YAKIMA — Port Angeles will bring home a state basketball tournament trophy for the first time since 1997 and the fifth time ever after knocking off Prosser 70-68 in overtime in a wild back-and-forth loser-out contest Friday afternoon at the Class 2A state tournament at the Yakima Valley SunDome.
The No. 7 Roughriders (20-7) advance to face No. 5 Tumwater (21-6) at 9:30 a.m. Saturday for fourth or sixth place. The Thunderbirds beat Sehome 62-47 Friday.
“It feels great, honestly” senior Xander Maestas, who scored a game-high 26 points on 8 of 14 shooting, including 4 of 8 on 3s, to go along with eight rebounds. “It’s something that we’ve always wanted to do to bring back a trophy to our community. To show that it is possible maybe that inspires another group of kids to do the same thing.”
Looking a little tired and a step slow from the start after a tough quarterfinal defeat against North Kitsap less than 24 hours before, Port Angeles fell behind 24-9 early in the second quarter on the strength of five first-quarter 3s and another early in the second quarter by the No. 14 Mustangs (15-12).
“It’s nothing we haven’t been through before,” Maestas said of the early deficit. “Sometimes the start doesn’t go our way, but we know we have to do something to change it up to get back in it. Don’t ever count us out of a game, because we will always battle back.”
Head coach Kasey Ulin said this game, the bounce back after falling from the winner’s bracket, would be the hardest of the tournament and the team that was the more resilient would win out.
“We were forced to get there a little earlier than I would have hoped to,” Ulin deadpanned. “They came out and hit five 3s in the first quarter and our scouting report was to take the 3-point shot away. We lost a couple of assignments and they capitalized.”
But the Riders regrouped, changing the focus of their attack from outside to inside, penetrating and shooting inside against smaller Prosser. Port Angeles reeled off a 15-0 run, keyed by some John Vaara free throws, some 3-point baskets by Maestas and some inside baskets by Wyatt Dunning for a 27-27 halftime tie.
“To see us find our rhyhthm and get back to being us,” Ulin said. “We defended better, we rebounded and we were able to get some good shots on the offensive end and slowly chip away at that lead.”
The Riders built a 10-point lead in the third quarter, up 47-37 on a Maestas 3 with 2:11 to play. But the Mustangs mounted a comeback, keyed by diminutive freshman Koby McClure. McClure banked in a 3 at the third quarter buzzer to bring Prosser within 51-46.
Prosser continued to hit from outside in the fourth quarter, with McClure, Kolby Phillips and JJ Reyes all draining triples and McClure getting the game tying bucket underneath with 37.9 seconds to play to send the game to overtime.
Port Angeles managed to foul out Prosser post Kaiden Rivera and the Riders took advantage, with Maestas, Vaara and Dunning all hitting from inside to go up 70-66 with 52 seconds to go.
A McClure basket made it 70-68 and the Mustangs got two good looks at the end, a 3-point shot by Reyes and a miss inside just before the buzzer by AJ Gonzalez with Vaara using all of his 6-foot-9 inch frame to defend.
Here’s the final 30 seconds. PA outlasts Prosser 70-68 and will play for 4th/6th tomorrow at 9:30 a.m. pic.twitter.com/czQcNWn1yl
— Michael Carman (@MikeCarmanPDN) March 4, 2022
Cue the simultaneous exhale and exhaltation by the Port Angeles bench.
The Riders’ seniors brought this one home.
“John had 19 rebounds and 17 points,” Ulin said. “Xander was just unbelievable at carving up the zone and getting into the middle and hitting tough shots. That’s outstanding.”
While mending a medley of bumps, bruises, hip pointers and more, a sore Port Angeles should sleep easy tonight with state trophy hardware a few short hours away.
No. 7 Port Angeles 70, No. 14 Prosser 68, OT
P 19 8 19 18 4 — 68
PA 9 18 24 13 6 — 70
Prosser (68): Kob. McClure 16, Phillips 16, Rivera 13, Reyes 12, Kor. McClure 7, Gonzalez 2, Flores 2.
Port Angeles (70): Maestas 26, Dunning 19, Vaara 17, Soule 6, Shamp 2, Wheeler, Gundersen.
