SEQUIM — Some high school coaches dread senior night because the emotions associated with the event can lead to slow starts and uneven performances.
This looked to be the case early on in Sequim’ game Tuesday against Olympic League-leading North Kitsap (9-2, 14-5), as the Wolves trailed 12-3 with 3:14 left in the first quarter
But the senior-laden Sequim (9-3, 14-6) squad persevered, pulling together one last time on its home floor to come away with a 69-62 Olympic League boys basketball victory.
“I’m so happy for these seniors,” Wolves coach Greg Glasser said.
“We didn’t string together any extended mental lapses out there, and from tip to buzzer it was probably our best performance of the season.”
Strong finish
The win came during Sequim’s best stretch of the season, a seven-game winning streak heading into the start of district play next Thursday.
Barring upsets Friday in the final night of Olympic League play, the Wolves will likely take the league’s third seed into a road matchup at the Seamount League No. 2 seed, Lindbergh (9-8).
It wasn’t easy, as the Wolves had to come back from that early 12-3 deficit, and 29-18 and 32-21 disadvantages midway through the second quarter.
Sequim hung with the Vikings via the 3-point shot, with Jackson Oliver checking in to hit three 3s in the period.
Oliver finished with 12 points on 4 of 5 shooting from 3-point range.
“Great shot selection and knocking them down,” Glasser said of Oliver’s hot hand.
The same could be said for the team as a whole, as the Wolves hit 12 of 21 3-pointers on the game.
Late in the quarter, senior Alex Barry answered a 3 from North Kitsap’s 6-foot-9 center Calvin Dennis with his own long-range shot, and Oliver followed with a trey to put Sequim down 34-27 at the half.
Playing with two early fouls, Dennis had 11 of his 19 points in the second quarter, hitting long jump shots but unintentionally pulling himself away from the basket and potential rebounds and putback scores.
“The big kid made a couple of deep shots in the first half and then he kind of hung out there a lot on the perimeter, too, which is OK,” Glasser said.
“If Calvin wants to have the ball on the perimeter fine. We are going to force him left, force him to take those shots.
“The further he is from the basket the better, especially on the offensive glass.”
The Wolves’ 6-foot-8 senior center Josh McConnaughey came out of the locker room to block a shot attempt from Dennis on the opening possession of the second half, and then put together an old-fashioned three-point play on the other side of the court.
“Josh did a great job all around,” Glasser said.
“Defensively, he got his hands on some balls and had a nice block on Calvin and did well rebounding.”
McConnaughey scored seven of his eight points in the period, and also finished with nine rebounds, six on the offensive glass, with two steals.
The post also drew the fourth foul on Dennis with 3:55 to go in the third quarter.
Dennis couldn’t believe the call, waving his arms and carrying on as he headed to the bench.
North Kitsap Dan Rosenberg left the coaches box in a move likely designed to get the attention away from Dennis, and the Vikings bench was promptly whistled for a technical foul.
McConnaughey knocked down two foul shots, Barry hit two more before scoring on a layup for a quick six-point swing without the Vikings touching the basketball, and a 40-37 Sequim lead.
Barry finished with a double-double with 22 points and 17 rebounds, six offensive.
With Barry resting on the bench, a big 3 from senior Vance Willis late in the third helped Sequim to a 45-40 lead heading to the fourth quarter.
The Wolves held off repeated charges by North Kitsap in the fourth quarter, with the Vikings junior point guard Cole Rabedeaux doing the most damage, knifing into the lane and scoring 12 of his 19 in the final frame.
But the Sequim seniors had the answers from 3-point range and the free-throw line down the stretch.
Senior Adrian Espinoza came off the bench and buried a 3 to give the Wolves a 53-45 lead with 5:58 to go.
“I’m so happy for a guy like Adrian Espinoza who’s been at the end of our bench for so long,” Glasser said.
“He gets some minutes tonight and he’s just so solid with those minutes and really does some things defensively for us, and then hits a huge shot.”
Willis nearly negated two successful Rabedeaux drives with a 3 from the top of the key to make it 56-49.
Running right to left near the free-throw line, Barry tossed in a running one-hander while fouled and hit his freebie for a 59-53 lead with 3:32 to play.
And then Wolves senior Dusty Bates countered Dennis’ last score of the game with his own 3 for a 62-55 lead with 1:39 to go.
After two more Rabedeaux scores, Bates came through with a pair of clutch free throws with 53.4 seconds to go.
In the final minutes, McConnaughey, Willis, Bates and Espinoza closed the game out from the line.
“We had different combinations in there tonight, obviously wanted to let our seniors play,” Glasser said.
“But the combinations that we had, we had guys sitting on the bench then thrown in the game, but everybody was ready to play and the combinations really seemed to work tonight.
“Our team doesn’t have a lot of highs and lows. They remain poised out there and that’s a great trait to have.”
Sequim 69, North Kitsap 62
North Kitsap 16 18 6 22— 62
Sequim 13 14 18 24— 69
Individual scoring
North Kitsap (62)
Rabedeaux 19, Dennis 19, Ellingsen 14, Graebner 3, Benson 3, Perry 2.
Sequim (69)
Barry 22, Oliver 12, Bates 9, McConnaughey 8, Espinoza 7, Willis 7, Rutherford 2, Adams 2, Glasser.
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Sports reporter Michael Carman can be contacted at 360-452-2345, ext. 5250 or at mcarman@peninsualdailynews.com.
