YAKIMA — The comeback kids nearly pulled off another climb back up from a double-digit, second-half deficit on the biggest stage of them all.
Tenth-seeded Port Angeles had plenty of chances to pull even or ahead of No. 7 Columbia River but couldn’t find the answer in a 38-33 loss in the Class 2A girls basketball state tournament Wednesday night at the Yakima Valley SunDome.
The Roughriders had come back from fourth-quarter deficits to earn postseason wins over North Mason, Eatonville and Cedarcrest.
“We fell just short of continuing our string of comeback wins,” Port Angeles coach Michael Poindexter said.
“The Rapids hit some early 3-point shots that forced us to alter our defensive approach in the game. We went to a triangle and two with about three minutes in the first half, the defense we had used for much of the game vs. Cedarcrest. In another outstanding effort in that defense, we held the Rapids to 14 points over the next 19 minutes of the game.
“Our goal was to hold Columbia River under 40, which we did, but our struggles on the offensive end, both with turnovers and low shooting percentage, were what ultimately led to the loss.”
Down 36-33 inside of the final minute, the Roughriders couldn’t produce a shot — turning the ball over on a traveling violation with 54.1 seconds to play, and after limiting the Rapids to a shot-clock violation defensively, Port Angeles gave the ball right back to Columbia River without getting a shot off with 5 seconds to play.
“We wanted to get inside on the next possession with a kickout for a 3-point shot to tie; however, Columbia River deflected a pass and retrieved the ball just inches from the out-of-bounds line with seven seconds left,” Poindexter said.
Trailing 24-14 at halftime after a slow start, the Riders roared back into the game thanks to some solid free-throw shooting and some spark plug play from Teanna Clark.
Lexie Smith canned four freebies in the third and Clark added a pair of buckets inside as Port Angeles pulled closer.
Lindsay Smith’s high-arching jumper from about eight-feet had the Riders within 28-27 at the end of the third quarter.
Clark opened the fourth with a solid block defensively, but Port Angeles allowed the first of two fourth-quarter 3’s from Marley Myers as the Rapids regained a two-possession advantage.
A Lexie Smith banked 3-pointer from the top of the key, the Riders’ first 3-point make of the game, followed by a Clark layup pulled Port Angeles within 33-32 with 4:45 to go.
Myers hit her second 3 inside of the 3-minute mark to go up 36-32 and the Riders could muster only a Lindsay Smith free throw to close out the contest.
Lindsay Smith led the Riders with 16 points. Lexie Smith added 11 and Clark had six.
Port Angeles (18-7) will lose Lexie Smith and Tatum Moses to graduation.
“Tatum battled illnesses for much of the season, but has been a great teammate and source of knowledge and experience for her team,” Poindexter said.
Lexie Smith spent all four of her prep seasons on the Riders’ varsity.
“Lexie’s scoring, both inside and from the 3-point line helped fuel our postseason run,” Poindexter said. “Her leadership manifested itself in many ways, from helping our team to excel defensively with her discipline and intelligence to setting high standards for character on and off the court.”
Port Angeles will return the bulk of its roster as the Riders attempt to repeat as West Central District champions and head back to Yakima.
Poindexter hopes the postseason run Port Angeles produced provides fuel for next season for a group that will be predominately senior-led in 2025-’26.
“The Rapids started four seniors and had most of their team back from last year’s group that defeated Ridgefield in the first round and went on to lose competitive games to Lynden and Archbishop Murphy,” Poindexter said. “In contrast, Lexie Smith was our only player with experience in the SunDome, having played there in 2022. It’s a unique environment, and next year’s group will benefit from both their time in Yakima and the excellent run we had in the district tournament and regional game.”
Columbia River 38, Port Angeles 33
Port Angeles 7 7 13 6 — 33
Columbia R. 13 11 4 10 — 38
Port Angeles (33) — Li. Smith 16, Le. Smith 11, Clark 6, Politika, M. Stevens, Alward, Doherty, T. Moses, K. Moses.
Columbia River (38) — Myers 11, Galvin 10, Desjarlais 6, Dukes 5, Mertich 4, Drake 2.
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Sports reporter/columnist Michael Carman can be contacted at sports@ peninsuladailynews.com.
