PORT ANGELES — The Port Angeles girls basketball team’s defensive man pressure was up to the task, forcing North Kitsap turnovers early and often and the Roughriders, minus a slow second quarter, controlled both ends of the court in a 46-32 girls basketball win Tuesday.
Prodding North Kitsap into numerous turnovers and mistakes with tight defense and converting on 46 percent of their shots, the Riders rolled out to a 14-2 lead after the first quarter.
“Going with that man-to-man press was only the second time of the year we’ve played it and we were pleased with the results,” coach Michael Poindexter said.
But the Vikings adjusted, switching into a 2-3 zone defense for the second quarter, and the Riders’ attempts at countering with outside shooting went awry.
“We got a little impatient against their zone,” Poindexter said. “We just didn’t shoot the ball well in the second quarter. We had almost as many shots as in the first but only shot 20 percent. We ended up settling for outside shots more than we would like normally and with time left on the shot clock.”
Port Angeles settled down after a halftime reminder.
“We didn’t do anything different other than simply urge them to be patient,” Poindexter said. “A constant reminder of patience against zones and breaking down gaps. You have to move the ball baseline to sideline to create gaps against zones and sometimes kids get a sense of urgency and we settled down.”
The Riders were led by the play of senior Paige Mason (14 points, seven rebounds) and junior Lexie Smith (13 points, 10 rebounds, four steals and three assists.)
“It was all Paige and Lexie,” Poindexter said. “They scored 13 straight points from when we were up 12 (after the first quarter) to when we got to 25 points (in the third quarter). They both had great nights, Paige dominated more on the defensive boards and Lexie on the offensive boards.”
Smith also was a force in the man press and in guarding North Kitsap’s leading scorer Avery Kline.
Teanna Clark notched four steals and two assists while playing her typical stellar defense.
“One of the many things we like about her is no matter what is going on in her game offensively, she is rock solid in her defensive effort,” Poindexter said. “Same thing with Izzy Felton. Our five [starters] all contribute in different ways and all are capable.”
First-place Port Angeles (10-1, 12-6) next plays at Kingston (6-6, 11-7) at 7 p.m. today.
Port Angeles 46, North Kitsap 32
NK 2 7 8 15 — 32
PA 14 4 17 11 — 46
North Kitsap (32) — Kline 13, Sunnenberg 9, Devries 6, Zetty 2, McMillian 2.
Port Angeles (46) — Mason 14, Le. Smith 13, Li. Smith 8, Felton 6, Politika 2, K. Moses 2, T. Moses 1, Clark, Rognlien, Manson.
Port Angeles’ Kennedy Roglien, left, fends of the defense of North Kitsap’s Teegan DeVries on Tuesday at Port Angeles High School. (Keith Thorpe/Peninsula Daily News)
Port Angeles’ Izzy Felton, left, drives downcourt pursued by North Kitsap’s Coriana McMillian on Tuesday night in Port Angeles. (Keith Thorpe/Peninsula Daily News)
Port Angeles’ Paige Mason, right, reaches for a loose rebound ahead of North Kitsap’s Tiffany Le on Tuesday night in Port Angeles. (Keith Thorpe/Peninsula Daily News)
