POULSBO — The Port Angeles boys basketball team rallied in the fourth quarter in a near-miraculous comeback against North Kitsap, but for the second time this season, the Roughriders had their hearts broken by an opponent’s buzzer-beater.
The Riders lost 52-51 to the Vikings, who scored five points in the final 12 seconds, including a basket at the buzzer, to pull out the victory.
It wasn’t just the second buzzer-beater, it was the third game this year in which the Riders lost by a single possession.
“We have had a lot of playoff-style games early in the season,” said coach Kasey Ulin.
“They jumped out at us and early, we didn’t execute. We were able to stay in the game with solid defense,” Ulin said.
The Riders were down 24-17 at the half and were down nine points with 3:30 left in the game when they went on a 13-0 run. Matt Miller, Gus Halberg and Hunter Flores all hit 3-point shots during that furious rally as the Riders’ defense forced three stops in a row.
Alex Angevine drove into the lane for a basket to give the Riders a lead with 45 seconds left and Halberg added a basket with 17 seconds left.
The Vikings responded with a 3-point shot that Ulin said rattled off the rim four times before going in. Still up two points, the Riders turned the ball over while in-bounding the ball and North Kitsap was able to get a basket at the buzzer.
“The kids were so resilient, but we didn’t play well for the majority of the game,” Ulin said. “We’re gaining a lot of great experience and we’re going to be battle-tested for the second half. We continue to improve and the wins are going to come.”
Halberg led Port Angeles with 17 points, while Miller had one of his best games with 12. Angevine scored seven, and Flores and Brock Hope each scored six.
Earlier this year, Port Angeles (1-2, 1-3) lost to North Mason 73-70 and was beaten in overtime by Bainbridge after the Spartans hit a desperation 3-pointer at the buzzer to tie the game. Three possessions are the difference between being 1-3 on the season and 4-0.
The Roughriders enter a long nonleague stretch. They play at W.F. West (1-3) at 5 p.m. Saturday, then play Quincy and East Valley of Yakima at the Yakima SunDome Shootout on Dec. 27 and Dec. 28.
