KENNEWICK — Head coach Alison Crumb has come full circle.
Her Pirates captured the 2015 North Region championship last week, marking the first time a Peninsula College women’s basketball team has done that since she donned a Pirate jersey herself back in 2005.
This year’s team, however, won the title with a 13-1 conference record, the best ever in the 17-year history of the program.
The Pirates also rose to No. 4 in the Northwest Athletic Conference’s final Alaska Airlines Coaches Poll, the highest ranking ever for a Peninsula women’s basketball team.
“To win the North as a player and coach just shows how much of an impact Peninsula College has had on my collegiate, and now coaching, career,” Crumb said.
“I’m very thankful to have had the opportunity to play here and extremely thankful to begin my coaching career here.
“It’s very humbling to look back and think of all the memories that I have been a part of at Peninsula College.
“It’s had a profound impact on my life and I’m just very grateful.”
Her players too are grateful.
They take a 19-5 overall record into the NWAC Tournament as the No. 1 seed from the North, meeting first-time NWAC Tournament-qualifier Portland (6-6, 13-13) at 8 p.m. Saturday at the Toyota Center in Kennewick.
The Peninsula men also qualified for the conference tourney, which they open against Clackamas on Saturday morning at 10 a.m.
“Portland is athletic,” Crumb said. “They have two of the better players in the NWAC who we are going to have to deal with on Saturday evening, but I think we have the players to do it.
“For us, it’s about controlling to attack off the dribble defensively, and offensively running the floor and taking care of the ball.
“They gamble a lot and go for steals, and we need to make easy passes and get easy shots.
“I think we have the better team, but in a tournament situation it’s all about who shows up, who makes more plays, and who finishes at the free throw line.
“I like our chances, but it’s going to be a battle.”
The Pirates are averaging 75.8 points per game, the fourth highest in the NWAC, and allowing only 59.1, which ranks seventh best among the NWAC’s 32 teams.
Portland is right there offensively, averaging 74.9 points per game, but is not as strong defensively, giving up 72.5.
The Pirates are led by North Region MVP Madison Pilster, who is averaging 16.6 points per game, as well as Imani Smith at 11.3, Gabi Fenumiai with 10.5 points and 8.8 rebounds, Ciera Moss with 10.3 points, Miranda Schmillen with 9.9 points and Zhara Laster with 8.0 points and 7.5 rebounds.
Portland’s Diamond Bolden is the fourth leading scorer in the NWAC, averaging 18.3 points per game along with 7.4 rebounds, Shyanne Akles is scoring 15.6 and Milan Woods 13.5.
The 2015 NWAC tournament appearance marks the seventh time the Peninsula women have qualified for the postseason since the inception of the program in 1996-97. The Pirate have never placed.
The winner of Saturday night’s game will play the winner of the Wenatchee vs. Highline game at 6 p.m. Sunday.
The loser of those two games play at 10 p.m. Sunday.
Men return to tourney
It didn’t take long for Peninsula men’s head coach Mitch Freeman and his staff to reach the postseason.
In just his second year as the skipper of the Pirate ship, Freeman recruited a team that not only posted an unprecedented 3.5 team grade point average in fall quarter, but a team that became the 11th since Peninsula College resurrected men’s basketball in 1996 to qualify for the NWAC tournament.
“Our guys are very excited about the trip to Tri-Cities, and we will be sure to embrace this experience,” Freeman said.
The Pirates (7-7, 14-12) placed fourth in the North Region and will tackle the No. 1 seed out of the South, Clackamas (11-3, 19-10) at 10 a.m. Saturday at the Toyota Center in Kennewick in the first round of the 16-team men’s tournament.
“They are a well-coached team with depth and experience at almost every position,” Freeman said of the fifth-ranked Cougars.
“They have post players who are strong and change shots near the basket.
“They have a dynamic backcourt with Jaylen Edwards, who knows how to run a team, and the south region MVP Brandon Halter, who is one of the best shooters we will have faced this year.
“I think we match up well against them, but we will have to know where Brandon Halter is at all times and attempt to keep their post players from getting easy looks inside.”
Peninsula is a team that has consistently played strong defense, allowing just 67.7 points per game, which stands as the third lowest mark in the NWAC.
The Pirates, though, may need to produce more than their average of 66.3 points per game to advance into Tuesday’s trophy round.
Clackamas is scoring at an 81.2 points per game clip, third best in the NWAC, while allowing 75.2 points.
The Pirates are led by Ryley Callaghan’s 17.9 scoring average, 16.7 from Deonte Dixon and 10.5 from Jal Deng, who also contributes 6.9 rebounds per game.
Jeremiah Hobbs is the team’s leading rebounder with a 7.3 average.
Clackamas’ Halter is scoring 16.5 points per game, Vince Boumann 13.1 points and a team-leading 7.3 rebounds, Michone Hopkins is at 11.3 points and Jaylen Edwards 11.1.
While it’s not common for a No. 4 seed to upset a No. 1 seed in the first round, the Pirates did defeat the NWAC’s top-ranked team, Edmonds, at the West Region Crossover Tournament in December.
The Pirates have a history of postseason success.
Peninsula won the NWAC championship in 2011, was fourth place in 2007-08, 2009-10 and 2011-12, and fifth place in 2006-07.
The Pirates also won the Washington Athletic Association of Community Colleges championship in 1970.
The winner of Saturday’s game will face the winner of the Highline vs. Wenatchee game at noon Sunday.
The losers of the two Saturday morning games play at 8 a.m. Sunday.
