EVERETT – The Peninsula College women’s basketball team fell short of repeating as the champion of the Northwest Athletic Conference.
Instead, the Pirates settled for second place after losing in the title game 76-57 to Lane at Everett Community College on Sunday.
Lane took command of the game early thanks to six first-quarter 3-pointers by Gabby Heehn.
“It’s too good of a team to go down that early,” Peninsula coach Alison Crumb said of Lane.
“They can score so easily in so many different levels.”
Cierra Moss kept the Pirates in the game with three treys of her own, and at the end of the first quarter, Peninsula trailed 29-19.
The Pirates cut the deficit to four points, 32-28, in the third quarter, but by halftime they still trailed by 10 points, 43-33.
They spend much of the third quarter trailing only four or five points, but by the end, they again found themselves down by 10, 57-47.
Peninsula got within seven points in the fourth quarter, but the Titans, who lost only one game this season, put the game away down the stretch.
“We were there and were there and were there,” Crumb said.
“You know, they just hit more shots than us. They didn’t play harder than we did. Both teams played hard. I’d be upset if it was about effort or toughness or intensity, and they never gave up.”
Lane (32-1) claimed its fifth NWAC title, all in the past 11 seasons.
Peninsula beat the Titans in last year’s championship game 85-75.
The Pirates’ sophomores – Zhara Laster, Cierra Moss, Amanda Hutchins, Cherish Moss, Imani Smith, Savanna Gonzales Nika Criddle – finish their time at Peninsula College as the most accomplished class in school history, with an NWAC championship and runner-up finish and two North Region titles to their credit.
Smith led the Pirates on Sunday with 22 points. Cierra Moss added 21. No other Peninsula player scored more than six points.
“It’s a tough loss,” Smith said.
“We were playing against a tough team. They’re record coming into the game was, what, 31-1, for a reason.
“It sucks, but we left it all on the floor.”
Cherish Moss, a Neah Bay graduate, missed the game due to illness.
Peninsula finishes the season with a 25-6 record. Three of those losses were to Lane.
