By Michael Carman
Peninsula Daily News
YAKIMA — The third installment of the girls basketball edition of the Rainshadow Rumble rivalry between No. 6 Port Angeles and No. 14 Sequim is a state tournament matchup neither team really wants to see.
When the area rivals tip off at 3:45 p.m. today in the Yakima SunDome, they’ll each do so knowing the stakes for the losing side — elimination from the tournament and a long ride home.
“I just don’t want us to have to do that,” Sequim coach Linsay Rapelje said Saturday before Port Angeles lost to Clarkston to set up the rivalry rematch. “Both are great teams, and I want both teams to go as far as possible, so to have to eliminate one right off the bat — it’s unfortunate. If we are going to have to play Port Angeles at state I’d rather they be on the other side of the bracket and it be a placement game.”
Players from both teams have been AAU teammates together and still train together apart from their prep teams — mention a Sequim Wolf to a Port Angeles Roughrider or vice versa and you’ll hear compliments but not trash talk. It’s a level of respect and friendship that is admirable and positive.
Port Angeles coach Michael Poindexter also reached out to help Rapelje get her bearings upon returning to the Olympic League after Rapelje took over as Sequim head coach early in the season.
But no assistance was forthcoming this week from either side.
The teams enter today’s contest coming off vastly different regional round outcomes.
No. 14 Sequim (17-7) rallied from an 18-point third quarter deficit against No. 11 Foster, switching to a 2-3 zone and holding the Bulldogs scoreless in a 28-0 run over the game’s final quarter and a half to win going away 54-44 to make the program’s fourth-ever trip to state.
“I knew the potential they had,” Rapelje said. I watched them all season last year, so to see that potential kind of come to fruition with the trip to state [is special].”
After such an emotional high, the danger for Sequim could be a crash back to Earth. But these Wolves have had a tough road to state, playing five postseason games, including winning three straight loser-out games.
“It’s been such a whirlwind, from the week of the snowy weather, to the back-to-back district games and the travel,” Rapelje said.
“It’s tough mentally to keep playing loser-out games, so this is almost a surreal experience. The fact that we are going to state is well deserved. I’m proud of them. I knew they could do it and now they are there.”
The Riders are smarting after a 61-35 state regional round loss to No. 3 Clarkston which saw Port Angeles (20-4) settle for outside shots at the expense of working the ball closer to the hoop for higher-percentage shots and struggle to rebound those misses.
Poindexter said the team will focus on overall effort and offense before facing Sequim.
“We are moving on to Sequim, who is coming off the big win, and we better fix our offensive approach and our effort because [today’s game] is coming soon,” Poindexter said after facing Clarkston.
“We need to play a little bit angry. We don’t need to forget this game, but we need to learn a lesson quickly and move forward.”
Port Angeles won both contests against Sequim, 59-50 at home Jan. 8 and 64-55 in Sequim on Jan. 31.
At home, the Riders rode the hot hand of Madison Cooke to a 15-2 start, holding the Wolves at bay for much of the rest of the contest. In Sequim, the Wolves ran off an 11-0 run to lead Port Angeles 28-25 at halftime, but the Riders answered with a 12-0 spurt to start the second half and take control of the game.
Port Angeles is going to look to attack inside offensively and exploit any man-to-man advantages with dribble penetration. Sequim will need to stay in front defensively, help when needed and avoid giving the Riders second-chance opportunities and escape foul trouble, especially to posts Jayla Julmist and Hope Glasser. When the Wolves have struggled this season, it’s been because of foul trouble to one of those two inside forces.
Sequim needs to trim its turnovers to succeed at state, while Port Angeles will likely send some form of backcourt defensive press, likely a 2-1-2, at the Wolves to try and force those miscues and get its offense going in transition.
A postgame quote by Rapelje after the first Port Angeles-Sequim matchup holds weight entering the third rodeo between the teams.
“If we can put together four quarters against them I do believe we can win, but the girls have to believe that too,” she said.
