ANCHORAGE, Alaska — Former Port Angeles Roughriders standout Jessica Madison’s rebounding and free-throw shooting helped the University of Alaska-Anchorage women’s basketball team claim the Great Northwest Athletic Conference championship earlier this month.
The Seawolves took the top seed into NCAA Div. II West Regional Championships, which was played at Alaska Airlines Arena, their home court.
Alaska-Anchorage opened the regional tournament against Point Loma and were upset in the first round Friday 64-63.
In the GNAC championship game, Alaska-Anchorage beat Western Washington 71-58.
With 1:12 to go in the second half, Madison, a junior guard, sealed the win with four straight free throws to push the lead to 69-58.
Madison finished a perfect 6 for 6 from the free-throw line and had nine points and eight rebounds, which was the second best on the team. Kiki Robertson, a point guard from Hawaii and the niece of NBA Hall of Famer Oscar Robinson, lead the Seawolves with 21 points and five assists.
Alaska-Anchorage finished the season ranked No. 1 in the nation for the final four weeks.
Madison ranked fourth on the team with 10.5 points per game.
She is moving up the all-time lists at Alaska-Anchorage, ranking 16th in points with 890, third in free-throw percentage at 82.4 and fourth in 3-point shots with 142.
Hopson powers Tech
LUBBOCK, Texas — Sequim graduate Lea Hopson went 2 for 3 with a run and two RBI to help the Texas Tech softball team defeat Mississippi Valley State on Friday.
Earlier this week in a 9-7 loss to UTEP, Hopson hit her team-leading seventh home run.
Hopson, a senior infielder, will return to the state of Washington for three games this week.
Texas Tech will play at Seattle University on Wednesday at 6 p.m. and then will play a doubleheader against the University of Washington on Thursday at 5 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.
Gray makes play
PORTLAND, Ore. — Port Angeles graduate Haley Gray sealed the University of Puget Sound softball team’s first win of the season with a nifty defensive play in the bottom of the ninth inning.
The Loggers led Lewis and Clark 4-1 going into the bottom half of the ninth March 7.
The Pioneers got one run back and with only one out were threatening to add more.
Gray, a freshman catcher, dove to catch a foul tip, then got to her feet and picked off a runner at third to end the game.
Konopaski saves two
PARKLAND — A.J. Konopaski ended both games of Pacific Lutheran’s doubleheader baseball sweep of Whitworth with strikeouts Friday.
The 19th-ranked Lutes defeated the Pirates 2-0 and 4-2.
Konopaski, a Port Angeles graduate, now has six saves this season, which leads the Northwest Conference.
The senior was named to the preseason All-America First Team by d3baseball.com.
Briones goes yard
DURHAM, N.C. — Demiree Briones, a 2012 graduate of Sequim High School, has moved on to North Central University to play softball after starting her career at Southwestern Oregon.
Briones homered Tuesday to help the Eagles sweep a doubleheader with Norfolk State.
The junior first baseman is tied for second on the team with two home runs.
Dean saves game
PENDLETON, Ore. — Michael Dean earned a save and give the Grays Harbor College baseball team its first win of the season March 7.
Dean, a sophomore from Forks, pitched a 1-2-3 inning to lock down the win.
