PORT ANGELES — The Peninsula College basketball men and women will both have some pretty high-caliber opponents at the Northwest Athletic Conference coming up later this week.
And they both better get lots of sleep because their games will be going late.
The women, who finished second in the North Division with an 11-3 record (18-7 overall), get Clackamas as a No. 3 seed.
Though Clackamas did finish third, the Cougars come out the incredibly difficult South Division, where No. 1-ranked Umpqua (16-0, 29-0) rules. A a very good Lane College team (12-4, 23-6) came in second and Clackamas, despite a 21-6 overall record, came in third with an 11-5 division record.
“That’s a tough initial first game,” said women’s coach Alison Crumb. “It was a pretty difficult draw. It’s kind of nice to be the underdog.”
Crumb said the Cougars boast one of the best players in the entire NWAC in Brooke Bullock and that their guard Kyle Guelsdorf also is very good. She said that in watching film, even the Pirates’ players commented on how fast the Cougars are.
The Pirates, who often seem to get an 8 a.m. game, get the final game of the day Thursday at 10 p.m. That’s right. It’s a 10 p.m. start time.
“We gotta deal with the hand we’re dealt,” Crumb said. She said the women are practicing at 9 p.m. to prepare for that late start and are not doing morning activities for the week.
If the women win, it won’t get any easier, as they would probably have to play Walla Walla, the No. 2-ranked team in the NWAC at 26-2.
“This is one of the most difficult regions in the tournament,” Crumb said.
Men No. 4 seed
On the men’s side, the Pirates are a No. 4 seed with a 10-5 divisional record and a 20-7 record overall.
As a No. 4 seed, the Pirates get to face a divisional champion and it’s a school with a lot of ties to Port Angeles — Lower Columbia College. That game is at 8 p.m. Saturday.
LCC’s has a pipeline to softball and baseball teams in Port Angeles (LCC baseball coach Eric Lane is from Port Angeles), with several Roughriders on the diamond rosters there. Coincidentally, there is an Angeles on Lower Columbia’s basketball roster: Alexis Angeles.
The Red Devils won the NWAC’s West Division with a 13-1 record (25-4 overall).
“Lower Columbia is really tough. They have the leading rebounder in the NWAC [Samaad Hector, 14.8 rebounds per game],” said Pirates coach Donald Rollman. Peninsula’s leading rebounder Malik Moore at 8.6 boards per game, will have his hands full.
“It will be a battle,” Rollman said.
“Lower Columbia does a lot of good things. They’re really well-coached,” Rollman said. “They don’t shoot it great, but they’re don’t settle. We’re a little bit different style of a team.”
The Pirates had to play an extra game Saturday to qualify for the NWAC, beating Edmonds 111-98 in a brutal, exhausting battle that had 46 fouls in order to gain the No. 4 seed. Rollman said the Pirates took Monday off to rest after that game.
“It’s been a long grind to get where we’re at. We’re certainly looking forward to the challenge,” Rollman said.
If the Pirates win, their next game would be 7 p.m. Sunday against the winner of Portland and Wenatchee Valley.
Coronavirus
Also, after meeting with Everett Community College administrators, there are no changes planned for the NWAC 2020 Men’s and Women’s Basketball Championship Tournament due to coronavirus being present in the Seattle area.
As the tournament progresses, the NWAC will keep people updated on any changes that may occur.
