PORT ANGELES — No pun intended, but the Port Angeles boys basketball team found themselves in a dogfight with the North Mason Bulldogs midway through the second quarter.
North Mason scored 21 points in a high-scoring first quarter that saw both teams combine for six 3-pointers. The Roughriders held just a 35-28 lead about 12 minutes into Tuesday night’s game.
Then the Riders turned to their defense. And the defense led to their highest-scoring game of the year in a 92-57 win, the Riders’ first in Olympic League play.
Head coach Kasey Ulin wasn’t pleased with the first-quarter defense but felt the Riders did better the rest of the game. He said North Mason is a good offensive team that put up 73 points against Kingston. The Riders held the Bulldogs to just 36 points the last three quarters after it looked early like the two teams were in a race to 100.
“Our ball pressure was good at times. We were able to speed them up at times,” he said. “I liked the pace that we played at. We used a variety of defenses to not allow North Mason to gain a rhythm.”
Ulin said he was also pleased that all 13 Roughriders got in the game.
Parker Nickerson started the eruption with a remarkable 30-second sequence in which he had three baskets and two steals to quickly make the score 41-28. Donovan Heins had a fast-break basket and William Ruddell had a steal and a basket for a 10-0 run to make it 45-28.
North Mason, which had stayed right with the Riders to that point, never got within 14 points again as the Riders racked up the steals and fast-break baskets the rest of the game.
In the victory, Port Angeles had 74 points after three quarters with quarters of 25, 24 and 24. Even the reserves added 18 points in the fourth.
Nickerson led the team with 26 points, making three 3-pointers. Isaiah Shamp had 17, Dallas Dunning 12 and Gus Halberg 10. Donovan Heins scored eight off the bench.
In all, 12 Riders scored.
Like Nickerson, the 6-foot-5 Dunning also had one of his best games with rebounds and steals. He also showed that Port Angeles has multiple dunkers on the squad (Nickerson is the other) as he had a great half-minute sequence with a two-handed slam dunk on a fast break, then a steal and an assist to Halberg for another basket.
“After that dunk, I was feeling great,” Dunning said.
Dunning said things changed after a timeout in the second.
“Halfway through the second quarter, we had a timeout and just regrouped,” Dunning said. “Our leaders stepped up. Parker got the engine going.”
Port Angeles (1-1, 2-1) has a couple of road games left this week. The Riders travel to Olympic (0-2, 2-2) to take on the Trojans at 7 p.m. Thursday. Check the NFHS Network to see if that game will be streamed. Then Port Angeles has a trip to Neah Bay (1-1) to play the Red Devils at 7 p.m. Saturday.
Port Angeles 92, North Mason 57
NM 21 12 16 8 — 57
PA 25 24 25 18 — 92
North Mason (57) — Revelez 19, Dunham 9, Littrean 8, Brown 8, Smith 6, McCormick 6, Phipps 2.
Port Angeles (92) — Nickerson 26, Shamp 17, Dunning 12, G. Halberg 10, Heins 8, Sohlberg 5, Ruddell 5, A. Halberg 2, Townsend 2, Miller 2, Albaugh 2, Hoch 1.
