PORT ANGELES — A desperation game-tying shot by Darrion Daniels in the final second amid a sea of arms rattled halfway down the well and back out, as the Peninsula men’s six-game win streak was snapped by Bellevue 81-79.
The exciting but gut-wrenching game Saturday saw 16 lead changes and 10 ties and repeated clutch shots by both teams down the stretch. It was only the Pirates’ second loss since November.
After the tense loss, head coach Mitch Freeman said the Pirates did not play well defensively.
“I thought our defense overall was subpar. We did a marginal job of defending. We played hard, but were inconsistent on defnese,” said Freeman. He gave the Bulldogs credit for making some tough shots in the second half.
Freeman said what the Pirates can take away from this game is that gut-wrenching feeling from the close last-second loss.
“I told them to remember that feeling of pain, so you can better prepare,” Freeman said.
Peninsula got off to a ferocious start, scoring 28 points in the first 10½ minutes of the game (a pace of 107 points for a full 40 minutes). The Pirates got three 3-pointers from Alex Baham and treys from Cole Rabedeaux, Trent Warren and Daniels during that hot start as they built up a lead of 28-17.
But, perhaps foretelling a tough game ahead, the Bulldogs withstood Peninsula’s best shot and came roaring right back, tying the game at 33-33 in the final minutes of the first half. Peninsula ended up taking a 39-38 lead into the half.
The second half was back and forth almost the entire 20 minutes, with nine lead changes and three ties. Neither team was able to build up a lead of more than five points.
Jordan Muir-Keung was huge for the Bulldogs in the second half, scoring 16 of his 28 points in the final 20 minutes and hitting clutch shot after clutch shot. He ended the game shooting 5-for-9 from 3-point range.
Baham hit two big shots late in the second half to help the Pirates almost pull the game out.
Bellevue had built up a lead of 68-63 with less than five minutes left, but a pair of treys by Baham pulled the Pirates to within two at 74-72 with two minutes left.
One thing that hurt the Pirates down the stretch was free-throw shooting as both teams fouled to stop the clock and avoid three-point shots. The Pirates shot 12-for-20 from the line, including 8-for-14 in the second half.
Finally, with the score 81-78 for Bellevue, the Bulldogs fouled Jalon McCullough rather than allow a 3-point shotwith 5.3 seconds left.
McCullough made the first free throw, but missed the second. In a scramble for the ball, Daniels got his hands on the ball and got a good shot off from in the key. It looked like a game-tying shot, but the ball banged in and out of the rim, ending the game.
“We had a chance, that’s all you can ask for,” Freeman said.
Daniels led the Pirates with 19 points, while Baham shot 5-for-6 on 3-pointers and scored 15. Kevin Baker scored 12. Sam Valez had a good all-around game of the bench, especially in the tense second half. He scored five with nine rebounds and drew an important charge in the final minutes.
The Pirates (12-4, 3-1) remain tied for first place in the North Division with Skagit Valley and Whatcom. Peninsula will next play an important game at Skagit Valley at 7 p.m. Wednesday. Skagit and Peninsula are both among the highest-scoring teams in the NWAC, so that game could be a real a shootout.
Bellevue 81, Peninsula 79
Bellevue 38 43 — 81
Peninsula 39 40 — 79
Bellevue (81) — Muir-Keung 28, Nelson 18, Vollmen 13, Freeman 11, Tilden 6, Shaddle 4, Mackey 1.
Peninsula (79) — Daniels 19, Baham 15, Baker 12, Warren 8, Lo 7, Rabedeaux 7, McCullough 6, Velez 5.
Keith Thorpe/Peninsula Daily News Peninsula’s Kevin Baker goes for the layup as Bellevue’s Jaden Vollmen, right, looks on during the first half on Saturday in Port Angeles.
