PORT TOWNSEND — It’s playoff time.
And few teams on the North Olympic Peninsula get it done quite like the Port Townsend boys basketball team this time of year.
After dropping the Seattle Christian Warriors 49-31 in Thursday night’s subdistrict playoff with a hail of 3-pointers, this season may be no different.
“We came out and shot the ball really well tonight,” Port Townsend coach John Stroeder said. “We had a really great effort.”
Port Townsend clinched a spot in the Class 1A Tri-District with the victory.
Heading to Orting
The Redskins will take on 1A Nisqually League No. 3 Orting at its place on Saturday for seeding.
A win there would give Port Townsend, now 5-1 in district and subdistrict play the last three years, a home game against District One’s third seed.
Port Townsend’s first Tri-District game on Tuesday will be a loser-out contest.
If the Redskins advance to the next game, they will have two chances to clinch a Peninsula-best 27th state appearance.
“We’re pretty tough at home,” Stroeder said. “That puts some more incentive on [Saturday’s] game.”
Indeed, if Thursday night is the typical home effort, there should be plenty of incentive.
Port Townsend (9-12 overall) drained seven 3-pointers against Seattle Christian’s sagging zone defense, including three in the first quarter.
By the time senior Eric Thomas sank his second 3 of the game to end the second quarter, the Redskins were comfortably ahead 25-14.
Seattle Christian got to within eight points at 29-21 four minutes into the third quarter.
But Port Townsend closed out the frame on an 8-0 run, fueled by long-range bombs from Thomas and Evan O’Brien.
Seattle Christian got no closer than 13 points the rest of the game.
Thomas finished with a game-high 16 points with four 3s, while O’Brien had 11 points, three triples and four second-half assists.
Jacob DeBerry added 10 points and five second-half rebounds.
“We came out focused,” Stroeder said. “I don’t think the kids are ready to go do whatever it is they do after the season.”
Port Townsend 49, Seattle Christian 31
S. Christian 11 3 7 10 — 31
Port Townsend 15 10 12 12 — 49
Individual Scoring
Seattle Christian (31)
Weber 3, Bateman 3, Watts 3, Cardenas 5, Lessig 5, Holmes 2, Simpson 7, Weston 3.
Port Townsend (49)
Thomas 16, Thielk 3, Robinson 4, O’Brien 11, Solvik 1, DeBerry 10, Hallinan 4.
Girls Basketball Port Townsend 41, Orting 38
PORT TOWNSEND — The Redskins survived a torrid fourth quarter comeback to advance to the 1A Tri-District bracket Thursday.
Caroline Dowdle scored 10 points and Bella Fox nine in limited minutes as the Redskins clinched a spot in Saturday night’s seeding game against Cascade Christian at Orting.
It was the fourth win in seven games for Port Townsend (5-16).
“I said at the beginning if we could keep this team together about halfway through the year, we’d be OK,” Port Townsend coach Randy Maag said.
“It took a little longer than I thought, but we’ve just rapidly improved.”
That improvement was on full display in the first three quarters, as Port Townsend built a 33-23 lead.
The Redskins went up by as much as 15 points with 5:40 to go in the fourth quarter before foul trouble — Fox and Dowdle fouled out in the final frame tightened things up.
Still, Port Townsend was able to survive and advance.
“We actually played a pretty good game, but the girls just not used to being in the moment kind of panicked a little bit,” Maag said.
“That might have been what we needed. Now they can just go over [to Orting on Saturday] and play and not be nervous.”
Port Townsend 41, Orting 38
Orting 6 8 9 15 — 38
Port Townsend 10 11 12 8 — 41
Individual Scoring
Orting (38)
Moore 15, Plourd 6, Wilson 3, Rolston 2, Jones 8, Powers 4.
Port Townsend (41)
Evalt 8, Russell 2, Dowdle 10, Little 3, Barnett 3, Fox 9, Maag 6.
