SEQUIM — The Sequim boys basketball team overcame a hot-shooting Bremerton squad with a furious comeback in the final 3 minutes, 18 seconds of a Monday night makeup game, winning 66-61 to earn a share of the Olympic League championship.
Bremerton came in to Monday’s game 12-1 in league while Sequim was 11-2. The Knights and Wolves split two games during the regular season.
In two other important games with postseason implications, the Port Angeles boys crushed Kingston 78-46. If North Kitsap and Olympic both lose Tuesday, the Roughriders would finish in a three-way tie for fifth in the Olympic League with a total of 12 teams from the South Puget Sound League and the Olympic League qualifying for the district tournament, so the Riders will be watching the scoreboard Tuesday night. Port Angeles does have a decent Ratings Percentage Index of 29th, which could help the Riders qualify for postseason.
Meanwhile, the Port Angeles girls crushed Kingston, giving the Riders a share of second in the Olympic League at 11-3. North Kitsap at 10-3 plays 13-0 Bainbridge on Tuesday.
In the Sequim boys game, neither team got much of a lead all game and there were several lead changes. The Wolves managed to stick close to the Knights despite Bremerton hitting eight 3-pointers. The Knights went cold from outside over the last four or five minutes of the game, however, opening the door for the Wolves.
Bremerton managed to open up a lead of 59-53 with 3:18 left when Jericho Julmist quickly scored seven straight points. He hit a basket on a drive, followed by a beautiful 17-foot jumper from the elbow, then hit a 3-pointer with 1:45 left as Sequim clawed its way to a 61-60 deficit.
With a minute left in the game, Sequim got the ball back and Julmist found himself surrounded by defenders. He found Mason Rapelje, who made a baseline move for a layup to give Sesquim a 62-61 lead with 58 seconds left.
Solomon Sheppard then made the play of the game, stealing the ball in the backcourt and driving to the basket for a thunderous dunk with 45 seconds left. Rapelje finished off the scoring with a pair of free throws in the final seconds as Sequim finished the game on a 13-2 run.
The Sequim girls also finished their season with a victory, beating Bremerton 57-33 on the road.
More details will be in Wednesday’s Peninsula Daily News sports section and online Tuesday night.
