PORT ANGELES — Madison Pilster had just hit the fifth of her six 3-pointers against Whatcom last week in front of her teammates on the Peninsula College bench.
“I see you, Tena,” Peninsula coach Alison Crumb said as Pilster ran to the other end of the court.
At that moment, Gabi Fenumiai was waiting at the scorer’s table to check into the game.
“See you, Tena,” Fenumiai said.
There isn’t a Tena on the Pirates’ roster, or even a Christina.
“Tena’s my middle name,” Pilster said. “Coach likes to say I kind of have an alter ego.
“Off the court, I’m really nice. On the court, I turn into Tena. I’m really competitive and . . .” — Pilster, in Madison-mode, hesitates before saying this next part — “. . . kind of mean, almost.
“I’m just really competitive. I hate losing. I hate to lose. I’ve just always been competitive, whether it’s basketball or school.”
Wednesday was the most Tena game of Pilster’s Peninsula College career.
She scored a career-high 30 points, making 12 of 23 shots and 6 of 10 from 3-point range, as the Pirates routed the Orcas 79-58.
She also played a big part in holding Whatcom’s Kortney Grattic — the Northwest Athletic Conference’s top scorer and the reigning North Region Player of the Year — to 14 points, 10 below her season average coming into the game.
Pilster also inspired a frick-bomb from her coach.
“I think she’s the best player in this league,” Crumb said.
“I believe that. I see how hard she works, she’s competitive, she steps up for big games, she’s not afraid of them, and she’s our best defender.
“To work that hard to defend somebody when you’re in there, and then score 30 just shows her brain is conditioned for success. She works for it.
“And I’m so frickin’ proud of her. She deserved this game. She deserved it hands-down more than anybody I’ve ever coached.
“She’s the hardest working kid, the most competitive person I know. And she wanted to prove it against the quote-unquote the best player in this league that she is the best player in this league.
“And I believe that [she is]. I don’t think anybody else is the type of player that she is.”
Pilster is a 5-foot-8 sophomore wing from Blackfoot, Idaho, where, as a senior, she helped Snake River High School win a 3A state championship and was named 3A All-State Player of the Year by the Idaho Statesman.
She comes from an athletic family. Her brother Trae plays football at Idaho State University, and her mom, Linda, played basketball at Ricks College in Rexburg, Idaho.
After finishing her high school career, Pilster said she went on recruiting trips that included many NWAC schools.
Peninsula College felt like the best fit. She liked the area and the players on the team.
And, of course, the coach, in whom Pilster saw a kindred spirit.
“She’s like me,” Pilster said of Crumb. “We’re both competitive, we love to win.
“When she was recruiting me, that was one of the first conversations that we had: She said, ‘I’m competitive. I love to win.’”
And Crumb wanted Pilster. Other coaches kept in touch, Pilster said, but Crumb “was constantly calling me or texting me.”
In a news release announcing that Pilster had signed with Peninsula, Crumb said, “Not only can she play almost every position, but she has also proven to be a winner. Madison has been a state champion, a leader and a successful student-athlete. What more could you want?”
Pilster quickly made an impact with the Pirates, playing 30 or more minutes in all but five games as a freshman and never playing less than 24 minutes.
In the third game of her career, Pilster set a school record with 21 rebounds. (The record stood until Fenumiai grabbed 23 boards about a month later.)
Pilster was second on the team in scoring (13.8 points per game) and rebounding (7.7 rpg), and had a team-high 47 steals, as a young Peninsula team qualified for the NWAC tournament.
This season, Pilster leads the Pirates and ranks ninth in the conference in scoring with 16.6 points per game.
She has improved her field goal shooting from 38 percent to 47 percent, and her 3-point shooting from 32 percent to 41 percent (she already has 18 treys this season, one less than the 19 she made as a freshman).
During the offseason, she worked on getting her jump shot off quicker and improving her left-handed dribbling.
“Last year, I would dribble with my left hand, but I wanted to feel more comfortable with my driving,” Pilster said.
“This year, I’m just more confident when I’m dribbling through traffic, or when I’m taking the ball to the hoop from the baseline. I’m not second-guessing myself.”
Pilster hopes to continue her basketball career after this season at a four-year school, preferably one closer to her hometown so her family can see her play more.
But she and the Pirates are chasing other dreams for the next three weeks.
“We really want to take first in our region, that’s our first goal,” Pilster said.
“Last year we were fourth, but we know we should have done better. This year, we know we can take first.
“The second goal is that we do good in the NWAC tournament. I have faith in my team that we can make it to the championship game.”
With those goals in mind, this is a big week for Peninsula (9-1, 15-5), which is ranked eighth in the NWAC coaches poll and stands second in the North Region.
First is a road game against Olympic (4-6, 12-11) on Wednesday, followed by a showdown at region-leading Bellevue (10-0, 19-6) this Sunday.
Pilster’s success at Peninsula extends beyond the gymnasium. She also has excelled in the classroom at Peninsula.
Last week, she was named NWAC Winter Term All-Academic with a GPA of 3.56.
Don’t tell Tena, but that’s only second-best among sophomores on the team behind Miranda Schmillen.
________
Sports Editor Lee Horton can be reached at 360-417-3525 or at lhorton@peninsuladailynews.com.
