PORT ANGELES — The Peninsula College women’s basketball team accomplished its mission and made history by winning the school’s first conference championship this week.
“Three goals: first one, win region; second one, make it to the championship game; third one, win the championship game,” Peninsula sophomore Madison Pilster said after the team’s bus from Kennewick arrived in Port Angeles on Wednesday night.
Pilster and fellow sophomore Gabi Fenumiai then said, in unison: “And we did all three.”
Coach Alison Crumb said the magnitude of winning Northwest Athletic Conference championship still hadn’t hit her.
“Shocking and not shocking at the same time,” Crumb said.
“I was just like, I can’t believe this just happened, but this is what we’ve been talking about every day all year since Sept. 23.
“I’ve never experienced anything like that before, so I think it will take me a little while to understand and come to grips with it.”
During their four-game run through the NWAC tournament, the Pirates continued their season-long trend of finding a way to win.
There were different players stepping up, not just veterans Pilster, who earned the NWAC tournament and North Region MVP awards, and Fenumiai carrying the load.
For instance, Whitney Nemekla scored 13 points and Zhara Laster played tight defense in the win over Umpqua, and Miranda Schmillen scored a career-high 21 points in the championship game win against Lane.
And those are just a few examples. Imani Smith was solid the entire tournament, as was Cierra Moss. Cherish Moss, limited at the end of the season by an ankle injury, hit a key 3-pointer in the title game.
“Me and [the other coaches], we always sit there and we’re like, I wonder who it’s going to be tonight, because we never really know,” Crumb said.
“We always know Maddy’s going to sort of be in the mix somewhere, but then there’s always two, three, four other people that we’re like, ‘Oh, I guess it’s your night tonight.’
“And everyone else is OK with stepping back and saying, all right, let’s get them the ball, they’re feeling it. And a lot of teams don’t have that.”
The Pirates also turned into 3-point sharpshooters over the final few weeks of the season after struggling from long-range the first few months.
And Peninsula owned the end of the game, which kind of became its recipe for success.
“It’s just so crazy,” Crumb said. “We won all four of those games in the last seven minutes.
“And that shows the character of those girls, that they’re not afraid to finish down the stretch.”
The Pirates were a close team off the court, which also helped them on the court.
“I don’t know what it is about them, but they’re not afraid to make plays,” Crumb said.
“I think a lot of it, though, has to do with the fact that they feel so much support from their teammates.
“When you have that kind of support, you can play loose and relaxed, and you’re not afraid to make a play because you got people behind you that if it doesn’t work out are still going to have your back.”
The departures of Pilster, Fenumiai, Schmillen, Nemelka and Jonelle Staveland obviously leave big holes in the Peninsula roster.
But if all of the freshmen return, the drop-off shouldn’t be too drastic next season.
The super-athletic Laster and Smith were full-time starters this season, Cierra Moss started a few games and Cherish Moss and Amanda Hutchins played key roles off the bench.
“This [championship] definitely helps our recruiting,” Crumb said.
“We’re going to try to get after some really good kids and see if we can keep our program up there in the conversation.”
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Sports Editor Lee Horton can be reached at 360-417-3525 or at lhorton@peninsuladailynews.com.
