Editor’s Note: Updated to correct the Forks boys basketball team’s postseason scenario. The Spartans have been eliminated from postseason contention.
THE HIGH SCHOOL basketball season has already reached the senior-night phase.
The Sequim girls went first, honoring six seniors Friday who were playing the final home game of careers in which they have helped turn the Wolves from common cellar-dwellars into a team looking to make its second consecutive postseason appearance.
The seniors — Caitlin Stofferahn, Elise Beuke, Victoria Cummins, Hailey Lester, Katherine Landoni and Alyse Armstrong — have established a new standard for the future.
“That’s the first group that I’ve had all four years — JV one year and three years of varsity — and I’m going to miss them like crazy,” Sequim coach Evan Still said after Friday’s game, a 52-40 loss to Olympic.
“You’ve got them coming to all open gyms, team camps; everything that we’re doing, you have at least three or four of them there all the time.
“It says a lot about those girls and their commitment and their dedication to it.
“It would have been nice to go out with a win, but hopefully we can go get some extra games in the postseason.”
At 4-5 in the Olympic League 2A Division with three games remaining, the Wolves (8-9 overall) are set up nicely to do just that.
Kingston (9-0, 14-1) and Olympic (8-1, 12-4) have all but locked down the top two spots in the league.
That means Sequim’s objective now is to lock down third place by out-playing North Kitsap (4-5, 8-7) and Port Angeles (3-5, 7-9) down the stretch.
All three teams play each other in the next week, so each controls its own destiny.
Having already played its final home game of the regular season, Sequim will have to face both the Roughriders and Vikings on the road (Friday at Port Angeles and next Tuesday at North Kitsap).
Port Angeles has the luxury of hosting both teams, including the Vikings tonight at 7 p.m. In fact, all four of the Riders’ remaining games are at home.
But the Roughriders also have to face league-leading Kingston to close out the regular season Thursday, Feb. 5.
The top five teams from the Olympic League advance to the district tournament, which runs from Feb. 11-21.
Bremerton and North Mason have identical records, 1-7 in league and 6-10 overall. It isn’t mathematically impossible for either to make districts, but it reasonably likely.
So the Wolves, Riders and Vikings should advance, but will jostle for position.
The team that finishes third opens districts against the Seamount League’s second-place team.
The Olympic League’s fourth-place team faces the South Puget Sound League’s No. 2 team, while the fifth-place team will have to face the South Puget Sound’s No. 1 team.
Here are the postseason breakdowns for the area’s other teams:
Olympic League 2A boys
The Sequim boys have four more wins than the three teams vying for the Olympic League 2A’s fifth and final district berth, a comfortable enough cushion that making the postseason is expected.
In fact, after their 51-39 win over second-place Olympic on Friday, the third-place Wolves are closer to a league championship than they are to missing the postseason.
Sequim (6-3, 11-6) is one game behind Olympic (7-2, 11-5) and two games back of North Kitsap (8-1, 13-4), with a home game against the Vikings week from today.
The Wolves host North Mason (2-6, 7-9) today and are at Port Angeles (2-6, 5-11) on Friday.
The Roughriders and Bulldogs are two of four teams, along with Bremerton (3-5, 6-8) and Kingston (2-7), fighting for the league’s fourth and fifth spots at the district tournament.
Port Angeles swept the season series with North Mason, and after tonight’s road game against league-leading North Kitsap and Friday’s Rainshadow Rumble with Sequim, the Riders get a shot at Bremerton and Kingston. But both games are on the road.
Olympic League 1A boys
The top three finishers of the four Olympic League 1A teams will advance to a tournament with the Nisqually League with two state berths on the line.
Chimacum (3-1, 4-10) and Klahowya (3-1, 4-10) look to be near locks to make the district tournament.
The Cowboys and Eagles have split the season series so far. They face off again a week from today at Klahowya with the league title likely on the line.
That leaves Port Townsend (1-3, 1-13) and Coupeville (1-3, 5-9) to struggle for the final berth.
They, too, have split their season series. The Redhawks host the rubber match next Tuesday.
Olympic League 1A girls
Coupeville (4-0, 10-5) and Klahowya (3-1, 3-10) have a firm grip on the top two spots of the Olympic League 1A.
Rivals Chimacum (1-3, 2-12) and Port Townsend (0-4, 0-14) face each other twice more (at Chimacum on Friday and at Port Townsend on Feb. 9).
The Cowboys won the seasons first Quimper Quarrel showdown last month. One more win over Port Townsend likely locks down a postseason berth for Chimacum.
Evergreen League boys and girls
The postseason window has closed for the Forks girls and boys.
The Spartans needed to finish fourth among the Evergreen 1A/2A League’s Class 1A teams, of which there are six.
With only two league games remaining as of Tuesday, the Forks girls (0-11, 2-13) are five wins behind Eatonville (5-5, 6-8) and Eatonville (5-6, 8-9) for the fourth district berth.
The Forks boys were eliminated with Friday’s loss to Aberdeen.
With two league games remaining as of Tuesday, Forks trails Elma (4-6, 4-11) and Montesano (4-6, 8-8) by two games for the league’s fourth and final berth to the district tournament.
The Bulldogs and Eagles square off Wednesday, so one of those teams is guaranteed to have at least five league wins, a total that is unattainable for the Spartans.
North Olympic League boys and girls
It would take many miracles for the Neah Bay boys and girls teams to not win North Olympic League titles and advance to the Tri-District tournament.
Crescent and Clallam Bay will vie for the league’s second district berths.
The Clallam Bay boys and girls so far have the inside track for both berths due to their records this season against the Loggers.
SeaTac League boys and girls
The Quilcene girls have some control over whether or not they advance to the Tri-District tournament.
The Rangers (2-4, 10-6) currently sit one spot away from sixth place, the required position to secure a postseason berth.
But their remaining schedule might afford them the opportunity to make up some ground.
They host Shorewood Christian (2-4, 5-6) tonight, Seattle Lutheran (4-3, 5-9) on Friday and last place Puget Sound Adventist (0-5, 0-6) on Monday before finishing the regular season on the road against Mount Rainier Lutheran (5-1, 10-4) a week from today.
Quilcene is tied with Shorewood Christian for seventh place, and can gain ground with a win over Seattle Lutheran, which is currently fifth in the league standings.
The Rangers can put themselves in a nice position with wins today and Friday.
Despite only one league win, the Quilcene boys (1-5, 6-10) aren’t in an impossible situation.
They are only two wins behind sixth-place Evergreen Lutheran (3-2, 6-6).
Unfortunately, three of the Rangers’ remaining four games are against three of the top four teams in the league.
Quilcene looks to end a six-game losing streak tonight against Shorewood Christian (4-2, 5-8) at home.
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Sports Editor Lee Horton can be reached at 360-417-3525 or at lhorton@peninsuladailynews.com.
