PORT ANGELES — The Peninsula College women’s basketball team didn’t get off to a very good start against an upstart Shoreline squad that was fired up and playing to get into first place in the North Region.
And perhaps they needed the wake-up call, because the 14-2 Pirates have been winning a lot of their contests pretty easily lately with an average margin of victory of 22 points a game over their past six games.
Peninsula was down 15-7 early but erupted on a 13-2 run, thanks to a Shania Moananu three-point play and a 3-point shot and two-point bucket from Neah Bay’s Allie Greene. The Pirates then stretched it out to a 41-18 run to take a commanding 48-33 lead en route to a 77-64 victory over a fired-up Dolphins squad to remain unbeaten and all alone in first place in the North.
If Shoreline had won, the Pirates would have dropped into a three-way tie for first with Shoreline and Edmonds.
“They’re so talented. We knew it was going to intense,” said coach Alison Crumb. “We didn’t shoot particularly well, but we focused when it mattered. We were mentally tougher.”
“I think we were nervous to start with,” said post player Jelissa Julmist. “We shook it off.”
The Pirates outrebounded the Dolphins 45-22 with three players tallying at least nine boards.
“We wanted this one bad. It had been a while since we had had a tough game. I know the score doesn’t show it, but it felt like a close game,” Crumb said.
Julmist, from Sequim, had one of her best games for Peninsula, leading the team with 20 points on 7-for-11 shooting and 11 rebounds.
“It feels good, but this was a team win,” Julmist said of her first college 20-point game. She has been averaging 15 points and nine rebounds a game over her past four games for the Pirates.
“She had a phenomenal game. She was so decisive in the second half. Her decision-making was strong,” Crumb said.
Charity stripe
Despite the final score, the game felt close as Shoreline was down just eight points — 54-46 — entering the fourth. The Pirates effectively drew a lot of fouls against the Dolphins, shooting 38 free throws and making 29 of them. Peninsula shot a whopping 20 free throws in the fourth quarter alone, making 13, to keep Shoreline at bay. In all, the Pirates drew 27 fouls on Shoreline.
Ciera Tugade Agasiva had 15 points, hitting a pair of 3-pointers, while Moananu had 14 points, 11 rebounds and six assists, and Alexa Mackey had a solid all-around game with 13 points, nine rebounds and three assists. Greene finished with nine points.
Peninsula (7-0, 14-2) gets a week off with no weekend games and will next play at Whatcom (1-5, 5-12) on Wednesday.
Peninsula 77, Shoreline 64
Shoreline 17 14 15 18 — 64
Peninsula 20 19 15 23 — 77
Shoreline (64) — Naeata 11, Nagata 11, Mattos 10, Eldredge 8, Faleafme-Auwae 7, Liana 4.
Peninsula (77) — Julmist 20, Agasiva 15, Moananu 14, Mackey 13, Greene 9, Donovan 2, Pedebone 2.Suaava 2.
Peninsula’s Alexa Mackey, center, sends the ball towards the hoop as teammate Jelissa Julmist, left, and Shoreline defenders, from left, Leiah Naeata, Alana Nagata and Alicia Suggs look on during Wednesday’s game at Peninsula College. (Keith Thorpe/Peninsula Daily News)
Peninsula’s Jelissa Julmist, center, is caged in by Shoreline’s Taylor Eldredge, left, and Leiah Naeata on Wednesday at Peninsula College. (Keith Thorpe/Peninsula Daily News)
Peninsula’s Shania Moananu, right, drives past Shoreline’s Mailana Mattos on Wednesday night in Port Angeles. (Keith Thorpe/Peninsula Daily News)
Peninsula’s Allie Greene shoots from outside the lane defended by Shoreline’s Leiah Naeata on Wednesday in Port Angeles. (Keith Thorpe/Peninsula Daily News)
Peninsula’s Shania Moananu, right, breaks for the basket defended by Shoreline’s Alicia Suggs, right, and Jocelyn Shea on Wednesday at Peninsula College. (Keith Thorpe/Peninsula Daily News)
