p.m. Saturday against Evergreen Lutheran.
Quilcene 31, Northwest Yeshiva 30
NW Yeshiva 13 6 9 2 — 30
Quilcene 4 11 10 6 — 31
Quilcene (31) — G. Brown 13, Weller 10, S. Brown 6, Kieffer 2.
