KINGSTON — The Kingston boys basketball team squeaked past the Sequim Wolves for the second time this season Friday night.
With another possible showdown in the Olympic League’s Class 2A postseason tournament looming, the Wolves are already champing at the bit for a third shot at the Buccaneers.
Losing at the last minute twice, this time 60-57 after Corbin Webb’s game-tying jump shot rimmed out with 1.7 second to go, will do that to a team.
“That one just felt good,” said Webb of the shot.
“As soon as I released it I was like, ‘That’s in!’ Then it was just a little off. It was a bummer for sure.”
Sequim lost 46-42 in overtime to Kingston at Rick Kaps Gymnasium earlier this season.
Friday night’s win means the Buccaneers have the tie-breaker when it comes to seeding for the Olympic League tournament at the end of the season.
The 2A division’s No. 2 will take on the No. 3 at a neutral site with district seeding at stake in that particular game.
If the Bucs (8-3 in league, 11-4 overall) or Wolves (7-5, 7-8) can’t catch North Mason (8-3, 11-4), they will meet again in that one.
So Sequim coach Greg Glasser, whose Wolves won a tournament game as a three seed to spark a run to the 2A state tourney, wasn’t fretting too much about Friday’s result.
“It was a big game, but we’re moving on,” Glasser said. “We need to make sure that we’re building for the next time we see these guys.
“There’s a good chance them or North Mason for that Olympic League tournament. These games are building for that.
“The ultimate goal is to play your best basketball on that game, just like we did last year.”
Added Webb, the Wolves’ leader with 14 points and five assists, “We definitely want to see them again. We want to get that win against them.”
The Wolves channeled that thirst for revenge into an aggressive defensive effort Friday night.
Yet while that aggression paid dividends at times, like during a 17-5 run in the third quarter that brought Sequim back from 15 points down at 35-20, it also cut the other way.
Several Sequim players found themselves in foul trouble, with Kingston holding a distinct free throw advantage (17-of-26 to Sequim’s 6-of-11 showing).
The Bucs also got Sequim’s backcourt defenders out of position at times, resulting in 3-on-2 halfcourt advantages that turned into easy buckets.
Kingston forward Zane Ravenholt benefitted from a couple of those on the way to a 20-point, six-rebound effort.
Guard George Hill finished with 13 points and five assists, while Ryan Byers had 13 points and Sam Byers 12 points and 10 rebounds.
“They were being really aggressive up top,” Kingston coach Blake Conley said of Sequim. “When our guards looked beyond that, we had some open guys down low.
“We did a decent job of getting the ball to the high post and attacking off that. Zane has been our go-to guy all year, and he stepped up pretty big today.”
Sequim tied the game twice in the final two minutes, first on Michael Dunning’s 3-pointer from the corner, then on a slashing drive to the hoop from John Textor that knotted the game at 55 with less than a minute to go.
Yet Ravenholt was fouled on a Sequim triple team during Kingston’s next possession.
After hitting the first foul shot, Kingston rebounded Ravenholt’s miss on the second (Kingston finished with a 33-18 rebounding edge). Ravenholt sank a baby hook shot seconds later when Hill hit him on a curl across the lane for a 58-55 lead.
Webb buried a pull-up jumper on the other end. And after Ryan Byers hit just 1-of-2 shots from the charity stripe, Webb had a chance at a tying shot in the waning moments.
But the sophomore guard’s jumper went in and out, and Kingston rebounded the miss to secure the win.
“We knew it was going to be a tough game,” Kingston’s Conley said. “Hats off to Sequim. They shot the ball really well in the second half, and they didn’t give up.
“Our kids did just enough at the end there.”
Sequim made 9-of-23 attempts beyond the 3-point line during the game.
Webb was 3-of-7 from long distance himself, while Dunning was 2-of-6 on his way to an 8-point night. Sequim senior Jeremie Oliver added 11 points and three rebounds, while Textor had 10 points and four rebounds.
“I was happy with the way they battled,” Glasser said. “These guys don’t ever quit.”
Kingston 60, Sequim 57
Sequim 12 5 20 20 — 57
Kingston 5 20 17 18 — 60
Individual Scoring
Sequim (57)
Meier 3, Dunning 8, Webb 14, Camporini 2, Textor 10, C. Catelli 5, Oliver 11, F. Catelli 2, McMinn 2.
Kingston (60)
Hill 13, S. Byers 12, Ravenholt 20, Hecker 3, R. Byers 13.
