PORT ANGELES — The Peninsula basketball men blew open a back-and-forth dogfight against Green River thanks to a barrage of three-pointers from Alex Baham and a 23-6 second-half run to take control of what had been a tight opener in the Pirate Classic.
With the Pirates’ leading scorer Cole Rabedeaux on the bench in early foul trouble, the Pirates had to look elsewhere for scoring. They got it from Baham, who had his best game of the year, hitting five treys, three in the second half, shooting a perfect 5-for-5 from the floor in an 82-76 win Saturday night.
Rabedeaux, who came into the contest averaging 17.0 a game, only scored seven points in less than 20 minutes on the floor, but he did tally seven assists, six of them in the second half.
Baham finished with 15 points. The Pirates’ Kevin Baker also shot 5-for-5 from the floor for 10 points. Baker is shooting a sterling 82 percent from the floor so far this season, mostly in the paint.
Trent Warren added 12 points and shot 3-for-7 from 3-point range, while Darrion Daniels and Omar Lo chipped in 10 apiece. Sam Velez was a workhorse inside, scoring seven and grabbing 12 rebounds.
Coach Mitch Freeman said he thought his team was sporadic to start the game and seemed bothered by Green River’s pressing defense.
“We settled down [in the second half] and started to attack their pressure,” Freeman said.
“I liked how we kept our composure and didn’t let the pressure get to us,” he said.
Green River’s Cole Lockett, who lit up Peninsula for 16 first-half points, was held to just eight points in the second half on 2-for-6 shooting. Lo credited the team’s defense for the second-half turnaround.
“We played as a team and believed in one another,” Lo said. “Our team D overall stayed together. All five guys were being aware.”
Baham said his teammates’ play gave him the confidence to shoot and make his three.
“It’s confidence in my teammates. [Shooting threes] is my job on the team. The team was setting good screens, giving me confidence,” he said.
As far as Baham’s downtown shooting, Freeman said he is still adjusting to the speed of the college game, but when he gets hot like he did Saturday night, “that’s what he can do for us.”
Green River and Peninsula traded the lead numerous times all during the game, as the Pirates had trouble handling Lockett in the first half. Peninsula went into the half with the Gators holding a 39-38 lead. Neither team had a lead bigger than six points in that first half.
In the opening minutes of the second half, Green River started taking over the game. After a Locket bucket at the 15:50 mark, the Gators held a 50-42 lead and had the Pirates on the ropes.
Then, the Pirates erupted on a huge run that turned the game around, thanks to five straight points by Jalon McCullough and back-to-back treys by Baham. Sam Velez added four points and Trent Warren hit a three as the Pirates scored 23 points in just over eight minutes to open up a 65-56 lead with less than eight minutes left in the game. Rabedeaux hit several wide open shooters, picking up a flurry of assists. Meanwhile, the Pirates’ defense shut down Lockett and his teammates, who only scored six points in that 8-minute span.
In the closing minutes, Baham added another trey and Lo had a huge dunk on an Alley Oop pass to give the Pirates a brief 11-point lead at 74-63 with 3:15 left. Green River never got closer than seven points until the final seconds of the game.
Peninsula (3-2) played Grays Harbor Sunday afternoon (results were after press deadline) at their second game of the Pirate Classic, then play on the road Saturday against Wenatchee in Edmonds.
Peninsula 82, Green River 76
Green River 39 37— 76
Peninsula 38 44— 82
Green River (76) — Lockett 24, Crane 17, Cain 24, Omer 20, McGrew 4, Hill 3, Washington 2.
Peninsula (82) — Baham 15, Warren 12, Baker 10, Daniels 10, Lo 10, McCulloguh 7, Rabedeaux 7, Velez 7, Day 4.
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Sports Editor Pierre LaBossiere can be contacted at 360-417-3525 or plabossiere@peninsuladailynews.com.
Rick Ross/Peninsula College Peninsula’s Darrion Daniels shoots over Green River’s Kaelin Crane in the Pirates’ 82-76 win Saturday night.
