PORTLAND — The Peninsula College women’s basketball team is starting to gel.
The Pirates captured fourth place at the NWAACC South Region Crossover Tournament where they dropped their opener but rebounded to win two straight.
Peninsula wrapped up nonconference play over the weekend to capture fourth place by beating perennial NWAACC North power Everett 57-50 on Sunday.
The Pirates are now 3-6 overall.
Ardis Pullen sparked the Pirates with 13 points.
Megan Smith had 10 points while Danika Goodwin sank eight points and dished out five assists.
Callie Monfrey scored eight points and hauled in seven rebounds.
Peninsula’s Neomi Carter suffered a head injury in the game and was transported to a Portland hospital where she was treated and released.
In Friday’s opener, host Portland pulled away from Peninsula to win 71-53, despite a school-record tying rebounding effort from Monfrey, who had 12 defensive boards and six at the offensive end.
Her 18 rebounds ties the 1998 school record held by Port Angeles graduate Shanna (Buckingham) Walton.
The Pirates also got 16 points from Goodwin and 12 from Jasmine Jackson, but could not keep pace with their hosts, as turnovers (26) continued to plague their offense.
The Pirates rallied, however, to pull away from Centralia in the second half of Saturday’s second-round game with new-found confidence and energy to beat the Tigers 42-30.
The Peninsula defense forced 21 turnovers and held Centralia to a chilly 20 percent shooting from the floor.
Carter led a balanced scoring attack with nine points while Monfrey had eight points and 10 rebounds and Goodwin added seven points.
The Pirates will rest up in preparation for their conference opener on Jan. 5 at Olympic.
