KINGSTON — Port Angeles clinched a share of the Olympic League 2A girls basketball championship with Olympic after earning a 53-49 come-from-behind win against the Buccaneers.
It is the second Olympic League championship in three seasons for the Roughriders.
Port Angeles played Olympic late Saturday at Sequim High School to decide the league’s first and second seed to the district tournament.
Regardless of the outcome of the seeding game, the Riders will host a district playoff game at 7 p.m. Thursday versus Steilacoom (7-11) or Fife (10-10).
Against Kingston on Thursday, Port Angeles trailed 24-18 at halftime, before coming back to tie the contest at 32-all heading to the final quarter.
“[We] took the lead 39-38 on a 3-point shot from the corner from Katyn Flores off an assist from Maddie Boe,” Riders coach Michael Poindexter said.
“Our largest lead of the half was 50-42, after a 3-point shot from the top of the key by Lauren Lunt, again with a Boe assist.”
But the Buccaneers were buoyed by a four-point play by Aileen Kaye, and pulled within two, at 51-49.
“[We] went up 53-49, on the last basket of the game, on a three-quarter-court pass by Nizhoni Wheeler to a wide-open Lauren Lunt, who made the uncontested lay-in for the final margin,” Poindexter said.
“There was much drama down the stretch, [including] a double-foul called with 15 seconds left gave Kingston the possession of the ball, but Kingston missed their remaining shots of the game.”
Nizhoni Wheeler led the Riders with 14 points and nine rebounds.
Hayley Baxley and Katyn Flores each scored nine for Port Angeles. Baxley also led the Riders with four steals.
Cheyenne Wheeler scored seven points and added eight rebounds for Port Angeles.
Boe led the Riders in assists with seven, and added seven rebounds and two points.
Port Angeles finished the regular season 10-2 in league play, 17-3 overall.
Port Angeles 53, Kingston 49
Port Angeles 9 9 14 21— 53
Kingston 16 8 8 17— 49
Individual scoring
Port Angeles (53)
Wheeler 14, Baxley 9, Flores 9, Lunt 8, Wheeler 7, Maddie Boe 2, McGuffey 2, Politika 2, Long, Steinman, Gray.
Kingston (49)
Kaye 19, Eckhart 12, Beaulieu 10, Hiner 6, Eliason 2.
Neah Bay 58, Clallam Bay 37
NEAH BAY — Vonte Agguire notched a double-double with 19 points and 10 rebounds as the Red Devils topped the Bruins for the third time this season.
Agguire also picked up four steals, part of Neah Bay’s 31 steals in the game.
Holly Greene, the lone Red Devils senior, scored 16 points and had six rebounds, four steals and an assist on senior night.
Cei’J Gagnon scored nine for Neah Bay and Starlena Haltunnen added eight points, four steals, three rebounds and two assists.
Jessica Greene had eight steals to lead the Red Devils, while Tristin Johnson dished six assists and five steals.
Atokena Abe scored 14 points for Clallam Bay, Miriam Wonderly added 9 and Jennica Maines and Molly McCoy each scored five.
Clallam Bay (3-3, 13-4) will play the District 2 No. 6 in a loser-out, Tri-District play-in game at Port Angeles High School at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday.
Neah Bay (6-0, 12-4) will open Tri-District play against a to-be-determined opponent at Port Angeles High School at 6:30 p.m. Saturday.
Neah Bay 58, Clallam Bay 37
Clallam Bay 10 13 8 6— 37
Neah Bay 15 17 12 14— 58
Individual scoring
Clallam Bay (37)
Abe 14, Wonderly 9, McCoy 5, Maines 5, LaChester 2, Anderson 2, S. Willis, K. Willis.
Neah Bay (58)
Agguire 19, H. Greene 16, Gagnon 9, Haltunnen 8, McCaulley 4, Johnson 2, Svec, Olson, J. Greene.
Klahowya 42, Port Townsend 38
SILVERDALE — The Redhawks battled back from a deep hole to pull even with the Eagles in the fourth quarter, but couldn’t come away with the win.
The game was for the Olympic League 1A’s second seed to the West Central District Tournament.
Port Townsend (3-5, 6-12) will host the Nisqually League No. 4 seed Vashon (2-4, 6-12) in a loser-out contest Thursday.
The Eagles jumped out to an early 14-5 lead after one quarter behind the long-range shooting of Valerie Salo and Amber Bumbalough.
A switch to a swarming man-to-man defense and the ability to knock down some shots helped the Redhawks pull closer.
Early in the fourth quarter, a scoring attack by sophomore Kaitlyn Meek, Jaz Apker-Montoya and Kassie Olin knotted the score up at 34.
Klahowya’s McKenna Kendall stepped up down the stretch, knocking down a bucket inside and some free throws as the Eagles regained the lead.
“Once we got going, we won the game. But we’d dug ourselves into too deep of a hole early in the game,” said coach Scott Wilson.
“Despite that, the girls clawed their way back to a tie. The Eagles responded — they’re an excellent team — and the ball took a couple bad bounces for us. We just couldn’t get the lead.”
Olin led Port Townsend with 11 points. Jaz Apker-Montoya added eight and Kaitlyn Meek scored seven.
“Reilly Berkshire was a strong force for rebounds and defensive stops,” said Wilson.
Klahowya 42, Port Townsend 38
Port Townsend 5 13 10 10— 38
Klahowya 14 11 11 6— 42
Individual scoring
Port Townsend (38)
Olin 11, Apker-Montoya 8, Meek 7, Berkshire 5, Kellogg 4, Eileen Leoso 1.
Klahowya (42)
Ladner 13, Bumbalough 11, Kendall 6, Salo 5, James 3, Antold 2, Eberhard 2.
Mary M. Knight 58, Quilcene 56
QUILCENE — The Rangers couldn’t stop the Owls fourth-quarter comeback and fell at home on senior night.
Quilcene led 27-17 at the half and 41-33 after three quarters.
“Our man to man defense struggled in the fourth quarter without center, Abby Weller, who fouled out in the final minute of the third quarter,” Rangers coach Briana Weller said.
“She is one of our best defensive players, even as an eighth grader, and it hurts us when she isn’t on the floor.”
Abby Weller scored six points, grabbed 12 rebounds and had four assists.
She led the Sea-Tac League in rebounding with 12.8 boards per game.
Senior Megan Weller led Quilcene with 27 points.
She won the SeaTac League scoring title this season with an average of 22 points per game.
Allison Jones had nine points, three rebounds and three assists for the Rangers.
Quilcene’s other senior, Katlyn Hitt, “played the best game of her career,” according to coach Weller.
“She got tough and pulled down seven rebounds, had four assists, a steal and scored two points.
The Rangers are the SeaTac League’s fifth seed and will play a loser-out, winner-to-Tri-District play-in game at Cedar Park Christian of Mountlake Terrace or Mount Vernon Christian on Thursday.
Mary M. Knight 58, Quilcene 56
Mary M. Knight 11 6 16 25— 58
Quilcene 7 20 14 15— 56
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Compiled using team reports.
