PORT ANGELES — The Peninsula College men’s and women’s basketball teams learned Sunday night who they will be facing in the Northwest Athletic Conference tournament coming up Thursday.
And it will be some familiar foes for both teams.
The men got in to the tournament as a No. 3 seed in the North Region, winning their final game of the year to make the postseason. The Pirates came heartbreakingly close to winning the NWAC championship last year, going all the way to the championship game, where they lost after North Idaho first hit a game-tying shot at the buzzer, then won in overtime 90-83.
The women won the North Region with a win over Bellevue on Saturday, clinching a coveted No. 1 seed. Because the women played their final two games on the road, they didn’t get to have a net-cutting ceremony, so they will hold a ceremony at Peninsula College at 5:15 p.m. today at the basketball court.
The men will play Green River, the No. 2 seed in the West Region, at noon Thursday. The women will play Highline, the No. 4 seed out of the West, at 8 p.m. Saturday.
They are good matchups for both teams, according to the Peninsula coaches.
The Peninsula women (11-3, 18-8) beat Highline early this season 69-59 way back on Nov. 17.
Coach Alison Crumb pointed out that was a long time ago.
“Obviously, there’s been a lot of changes between November and March,” she said.
And for what it is worth, Highline is the school that the Peninsula soccer women has played three straight years in the NWAC tournament (Twice in the championship match, once in the semifinals.), with all three games having the score of 1-0.
Crumb was glad that Peninsula didn’t get the No. 4 seed out of the East, which had four 20-win teams. Highline was 8-6 in the West and 12-13 overall. However, Crumb pointed out that won-loss records don’t mean much in the tournament.
“You have to show up every day to win,” she said. She said if Peninsula wants to go deep into the tournament, they will have to play one of those powerful East teams eventually. In fact, they could meet Wenatchee Valley in the second round.
Crumb also thinks the 8 p.m. game will be good for her players, though as a coach it’s late for her. She said coaches are already working with the women on their eating and sleeping schedules to get them used to such a late game (though there is actually an even later game at 10 p.m. Saturday.).
The women go into the tournament red-hot on a 10-game winning streak.
“This is exciting. They earned it. Now we have a whole week of preparation,” Crumb said.
The men (7-7, 10-18) are very familiar with a player for Green River, Kevin Baker. Baker was a solid forward for the Pirates two years ago who transferred to Green River to be closer to family. As a freshman for the Pirates, Baker didn’t take a ton of shots, but he was extremely efficient, leading the entire NWAC in shooting percentage. With Green River, Baker has blossomed into a big star, averaging 21.7 points per game and 9.6 rebounds per game.
In Baker’s last game against South Puget Sound, he scored 42 points.
“They’re a good team, a tough team,” said Peninsula coach Donald Rollman.
Rollman said he likes the seed that Peninsula drew.
“Honestly, I like our matchup compared to some other No. 2 seeds. Green River’s style of play works a little bit better for us,” Rollman said. He said Green River plays a zone about 90 percent of the time.
The men play at noon Thursday. Rollman likes that time and prefers it to the 8 a.m. games the Pirates have drawn in their past two tournaments.
“Though we’re 2-0 in the 8 a.m. games,” he said.
The men don’t have the long winning streak as the women do, but in essence, their postseason began a week ago as they did win two do-or-die games to finish North Region play. They had to win both of those games just to qualify for the tournament. The Pirates have had a rollercoaster season, starting 3-11 in preconference play, then going 4-1 to start North Region play. They had a slump in which they lost six out of seven to put postseason in serious jeopardy, then won their final two to make the playoffs.
