MOUNT VERNON — The season is on the line, and the Port Angeles Roughriders have to face the team that dealt them their first and worst loss of the season.
Port Angeles (20-5) and Anacortes (16-7) meet tonight in the Class 2A girls basketball regional round at Mount Vernon High School. The winner advances to the state tournament in Yakima next week. The loser is eliminated.
Less than two months ago, the Seahawks knocked the Riders off their undefeated horses with a 54-26 thwacking in Anacortes during winter break Dec. 29.
Anacortes, ranked ninth by The Associated Press in the final 2A poll of the season, appears to have gotten even better since then.
The Seahawks were the surprise champions of the brutal Northwest District tournament last week. That run included victories over second-ranked Burlington-Edison and third-ranked Lynden.
But 10th-ranked Port Angeles also isn’t the same team it was back in December.
“Overall they’re best team we’ve played,” Riders coach Michael Poindexter said of Anacortes.
“But I’d also put Black Hills in that category.”
Three weeks after losing to Anacortes, Port Angeles defeated Black Hills 38-36. The Riders are the only 2A team to beat the Wolves since the calendar flipped over to 2016.
Port Angeles took the harsh lessons of the loss to Anacortes, applied them and improved.
“We used that game as a real learning tool for some bad habits,” Poindexter said.
“I don’t know if it was a turning point, but I wonder if it helped us in the Black Hills game a little bit, knowing that we had to take care of the little details better.”
The Riders are coming off a loss — 39-33 to Liberty on Saturday – in which Poindexter said they weren’t as steadfast with those little details.
So they’ll have to take those lessons into today’s game against Anacortes.
On offense, they need to be more patient. Not turn the ball over. And when they get to the free-throw line, they have to make most of them.
On defense, the Riders must rebound better. And they have to figure out how to handle Anacortes’ size advantage (the Seahawks’ roster lists eight players 5-foot-8 or taller; Port Angeles has two, Nizhoni Wheeler and Aeverie Politika).
“We need to play much better fundamental basketball,” Poindexter said.
“We just need to do basic things well.”
The Seahawks’ offense is led by Brooke Geffe, who averages 10 points per game. Maddy Hance scores nine points per game, and freshman Gabby Ronngren chips in 8.3 points.
“Anacortes is so balanced,” Poindexter said.
“They have so many good players, but we’re not focusing on any one player.
“They shoot well, they’re a good defensive team in man-to-man and zone, and they’re deep.
“They’re just good. They’re solid.”
With the injuries to seniors Maddie Boe and Emily Johnson, Port Angeles is now led in pretty much every category by Wheeler.
The junior post is scoring about 10 points per game and pulling down around eight rebounds per game. She also averages more than two assists and two steals per game.
But other Riders have shown the ability to contribute: Katyn Flores, Hayley Baxley, Cheyenne Wheeler, Kyrsten McGuffey, Natalie Steinman and Lauren Lunt have all had moments of offensive excellence during the postseason.
Poindexter said the Riders feel they didn’t play their best game the first time they faced Anacortes, and they’re eager to prove they’re better than that 28-point loss.
“I think kids are looking forward to it,” Poindexter said.
“Nobody is scared. I think it’s a matter of pride. Whether or not we win the game, they want to show up better and make a better showing of who they are.”
Girls Basketball
Neah Bay vs. Taholah
CHEHALIS — The Red Devils received a fairly favorable regional draw, especially considering they placed fourth at the 1B Tri-District tournament last week.
Neah Bay (14-6) seems like a safe bet to beat the Chitwins on Saturday and advance to the 1B state tournament in Spokane next week.
Taholah (17-5) enters regionals with a high seed after winning the Southwest District tournament, but for its efforts it faces the Red Devils, who have a recent history of dominance in the head-to-head series.
That includes a 69-43 victory in Taholah in December.
Neah Bay’s offense is lead by Holly Greene (10.3 points per game) and Tristin Johnson (10.1), but it has a number of players who can contribute offensively.
Saturday’s game tips off at 6 p.m. at W.F. West High School.
Boys Basketball
Neah Bay vs. Riverside Christian
CHEHALIS — The Crusaders will have to play pretty well to advance to the state tournament in Spokane next week.
Only two Class 1B teams have defeated the fourth-ranked Red Devils (18-3) this season: second-ranked Seattle Lutheran and fifth-ranked Shorewood Christian, both of which are among the final eight teams in contention for the state title.
Overall, Neah Bay is 2-2 against teams playing in this weekend’s winner-to-state/loser-out regional games.
Riverside Christian (14-9), meanwhile, is 0-3, with two losses to Entiat and another to Sunnyside Christian.
Senior Ryan Moss is the Red Devils’ top scorer at 18.2 points per game. In four postseason games, he has scored 28, 20, 32 and 30 points.
Junior Kenrick Doherty Jr. is averaging 15.8 points, and Rwehabura Munyagi Jr. is scoring 13 per game.
Saturday’s game is at W.F. West High School at 4 p.m.
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Sports Editor Lee Horton can be reached at 360-417-3525 or at lhorton@peninsuladailynews.com.
