PORT ANGELES — Port Angeles persevered in its Class 2A State Tournament loser-out contest against Clarkston, playing through foul trouble, offensive struggles and the strong play of Clarkston point guard Ashlyn Wallace to triumph 68-54 Wednesday morning at the Yakima SunDome.
The No. 6 Roughriders blew the game open in the fourth quarter, outscoring the No. 11 Bantams 24-13 in the final frame.
The victory catapults Port Angeles (20-5) into a state quarterfinal matchup with No. 5 Burlington-Edison (20-4) at 9 a.m. Wednesday in Yakima and assures the Riders will play at state at least through Friday.
After a frustrating state tournament exit last season, the Riders spent their offseason focusing on becoming a tougher, more consistent and more united team in 2019-20, according to coach Michael Poindexter.
Wednesday’s win showcased the team’s strides in all three of those areas.
“I think that’s it, they fought through a lot of adversity,” Poindexter said.
“After last season we discussed those words in that final article [after losing to Lynden at state] … and they like those challenges. We told them these are the qualities we need to find, we know it’s within you and they found it.”
The Riders weren’t at their best to open the contest, but Millie Long hit a corner 3 to put Port Angeles up 27-25 at halftime. Long missed a good chunk of the first half after picking up two early fouls.
Jaida Wood also missed significant time with three first-half fouls.
“That shot was kind of a ‘Take that.’ That was huge,” Poindexter said. “It was so big to go into half up 27-25. An enormous psychological advantage. The basic halftime message was, ‘We were playing terrible and we’re still up two.’ ”
Port Angeles simplified things offensively due to foul trouble and Wallace’s defensive efforts on Long.
“Ashlyn Wallace took Millie Long out of the game for periods of time,” Poindexter said. “We were running with any other point guard we had and we reduced the offense to read-and-react motion game and hardly ran any sets. It took us awhile to get going, but I’m so impressed with Millie. She didn’t force things, didn’t try to make too much happen and she ends up tying with Eve [Burke] for leading scorer.”
Long scored 13 of her 18 points after halftime, including knocking down 5 of 6 from the free-throw line. She added nine rebounds.
Wood went off in a big way after halftime, hitting three huge 3-point shots and scoring all 13 of her points after the break. She added six boards.
“Jaida Wood, we told her when we were trailing to not force that 3. And she was 3 of 5 on 3-pointers in the second half and the timing of those makes was huge. Millie and Jaida, they both played with foul trouble and they were so patient.”
Eve Burke scored 18 points on 6 of 10 shooting, including 5 of 6 from the free-throw line, to go along with eight rebounds.
The Riders outrebounded the bigger, taller Bantams 44-37 for the game.
Port Angeles was solid from the stripe in the second half, hitting 10 of 13 attempts, including its final four to salt the game away.
Another vital contribution came from senior Mikkiah Brady who scored 12 points.
“Mikkiah Brady had a heck of game,” Poindexter said. “She scored in all sorts of places, had three assists, battled as a rebounder and I think she really played one of her best games as a Rider.”
Bailee Larson struggled to score, but boosted Port Angeles in a number of ways.
“She was dealing with some inner demons on the offensive end and getting bumped and jostled driving through the paint,” Poindexter said. “But we said if one part of your game isn’t functioning, you can help us out in other aspects. She led us in rebounding with 10 and assists with five. She was amazing.”
And Camille Stensgard came on in relief of Long and was solid and steady at guard, with three assists and the team’s first basket of the morning, a 3-pointer, halfway through the first quarter.
“At a time when we were struggling she came in and was herself,” Poindexter said. “I was impressed with her tone and the way she carried herself on the floor.”
Notebook
Poindexter said the game ultimately came down to which team took care of the ball and shot well.
“They had their coaching strategy to contain Millie and we had ours to contain Wallace and their bigs inside,” Poindexter said.
“We shot 45 percent for the game from the and they hit 31 percent. We were 67 percent on free throws and they were 52 percent and we were 37 percent on 3s to their 18 percent.”
Early risers
Poindexter pointed to an early-morning practice session Wednesday as a boost.
“A big part was a 7 a.m. practice at Yakima Valley Community College,” Poindexter said. “That got them out and up for a 30-minute practice where we did some transition work and some up and downs. We haven’t done it before and most teams don’t [hold a practice before a state game]. But [North Kitsap head coach] Penny Gienger said they did it three years ago when they made a run. I think it helped our kids. Nobody complained and it was a very good 30 minutes. The tone was great.
Rematch
Now Port Angeles faces a rematch with Burlington-Edison. The Riders lost 66-61 to the Tigers at Burlington-Edison in December.
“They have a bit of size but not a brutal advantage,” Poindexter said. “They like to play uptempo and they are all pretty good players. They have depth, so they are a little like us in that aspect.”
No. 6 Port Angeles 68, No. 11 Clarkston 54
Clarkston 14 11 16 13— 54
Port Angeles 10 17 17 24— 68
Clarkston (54) — Wallace 22, Henry 10, Pickett 7, Chatfield 6, Jackson 5, Sobotta 4.
Port Angeles (68) — Long 18, Burke 18, Wood 13, Brady 12, Stensgard 3, McGoff 2, Larson 2, Walker,
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Sports reporter/columnist Michael Carman can be contacted at 360-417-3525 or at mcarman@peninsuladailynews.com.