STATE BASKETBALL: Port Angeles stung late by White River run in quarterfinal

YAKIMA — Basketball is a game of runs and that old saying was proven in heartbreaking fashion in No. 6 Port Angeles’ 60-55 Class 2A state quarterfinal loss to the No. 4 White River Hornets Thursday at the Yakima SunDome.

The Roughriders’ spurt came first, erasing White River’s 32-26 third quarter advantage with a 3-point barrage, two from Jaida Wood, one from Mikkiah Brady — even a step-back trey by Millie Long and a banked 3 by Bailee Larson to take a 48-35 lead into the final frame.

Port Angeles even added to its advantage, going up 51-35 within the first minute of the fourth to cap a 25-3 run.

”We were up 16, and I looked at our [state tournament team sponsor] and I said, ‘I am nervous. This lead is not safe,’” Riders coach Michael Poindexter said. “White River is an excellent team with offensive balance. They drive well, shoot well from the outside. They shot 50 percent from 3 in the first half and in the second half they finished well inside.”

The Riders remained at 51 points for a long time, more than four minutes of the fourth, but the lead grew dearer and dearer as the Hornets kept zipping to the rim and scoring or drawing fouls that sent them to the free-throw line against a Port Angeles team dealing with foul trouble for virtually the entire starting lineup.

“We did not want to let the air out of the ball, there was so much time left, but we did not want early 3s and we took a couple when we shouldn’t have,” Poindexter said. “We had that 15-point lead and we needed to attack inside a little better.”

White River eventually caught up on Lee Audrey Norris’ old-fashioned 3-point play with 3:22 to play and took control in the game’s final minute.

“I think the second day factor [second game in 24 hours for Port Angeles], our legs,” Poindexter said. “White River had a day of rest and you saw that in the fourth quarter in several ways. We didn’t contain on the dribble and we saw the fatigue on defense.”

Poindexter was left to ponder a scheme-change he didn’t make during the Hornets’ push.

“Maybe that point in the game, and it’s entirely on me, we go to a 2-3 zone [defense]. “We had been containing the drive, but all of a sudden it just snapped.

“Should we have gone to the 2-3 zone? I’ll be thinking about that for a few nights.”

The Riders had chances inside and out from Eve Burke, Jaida Wood and two late 3-point attempts to tie the game by Mikkiah Brady in the waning seconds, but neither found the rim.

“Some of our attacks inside we didn’t have the legs to finish and they were also high level of difficulty shots,” Poindexter said.

“We just fell apart in too many ways. Defensive fatigue, maybe the zone would have been the answer, but you still have to move your feet in the zone.”

Ever the educator, Poindexter said his young team could take away much from this close call.

“There is so much to learn from this game,” Poindexter said. “I thought we played well. I didn’t think we choked it away. [White River] is a good team, as equally as good a team as we are. And we went on a run and they went on a run. Two good teams went on two different runs and their’s lasted a little longer.

“There is a ton to learn if the kids will keep their heads up and learn. That was the point of emphasis in the locker room, come out tomorrow and attack who we play. We are going to be facing the loser of what both of those teams [No. 2 East Valley Spokane and No. 1 Lynden] feel is the state championship game. So we need to get after it and not feel sad about tonight.

“It was a great basketball game and they showed they are worthy of making it into a semifinal and capable of beating the No. 4 team in the state.”

White River 60, Port Angeles 55

PA 9 16 23 7 — 55

WR 10 17 8 25 — 60

Port Angeles (55) — Burke 17, Cooke 10, Brady 8, Long 7, Wood 7, Larson, Walker, Olsen, Brown, Noel.

White River (60) — Schmidtke 14, Robbins 13, Norris 11, Narolski 10.