TACOMA — Corbin Webb sank 21 points to spark the Sequim boys basketball team to within one win of the state tournament.
The Wolves (16-7) took a big lead against Renton and held on to win the first-round West Central District game 59-54 at Foss High School on Wednesday night.
Port Angeles, meanwhile, beat Sumner 55-45 right behind the Sequim game in a doubleheader to advance to the district quarterfinals against Fife on Friday night at Foss High School.
Sequim, the No.11 seed out of 12 seeds, advances to the championship quarterfinals against Olympic League champion and No. 3 seed Kingston (16-4) on Friday at Foss at 6 p.m., just before the Riders in another doubleheader featuring the longtime North Olympic Peninsula rivals.
The Kingston-Sequim winner earns a trip to state while the loser must battle its way through the consolation bracket in the double-elimination tourney.
Against Renton, the No. 6 seed, the Wolves built an early lead 16-11 lead at the end of the first period, and held on to a 26-25 advantage at halftime and led most of the second half.
Sequim led by 12 points in the second half but let Renton back in the game by making fouls in the fourth quarter.
“This was definitely a big win for us,” Glasser said.
The last time the Wolves won on district, two years ago, they advanced to the state tourney.
Three players scored in double figures for Sequim as Nick Camporini canned 11 points and Gabe Carter had 10.
Sequim 59, Renton 54
Sequim 16 10 16 17 — 59
Renton 11 14 8 21 — 54
Individual Scoring
Sequim (59)
Hill 6, Meier 2, Carter 10, Webb 21, Brocklesby 6, Guan 3, Camporini 11.
Renton (54)
Cheathem 4, Pienh 2, Saario 2, Briggs 17, Edwards 6, Lee 1, Bennett 10, Hafey 10, Patterson 2.
Port Angeles 55, Sumner 45
TACOMA — The Riders turned up the defense in the third quarter of Wednesday night’s 2A West Central District playoff at Foss High School.
As a result, they are only one win away from reaching the state tournament for the first time in four years.
Port Angeles held the Spartans to four third-quarter points to take a 33-31 lead into the final frame and never relented from there on its way to a convincing 55-45 win.
The Riders (16-7) will face No. 2 seed Fife (16-6) on Friday in the same gym, with the winner earning a spot in Saturday’s district semifinals and a place in the 2A state regional round.
“We really don’t talk about what’s going on at the next level until we get there, but this is a huge win,” Port Angeles head coach Wes Armstrong said.
“We’re one win away from getting to the final 16, and we’re looking forward to the challenge.
“I think it’s really great for this group to get another playoff victory under our belt.”
Senior forward Colin Wheeler submitted a terrific all-around game with 15 points, six assists, four rebounds and four steals.
Teammate Ian Ward added 12 points, six rebounds and three blocks in the post, while Tanner Phair came off the bench to score eight points, all coming in the fourth quarter.
Trailing early on in the third, Armstrong said he challenged the Rider defense to turn around an effort that allowed Sumner’s Zeb Glissmeyer to score 16 first-half points.
Glissmeyer was limited to six points the rest of the game, and the Riders turned the ball only two times as they outscored Sumner 34-18 in the second half.
“We had to chew on them a little bit in the huddle because our defense just wasn’t where it needs to be,” Armstrong said.
“The guys just responded and we played like we’re capable of playing and just played great team defense.”
Port Angeles will play Fife at 8 p.m. on Friday at Foss High School, immediately after Sequim takes on Olympic League champion Kingston.
Fife finished second in the South Puget Sound League this season and lost the 2A sub-district championship to Clover Park 61-47 last weekend.
“They are playing very well right now,” Armstrong said. “They’ve got a really good shooter, and they have a good post player, so we’re definitely going to have to bring our best game and play well on both ends of the court.”
Port Angeles 55, Sumner 45
Port Angeles 10 11 12 22 — 55
Sumner 10 17 4 14 — 45
Individual Scoring
Port Angeles (55)
Phair 8, Braithwaite 5, Walker 5, Antioquia 6, Ward 12, Wheeler 15, Smith 4.
Sumner (45)
Clark 1, Salsbury 5, Dan Devries 4, Fulmer 2, Dave Devries 5, Kendall 6, Glissmeyer 22.