PORT ANGELES — The Roughrider basketball boys made a number of clutch plays in the final minutes and held on to beat Lakewood 63-62 in their second one-point victory in a week.
“There was never a moment I doubted we would win,” said coach Kasey Ulin. The emotional win entering Christmas week came a few days after the Riders came from 20 points down to knock off No. 1 North Kitsap 65-64.
“They understand how we want them to play as a staff. This is the most confident we’ve ever been,” Ulin said of his 5-1 squad.
Ulin said Lakewood, coming out of the very tough Northwest 2A Conference, outplayed the Riders for much of the game. Lakewood hit nine 3-pointers and shot 85 percent from the free-throw line.
Yet, it was a pair of Port Angeles free throws that sealed the game.
The Riders were down four points late, but Anton Kathol, who had in Ulin’s words, “an incredible game” hit a 3-pointer and another basket in the waning moments.
Port Angeles’ Gary Johnson, center, is surrounded by Lakewood’s Andrew Molloy, left, and Shae Dixon as he shoots for the hoop on Saturday in Port Angeles. (Keith Thorpe/Peninsula Daily News)
The Cougars scored to take a 62-61 lead with 15 seconds left. The Riders called timeout and got the ball inside to Chase Cobb, who drew contact and a foul with just 0.9 seconds left.
Cobb calmly hit both free throws to give the Riders a 63-62 lead, but incredibly, Lakewood nearly pulled off a miracle with less than a second left. The Cougars threw a full court pass with a pair of 6-4 players lurking seemingly open in the key, but Port Angeles’ Dru Clark jumped up and slapped the ball away to end the game.
“That’s why we schedule these kind of games,” Ulin said.
Kathol ended up with 22 points, all after the first quarter. He had nine points in the fourth quarter. He also pulled down 12 rebounds.
Ulin said the Roughriders weren’t that sharp for much of the game, especially on defense. The Cougars got out to a 19-10 lead after the first quarter, but Port Angeles was able to get back in the game with a 24-point second quarter, as the teams entered the half tied 34-34.
In the fourth quarter, the Riders’ defense showed up, allowing just two Lakewood field goals as Port Angeles outscored the Cougars 16-10.
Port Angeles’ Dru Clark, center, drives down the court surrounded by Lakewood’s Shae Dixon, left, and Andrew Molloy on Saturday night in Port Angeles. (Keith Thorpe/Peninsula Daily News)
Damen Ringgold scored 13 points and led the team with 13 rebounds. Stuart Methner scored nine.
Port Angeles (3-0, 5-1) next plays in the Wilbur-Ellis SunDome Shootout in Yakima this weekend. The Riders play 2A White River (7-2) at 9 p.m. Friday and 1A Cashmere (2-2) at 9 a.m. Saturday.
In other games Saturday, the Neah Bay girls beat Tulalip Heritage 72-28 while Tulalip Heritage beat the Neah Bay boys 69-49.
Port Angeles 63, Lakewood 62
L’Wood 19 15 18 10 — 62
PA 10 24 13 16 — 63
Port Angeles (63) — Kathol 22, Ringgold 13, Methner 9, Bowechop 6, Johnson 5, Cobb 5, Clark 2.
Port Angeles’ Stuart Methner, front, slips around the defense of Lakewood’s Jared Taylor during Saturday night’s game in Port Angeles. (Keith Thorpe/Peninsula Daily News)
