PORT ANGELES — In a close, back-and-forth boys basketball battle between rivals Sequim and Port Angeles, it became increasingly clear that the game would be decided in the final moments by one or maybe two huge plays.
And sure enough, it did.
Port Angeles and Sequim were neck-and-neck all game with neither team able to pull away from the other.
Finally, with Port Angeles clinging to a 50-48 lead with 1:48 left in the game, it came down to a huge 3-pointer by John Ruddell. It gave the Roughriders their first two-possession lead since the third quarter.
The Wolves’ Solomon Sheppard, who was a force all game on defense, hit a shot in response with 1:35 left, bringing the score back to one possession at 53-50.
Port Angeles’ Brody Pierce, who scored 21 points, hit another critical shot with 1:08 left, driving to the basket and laying the ball in while surrounded by Sequim defenders. That gave the Riders a two-possession lead again at 55-50 that proved too much for Sequim to overcome, as Port Angeles went on to win 58-55.
It was an exciting, hard-fought battle that easily could have gone either way. It simply came down to Ruddell and Pierce’s big shots at the end.
“This is my first one,” said first-year Port Angeles coach Kevin Ruble. “What a fun game to be a part of.”
It was the first game in a few weeks in which the Riders finally got all their players healthy and available. Pierce missed several games with a sprained ankle and post Brock Hope likewise missed games with a shoulder injury. Hunter Flores was not available over the holiday break for some nonleague games.
“We did all the things we needed to do to win,” Ruble said.
In addition to some clutch shots, the Riders also did a great job on the boards, especially 6-foot-7 Abe Brenkman and 6-foot-9 Hope.
“That’s been an emphasis of our practices all week,” Ruble said.
“I think we were more confident at the end,” Pierce said.
Sequim coach Craig Brooks agreed that rebounding was a big factor.
“PA was getting after it,” Brooks said. He felt that overall, his team played well.
“We played hard. We played together,” he said.
With the win, Port Angeles put itself in second place in the Olympic League.
Game play
Port Angeles briefly took a 10-point early in the second quarter at 23-13 as Pierce already had 10 points. It didn’t last long, however, as Sequim scored seven straight. The Wolves’ Mason Rapelje hit a pair of 3-pointers and added a three-point play to score nine in the second quarter. Pierce made three 3-pointers in the first half and had 13 at the break.
The Riders took a 30-26 lead into the halftime break and the game stayed close to the end as Port Angeles simply could not shake Sequim.
Rapelje scored four straight points to begin the fourth quarter to give the Wolves a brief lead at 44-42 with 6:15 left in the game. It was Sequim’s only lead of the game. Ashton Gedelman and Hunter Flores each hit shots to give the lead back to the Riders at 46-44 with 4:19 left. It was a lead they would never give up.
Sheppard showed why he is the defending Olympic League Defensive Player of the Year with at least four blocked shots. He also had a couple of steals that led to fast-break buckets, and he affected several other shots with his defense. He led the Wolves with 21 points, while Rapelje had 18.
Flores had 11 points for Port Angeles while Hope had eight and Ruddell and Gedelman seven.
Port Angeles (3-1, 5-4), plays at defending state champion Bremerton (6-1, 10-1) on Friday, while Sequim (2-2, 2-7) plays at North Kitsap (1-3, 1-9).
Port Angeles 58, Sequim 55
Seq. 13 13 12 17 — 55
PA 18 12 10 18 — 58
Sequim (55) — Sheppard 21, Rapelje 18, Tennell 4, Reynolds 4, Klimp 2, Bacchus 2, Schmadeke 2, Wiker 2.
Port Angeles (58) — Pierce 21, Flores 11, Hope 8, Ruddell 7, Gedelman 7, Point 2, Brenkman 2.
