AUBURN — The Port Angeles girls basketball team made the last shot. Unfortunately for the Roughriders, it was a hair little too late.
The Roughriders (16-7 overall) saw their season come to an end with one-point loss in Class 3A Southwest Washington/West Central Bi-District play for the second year in a row Friday.
Sophomore Jessica Madison buried her game-winning shot attempt from the top of the key, but let go of the ball a split second after time expired, as the Riders lost to Auburn-Mountainview 39-38 in a loser-out bi-district game.
“It’s disappointing,” Port Angeles coach Mike Knowles said. “For the second year in a row to be knocked out of districts by one point is frustrating. We played well and just lost it there at the end.”
PA was eliminated by Enumclaw in the first round of last year’s district playoffs, 51-50.
Yet unlike last year, the Riders will lose three seniors — Shelby Napiontek, Danika Goodwin and Javan Bailey — from a team that won the Olympic League title outright.
“The program is where they are competing at the district level now, and it’s because of the seniors,” Knowles said. “They put the time in and have been out there playing and helped move the program in this direction.”
Madison led the Riders with 13 points on the game, while Emily Cook had 10 and Goodwin seven. Yet the Lions dominated the paint, according to Knowles, with post Stephanie Smolinski netting 14 points.
“They hurt us on the offensive boards,” Knowles said. “That was probably the one thing that hurt us the most.”
Still, the Riders were within a point with less than a minute remaining when the Lions buried a couple of free throws for a 39-36 lead.
With 5.9 seconds left on the clock, Port Angeles dribbled the length of the court, and Madison was intentionally fouled as she shot the ball near the 3-point line.
After draining both free throws, the Riders got the ball back with 0.6 seconds to go. Madison got the ball again, but took a dribble to avoid an oncoming defender and ran out of time before she could get her shot off before the buzzer.
“We’re just right there on the edge,” Knowles said. “We just didn’t get over that hump. The underclassmen we talked about it too and they are ready to get back at it [in the offseason].”
“I think the underclassmen have learned a lot. They are positive and upbeat and looking forward to the opportunity next year to take the program one step further.”
Auburn-Mountainview 39, Port Angeles 38
Aub. Mtn. View 12 9 6 12 — 39
Port Angeles 6 14 5 13 — 38
Individual Scoring
Auburn-Mountainview (39)
Smolinski 14, Huners 8, Braboy 6, Pele 5, Harrison 4, Willis 2.
Port Angeles (38)
Madison 13, Cook 10, Goodwin 7, Reid 3, S. Jones 3, K. Jones 2.
——
King’s 54, Chimacum 18
MOUNTLAKE TERRACE — Chimacum bowed out of Saturday’s winner-to-state, loser-out Tri-district contest with a poor showing offensively on Saturday.
“They play a really physical brand of basketball on that side of the water and our girls just aren’t accustomed to that style of play and how the game is called by the refs,” Chimacum coach Jim Eldridge said.
“Our girls got a little frustrated by the lack of calls and we couldn’t hit a shot or any free throws.”
The under-manned Cowboys (14-9) played without leading rebounder Arlie Petrick and senior forward Paige Eldridge.
“We were without our toughest player in Petrick and another of our posts in Eldridge,” Eldridge said.
“I’m not sure if it would have made any difference to have those girls out there today but it would have been nice to know.”
Jaime Friedrich led Chimacum with five points.
King’s 54, Chimacum 18
Chimacum 4 4 2 8 — 18
King’s 15 7 13 19 — 54
Individual Scoring
Chimacum (18)
Friedrich 5, Castillo 4, Brown 3, Nelson 3, Benner 2, Hathaway 1.
King’s (54)
J. Kirton 13, Cutright 11, D. Kirton 11, Friar 7, McCormick 5, McConnaughey 4, Taylor 2, Berg 1.
