By Michael Carman and Pierre LaBossiere
Peninsula Daily News
POULSBO — Port Angeles rallied back from a seven-point deficit late in the third quarter to knock off North Kitsap in a 54-48 road win Tuesday that shakes up the Olympic League 2A Division girls basketball title race.
The Roughriders (10-1, 16-3) and Vikings (10-1, 15-4) are now tied for first having split their season series with one game to go in the regular season for each team.
Port Angeles hosts third-place Olympic (7-4, 9-10) in a senior night contest tonight at 7:30 p.m., while North Kitsap welcomes Sequim tonight at 7 p.m.
A potential league championship tiebreaker may be played Saturday if Port Angeles and North Kitsap both triumph tonight. District Athletic Director Dwayne Johnson said Kingston and North Mason are potential neutral sites and he has requested a 5 p.m. tipoff. Other Peninsula gyms are busy Saturday night with wrestling in Sequim and basketball in Port Townsend and Chimacum.
The Roughriders won their last Olympic League crown this way during the 2015-16 season when they beat Olympic in a game played in Sequim.
Tuesday’s late-game comeback came courtesy of zone defense and rebounding, according to coach Michael Poindexter.
“The story in the fourth quarter was mostly the effectiveness of our 2-3 zone and our ability to rebound out of it,” he said. “We played four different defenses in the game; the 2-3 was the most effective in our ability to contest NK’s shots and get turnovers. Our depth paid off in that fourth quarter as we were able to bring in kids with fresh legs.”
Port Angeles tied the game at 44-all on a Jaida Wood layup, off an assist by Madison Cooke.
“Devin Edwards scored inside to give us a 46-44 lead,” Poindexter said. “Olivia Selembo’s three-pointer gave NK their last lead at 47-46. Madi Cooke responded with a three-pointer to give us the lead for good at 49-47. After an NK turnover, Gracie Long hit her only bucket of the game, a three, to give us a 52-47 cushion that lasted.”
Poindexter praised the play of Wood. The freshman scored 10 points, tying for the team high in scoring with fellow freshmen Cooke and Millie Long. Wood also tied for the team-high in rebounds (seven) with Edwards.
“Jaida Wood was a standout for us in terms of her ability to play two different post roles in the lineup, necessitated by Aeverie Politika’s absence [due to injury] tonight,” he said. “It was a challenge for a young player, and she did an admirable job of juggling the responsibilities.”
Port Angeles shot 17 of 60 from the floor (28 percent), but hit 14 of 19 free throws, while North Kitsap hit 18 of 44 attempts (41 percent) and 5 of 9 from the free-throw line.
The Riders did a better job of rebounding those misses, coming up with offensive boards on 38 percent of their misses, compared to 32 percent for the Vikings.
Cooke had six rebounds, five on the offensive end.
Port Angeles also forced North Kitsap into 28 turnovers while committing 14.
Natalie Steinman and Millie Long each had five steals.
“We met most of our pre-game goals: get back on defense much better than we did the first time against them, have more balanced offensive production inside and on the perimeter (22 points inside plus 14 FT on top of that 18 points from outside), closing out effectively on their shooters (they shot only eight 3s on the night),” Poindexter said.
Port Angeles 54, North Kitsap 48
PA 15 15 9 15— 54
NK 20 12 9 7— 48
Port Angeles (54) — M. Long 10, Cooke 10, Wood 10, Brady 7, Wheeler 6, Edwards 5, Long 3, Steinman 3, Wenzl, Gray, Olsen.
North Kitsap (48) — Pearson 12, Selembo 11, Moore 9, Barreith 7, Johnson 7, Hughes 2.
Port Townsend 45, Chimacum 38
CHIMACUM — The Redhawks had a huge fourth quarter to power past the rival Cowboys and lock up an Olympic League 1A championship and a first-round playoff bye.
Port Townsend entered the fourth quarter trailing by two, but outscored the Cowboys 17-8 in the fourth. Jaz Apker-Montoya, in her second game back from a concussion, led the Redhawks with four 3-pointers and 16 points, while Izzy Hammett scored six of her 10 points in the fourth quarter.
Kaitlyn Meek also scored 13.
Port Townsend coach Scott Wilson said it was a typical Chimacum-Port Townsend game: “Intense and frantic.”
“All these games seesaw back and forth. There must have been five or six lead changes,” Wilson said.
For the Cowboys, Mia McNair led the team with 13 points, while Grace Yaley scored eight and Maddie Dowling seven.
“In the second half I thought we continued to play well and defend well and it was tough fought on both sides. We had a couple break downs in the fourth that led to scores for them and then I felt we pressed a little offensively and that is where they got some distance in what had been for the most part an even game,” said Chimacum coach Trevor Huntingford.
“In the end, Port Townsend was the odds-on bet to win this league being that they are senior-loaded and their finish last year. We are a team with one senior, a batch of good juniors with the other half being freshman and sophomores, and although I think we have the talent, perhaps we need just a bit more experience. I do know moving forward I sure like how our team is looking and we will do our best come Saturday to finish our league strong,” Huntingford said.
The win hands the Redhawks (6-2, 8-10), the league championship. Coupeville at 4-3 in league could conceivably tie the Redhawks for the best record in the Olympic 1A, but Port Townsend has beaten Coupeville twice in three games, giving them the tiebreaker.
Chimacum (4-4, 7-10) is at the moment the No. 3 seed in the Olympic 1A League, though they could move up to second. The Cowboys will finish the regular season at Coupeville (4-3, 5-13) on Saturday. Chimacum then hosts a loser-out playoff game on either Feb. 8th or Feb. 10th against either the No. 3 or No. 4 seed from the Nisqually League.
Port Townsend hosts Klahowya (1-6, 4-13) at 7:15 p.m. Saturday for senior night. Then, as a No. 1 seed, the Redhawks are off until Feb. 14. The Redhawks won’t know who they play until Feb. 10.
Port Townsend 45, Chimacum 38
PT 11 9 8 17 — 45
Chimacum 15 7 8 8 — 38
Port Townsend (45) — Apker-Montoya 16, Meek 13, Hammett 10, Kellogg 4, Nielsen 2.
Chimacum (38) — McNair 13, Yaley 8, Dowling 7, Trafton 4, Nordberg 2, Patterson 2, Huntingford 2.
Quilcene 38, North Kitsap C 37
QUILCENE — Abby Weller hit a game-winning basket with four seconds left to give a one-point win over the Vikings C Squad.
Weller made her shot on a dribble drive mid-range jumper with help from a screen by Sydney Brown.
Weller finished Monday’s game with 16 points and 10 rebounds. Coach Brianna Weller said Marissa Kieffer had a good, solid all-around game despite fouling out in the fourth quarter. She still managed to finish with eight points and nine rebounds. Brown also tacked on eight points for the Rangers.
The game concluded the Rangers’ regular season and they are guaranteed a winning record. Quilcene (7-5, 11-9) is the Sea-Tac 1B West No. 2 seed and will host either Muckleshoot or Northwest Yeshiva out of the Sea-Tac League’s East Division at 6 p.m. Saturday in the first round of the Sea-Tac League Tournament.
Quilcene 38, N. Kitsap ‘C’ 37
NK “C” 9 7 10 11 — 37
Quilcene 10 8 6 14 — 38
Quilcene (38) — Weller 16, Kieffer 8, S. Brown 8, G. Brown 2, Carron 2, Scholz 2.
Montesano 55, Forks 28
MONTESANO — The Spartans kept it close until early in the third quarter, but a 10-0 Bulldogs run blew open the game, sending Forks to a road defeat.
Hanging tight with the perennial Evergreen League power, the Spartans trailed just 9-8 at the end of the first quarter, and after a quick start to the second half was down just eight points in the opening minutes of the third quarter.
“It looked like we were going to have ourselves a ballgame,” said coach David Hurn. He said during Montesano’s 10-0 run, the Spartans “just couldn’t buy a bucket.”
Rian Peters led Forks with nine points while Iesha Johnson had seven and Kesia Rowley six.
Forks has one game left in its season with the chance to end the year at .500. The Spartans (1-6, 9-10) host Tenino (2-6, 8-11) at 5:45 p.m. Friday.
“We’d like to finish on a high note,” said Hurn.
Montesano 55, Forks 28
Forks 8 11 5 4 — 28
Montesano 9 20 17 9 — 55
Forks (28) — Peters 9, Johnson 7, Rowley 6, Leverington 4, Kilmer 2.
Montesano (55) — Lisherness 12, Hutchings 9, Grubb 8, Perkinson 8, Lovell 7, Everson 4, Granstrom 2, Mittleider 1.
Sequim 44, Coupeville 26
SEQUIM — The Sequim Wolves wrapped up their home slate with a senior night victory against the Coupeville Wolves.
“We had a great night versus Coupeville on senior night,” Sequim coach Larry Brown said.
“All of our seniors started, except for our captain Alisha Grasser who was out with a lower leg injury.”
Brown said sophomore Hope Glasser wore Grasser’s No. 24 jersey during the game and led all scorers with nine points. Freshman Kalli Wiker added eight points.
“Defensively we played a very strong game and were able to walk away with a good win,” Brown said. “It was a fun senior night for the girls.”
It was the final home game for Sequim seniors Grasser, Jessica Dominguez, Lindsey North and Kyla Armstrong.
The Wolves (4-7, 8-11) wrap up their season at North Kitsap tonight.
Sequim 44, Coupeville 26
COUPE 10 4 8 4 — 26
SEQ 9 11 13 11— 44
Coupeville (26) — Wright 8, Briscoye 6, E. Smith 4, S. Smith 4, Roberts 2.
Sequim (44) — Glasser 9, Wiker 8, Porter 6, Sparks 6, Julmist 5, Armstrong, Schroeder 2, North 1, Aliseda, Dominguez.
Boys Basketball Sequim 65, Coupeville 41
SEQUIM — Sequim got 22 points from Payton Glasser and 20 from Nate Despain in a 65-41 win over Coupeville in a nonleague game.
Glasser also led Sequim in Tuesday’s game with nine rebounds and four assists. Despain added six rebounds, three assists and three steals. Riley Cowan also scored eight points.
The win improves Sequim’s overall record to .500. Sequim (6-5, 9-9) concludes its regular season at home at 7:15 p.m. Thursday against North Kitsap and then the Wolves get ready for postseason play as the No. 4 seed from the Olympic League 2A Division. They will play on Feb. 8 against the No. 4 seed from the South Puget Sound 2A League.
Sequim 65, Coupeville 41
Coupeville 5 15 6 17 — 41
Sequim 17 15 13 20 — 65
Coupeville (41) — Smith 19, Toomey-Stout 9, Downes 5, Lippo 4, Spark 4.
Sequim (65) — Glasser 22, Despain 20, Cowan 8, Whitney 6, Eaton 4, Rollness 3, Williams 2.
Montesano 70, Forks 36
MONTESANO — The Spartans beat the Evergreen 1A League frontrunner earlier this season, but on the road, Forks couldn’t keep up and fell offensively to the Bullodgs — losing the game and the league title in the process.
“The defense was a little less than what I would have liked,” said coach Rick Gooding.
“They jumped all over us and unfortunately we didn’t respond,” Gooding said.
The loss means Forks will finish in second place in the Evergreen 1A League.
Cort Prose led the Spartans with 10 points, while Cole Baysinger scored seven points and Iziah Morton scored six.
Forks (5–2, 13-4) plays at home at 7:15 p.m. Friday against Tenino (0-6, 1-16). The Spartans begin postseason play at 7 p.m. Friday, Feb. 9, hosting Seton Catholic, the No. 3 seed out of the TriCo League.
Montesano 70, Forks 36
Forks 12 8 4 12 — 36
Montesano 20 19 11 20 — 70
Forks (36) — Prose 10, Baysinger 7, Morton 6, Jacoby 5, Armas 4, Reaume 2, Johnson 2.
Montesano (70) — Ridgway 16, Farmer 11, Dierkop 11, Valley 9, Winter 8, Nicklas 6, Albert 4, Iverson 3, Bates 3.
Port Townsend 87, Chimacum 16
CHIMACUM — The Redhawks rolled past their rivals to set up a league-title showdown Saturday at Klahowya.
“They were ahead 3-0, and we just put the hurt on them the rest of the way,” Port Townsend coach Tom Webster said.
“We were pretty intense defensively in trying to get ready for the postseason, so we used some different presses and zone defenses.”
Kaiden Parcher led the Redhawks with 29 points, 12 rebounds, seven assists and three steals.
Seth Spencer knocked down four 3s on his way to 17 points.
“He played his best game of the season,” Webster said.
Noa Montoya scored 15 and had 10 steals for Port Townsend and Jackson Foster had another double-double with 10 points and 12 rebounds.
The Redhawks (6-2, 10-8) must beat Klahowya (6-1, 10-8) in the rubber match between the teams to repeat as Olympic League 1A champs and earn the top seed to the Class 1A West Central District Tournament.
“It’s for the whole ball of wax,” Webster said.
Port Townsend 87, Chimacum 16
CHIM 33 25 23 6— 16
PT 6 4 0 6— 87
Port Townsend (87) — Parcher 29, Spencer 17, Montoya 15, Foster 10, Watkins 10, Hammett 4, Baabahar 2.
Chimacum (16) — J. Slagle 5, Dickerson 5, B. Slagle 7, Dotson 2.
Boys swimming Divisional Invitational
PORT ANGELES — Port Angeles qualified two more more individual district qualifying swims and one state qualifying dive score at its home divisional invitational.
Andrew Methner placed first in diving with 360.60 points and qualified for the state diving competition.
Among the swimmers, Cameron Butler swam the 100 butterfly in a time of 58.98 seconds, qualifying for district. Taylor Martin also qualified for district with a time of 57.80 in the 100 freestyle.
Port Angeles has four athletes each swimming two individual events and one diver qualified for postseason at districts, which will be held Feb. 9-10 at Hazen High School in Renton. The diving competition will be held at Lindbergh High School in Renton. The Roughriders will also be swimming all three relays at the meet.
The top six finishers in each event at district advance to the state 2A meet.
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Compiled from team reports. Email scores to sports@peninsuladailynews.com or phone 360-417-3525.
