EDMONDS — It’s been a struggle so far this season for the Peninsula College men’s basketball squad, which has had some games that stayed close to the final minutes, but began the season going 0-8.
That losing streak was snapped Sunday as the men picked up their first win of the year at the Edmonds Triton Classic, beating Grays Harbor 79-58.
The men dominated all phases of the game. The Pirates hit 13 3-pointers and shot 48.3 percent for the game (49-for-60). Best of all, they outrebounded the Chokers 46-17, allowing just two offensive boards for the entire game.
Sequim’s Ethan Melnick gave the Pirates some momentum going into the half, hitting a 3-pointer in the final seconds to give Peninsula a 37-24 lead into the break.
Grays Harbor fought back a bit in the second half, at one point scoring eight straight points and threatening to make a game of it at 50-43 with 13 minutes to play. The Pirates quickly pushed the lead back to 14 when Patrick Odingo hit a 3-pointer, followed by a 2-point basket and Sam Tekeste added a basket to make it 57-43 with 10 minutes left in the game. Grays Harbor never got within single digits again.
Parker Lambert hit four 3-pointers and led the Pirates with 22 points and eight rebounds.. Titus Driver had a big game inside with 10 points and 17 rebounds. Odingo finished with 15 points, three 3-pointers, six rebounds and five assists.
Tekeste finished with 10 points and Port Angeles’ Gus Halberg hit three 3-pointers for nine points.
Peninsula (1-8) next plays South Puget Sound (7-2), a team they played tough on Saturday, at the NWAC Crossover tournament Friday at Lane Community College in Eugene, Ore.
Peninsula 79, Grays Harbor 58
GH 24 34 — 58
PC 37 42 — 79
Grays Harbor (58) — Bowie 17, Vindivich 15, Lusk 11, Boone 5, Anderson 4, Walker 2, Grant 2, Sanders 2.
Peninsula (79) — Lambert 22, Odingo 15, Driver 10, Tekeste 10, Halberg 9, Melnick 5, hofmann 5, Good 3.
Saturday’s Game S. Puget Sound 77, Peninsula 71
The Peninsula men came close to their first win of the year Saturday, as the Pirates were down just three points with 24 seconds to play.
The Pirates were forced to foul in the final seconds and South Puget Sound made 3-of-4 free throws down the stretch to hold on for a 77-71 victory.
Odingo led the team with 19 points, while Lambert had 18. Cinco McNeal scored 10 and Driver had eight points and 10 rebounds.
S. Puget Sound 77, Peninsula 71
PC 32 39 — 71
SPS 41 36 — 77
Peninsula (71) — Odingo 19, Lambert 18, McNeal 10, Driver 8, Halberg 5, Melnick 3, Heitsch 2, Tekeste 2.
S. Puget Sound (77) — Fabello 19, Hyppa 16, , Mack 15, Bowden 10, Wilson 5, Tichener 5.
Friday’s Game Umpqua 79, Peninsula 53
Peninsula went into the second half against Umpqua down just eight points at 35-27, but Umpqua began the second half on a 19-7 run to open up a 20-point lead. The Pirates were never able to get within single digits again.
Lambert led the team with 14 points, while Odingo had 11. Halberg hit a pair of 3-pointers and finished with six points.
Umpqua 79, Peninsula 53
Ump. 35 44 — 79
PC 27 26 — 53
Umpqua (79) — Taylor 20, Anderton 17, Hunter 14, Lloyd 12, McKee 5, Stuchi 5, Madsen 2, Nally 2, Whitehead 2.
Peninsula (53) — Lambert 14, Odingo 11, Heitsch 8, Halberg 6, Demmert 5, Tekeste 3, Driver 2, Beauchamp 2, McNeal 2.
