SEQUIM — The plan actually came together quite nicely.
Post players were delivered the ball near the basket. Cutting teammates received passes in stride.
The shots were open and exactly what the Sequim girls basketball team hoped to have coming into its game with Olympic.
But time after time, the ball didn’t go in the hoop, and Wolves were unable to pull off an upset of the Olympic League’s second-place team, falling to the Trojans 52-40 on Friday at Rick Kaps Gymnasium.
“We did what we wanted to do, we got the ball to the people that we wanted to get the ball to, and we just didn’t produce,” Sequim coach Evan Still said.
“We just missed a lot of shots. A lot of close shots, a lot of shots that we normally make.
“It’s tough as a coach because you see what you’re doing out there and you know that you’re getting the shots that you want to get, but it’s not going up on the scoreboard, it’s not relaying up there.
“We’re doing the things we want to do, it’s just some nights it doesn’t work out for you.”
Now the Wolves turn their attention to holding down the third-place spot in the Olympic League.
Sequim (4-5, 8-9) is currently tied for third with North Kitsap (4-5, 8-7), and those two are a half-game ahead of Port Angeles (3-5, 7-9).
Over the next two weeks, the three teams all face each other once.
“We control our own destiny, and that’s where we want to be. Really, we’re right where we want to be,” Still said.
“It would have been nice to be first or second, but I like third place. I like how that looks for the postseason.
“So that’s our goal right now.”
Friday was the Wolves’ final home game of the regular season, so they will have to face the Roughriders and Vikings on the road in the next nine days.
From the tipoff Friday against Olympic (8-1, 12-4), Sequim struggled to score, netting only three points in the opening quarter to the Trojans’ seven, all of which were scored by Olivia Williams, who would finish with a game-high 30 points.
The Wolves opened the second quarter with a 5-0 run, taking their first and only lead of the contest, 8-7, on a bucket by Caitlin Stofferahn that was assisted by Elise Beuke.
That began the trend that lasted until late in the third quarter of Olympic surging ahead and Sequim battling its way back into the game.
The Trojans went up 18-11 with two minutes left in the first half. The Wolves tied the score at 20-20 early in the third quarter on a bucket by Beuke off an entry pass from Jordan Miller.
Olympic scored the next eight points to go up 28-20.
Sequim then made one last run.
Victoria Cummins scored on a drive. Stofferahn made a running jumper.
Adrienne Haggerty scored and was fouled. She missed the free throw, but Stofferahn grabbed the rebound and scored to make it 32-28.
That was as close as the Wolves would get.
The Trojans finished the third quarter on a 7-2 run to lead 39-30 going into the fourth, and then pulled away in the final quarter.
Stofferahn led Sequim with 14 points. Cummins finished with eight points and Beuke had six.
Ten Wolves scored, including five of the six seniors who were playing their final home game.
Still coached most of the seniors — Stofferahn, Beuke, Cummins, Hailey Lester, Katherine Landoni and Alyse Armstrong — all four years, first as the JV coach and the past three years as the varsity coach.
“Those seniors are going to be impossible to replace. They really are. I can’t say enough good things about them,” Still said.
“That’s the first group I’ve had all four years . . . and I’m going to miss them.
“It would have been nice to go out with a win, but hopefully we can go get some extra games in the postseason.”
Sequim plays at North Mason (1-7, 6-10) on Tuesday before finishing the regular season at rival Port Angeles this Friday and then at North Kitsap on Tuesday, Feb. 3.
Olympic 52, Sequim 40
Olympic 7 13 19 13— 52
Sequim 3 15 12 10— 40
Individual scoring
Olympic (52)
Monzon 5, Campana 7, Elmore 2, Williams 30, Mitchell 1, McInnis 4, Kalauati 2, Quitevis, Phan.
Sequim (40)
Lester 2, Cummins 8, Bentz 1, Stofferahn 14, Landoni 2, Williams 2, Haggerty 3, McMinn 2, Miller 2, Beuke 6, Armstrong, Christiansen.
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Sports Editor Lee Horton can be reached at 360-417-3525 or at lhorton@peninsuladailynews.com.
