STATE BASKETBALL: Port Angeles gets cooking late to pull away from Jayla Julmist-led Sequim

UPDATE: White River beat Port Angeles 60-55 at the 2A State Tournament on Thursday. Details later tonight.

YAKIMA — Too much Jayla Julmist inside and out combined with a listless offense had Port Angeles on the ropes entering the fourth quarter against rival Sequim.

But the Roughriders bailed themselves out, getting a boost from Madison Cooke’s inspired 14-point fourth-quarter performance to pull away for a 57-47 win in the first round of the Class 2A Girls Basketball State Tournament at the Yakima SunDome on Wednesday.

“We knew it was going to be tough, they all have been,” Port Angeles head coach Michael Poindexter said. “[Sequim] won three loser-out [postseason] games and they had momentum, if you believe in momentum.”

The win, the Riders’ third of the season against their rivals, sent No. 6 Port Angeles (21-4) to a state quarterfinal matchup with White River (24-3) Thursday. That game was a rematch of the Riders’ 53-32 win over the Hornets in the West Central District Championship earlier this month.

Sequim (17-8) saw its season end with the defeat.

Wednesday’s game was a taut, back-and-forth contest that saw the lead exchange hands eight times and three tie scores. The Wolves showed a knack for late-quarter baskets through the first three quarters, getting a bucket inside by Julmist to end the first quarter up 14-13, a buzzer-beater baseline jumper by freshman Riley Pyeatt that bounced around and in for a 20-19 Sequim halftime lead and a 3-pointer by Melissa Porter late in the third for a 36-35 Wolves advantage heading into the fourth quarter.

Julmist put up a Herculean effort inside, scoring 19 points and grabbing 19 rebounds along with three blocks while never leaving the court for the Wolves.

“She was hard to guard. Her post moves were great,” Riders guard Millie Long said. “And if she missed, she’d get it back and put it right up. If you went for the ball you ended up slapping her and it would be an And-1 [a basket and a foul shot].

Julmist also kept the Riders defenders honest by stepping out to hit some shots from mid-range .

“You definitely can’t back too far away on her because she will hit those mid-range shots,” Long said.

Poindexter was enthusiastic about Julmist’s play as well.

“Those kids were fired up,” Poindexter said of Sequim. “Jayla Julmist played her heart out, what an impressive performance. We tried [to defend her]. We were trying to avoid getting into foul trouble on her, we did not want to get in foul trouble and send her to the line. We wanted to play behind and get rebounds and she scored over us. She got assists and she still got rebounds. That’s no knock on our kids.”

The six-foot sophomore carried Sequim for stretches of the game on both ends of the floor as the Riders’ shut down leading scorer Hope Glasser, who was hampered with foul trouble, and Sequim’s main 3-point shooter, Kalli Wiker. Glasser scored two points and Wiker was held off the scoreboard.

“I want to especially compliment Eve Burke and Mikkiah Brady on their defense,” Poindexter said. “They were mostly responsible for defending Hope and Kalli.”

Poindexter said Port Angeles attempted in-game adjustments on Julmist. One found success.

“We altered the game plan,” Poindexter said. “In the second quarter we tried to deny her more. In the fourth quarter we went triangle-and-two [against Julmist]. “We were sub-standard, not our best, in it against Clarkston. I said if we were going to play it, we had to commit to it. And they committed to it and that made a difference.”

The Riders got cooking in the fourth quarter, as Olympic League 2A Division MVP Madison Cooke saved her best for the final frame.

“She did so well,” Long said. “Madi really stepped it up in the fourth quarter with hustle plays and scoring.”

Cooke sank two straight 3-point baskets to open the quarter, then was a big part of quite possibly the hustle play of the season to put the Riders up 43-36, a lead Port Angeles would never relinquish.

Cooke forced a loose ball near midcourt and flipped it back behind her toward the Riders’ basket before the ball went out of bounds along the sideline. Cooke saved the ball with a little “oomph” and it didn’t look like Long would be able to run the ball down before it went out of bounds along the baseline.

But Long runs the hurdles for the Port Angeles track team. She made the play and saved the ball back to Cooke who sent a short pass to Mikkiah Brady for the basket.

“I didn’t want to lose that game, so I gave it all [I had],” Long said. “It was awesome that Mikkiah made the shot to make it even more of a big play.”

Cooke added six straight points after the Wolves cut the Riders’ lead to 46-41 with four minutes to play.

Poindexter was still thinking about it 30 minutes later.

“Holy Cow! We got inside [points], we got outside,” Poindexter said of Cooke’s play in the fourth.

“The play where Madi saved it on the sideline, and Millie saved it on the baseline was the best play I’ve seen from our team in Yakima, or even in eight years of postseason.

“There’s the flashy, beautiful inspiring play. Madi’s save was so athletic and Millie’s hustle was incredible. That was huge.”

Sequim assistant coach Sven Wiker got to the heart of the matter postgame.

“Madison Cooke … can take over a game and the others rally around her,” Wiker said of the Riders’ big fourth quarter.

Poindexter pointed out another all-effort play late in the third period.

“Myra Walker at the end of the third quarter got an offensive board and a putback that was as big as anything,” Poindexter said. “I thought that was critical.

“Myra’s was a simple little block out, get the offensive rebound and put it back. That was as big as anything. And that’s what kids have to learn about state tournament play, you might not play a lot of minutes but whatever you do will matter.”

Port Angeles gets to play a familiar foe with a trip to the state semifinals on the line.

“They won’t shoot 18 percent again,” Poindexter said of White River. “They are talented, they beat [No. 1] Lynden. We feel we matchup well with them, so we will see what happens.”

The Sequim Gazette’s Michael Dashiell contributed to this report.

Port Angeles 57, Sequim 47

Sequim 14 6 16 11 — 47

PA 13 6 16 22 — 57

Sequim (47) — Julmist 19, Porter 9, Sparks 7, Schroeder 5, Dietzman 3, Glasser 2, Pyeatt 2, Wiker, Wagner.

Port Angeles (57) — Cooke 18, Long 10, Burke 10, Wood 7, Brady 5, Noel 4, Walker 3, Brown, Larson, Gedelman, McGoff, Olsen.