PORT ANGELES — Tati Kamae didn’t just set a Peninsula College women’s basketball record Sunday. She shattered it.
By the third quarter.
Kamae had 14 steals in the Pirates’ 63-41 victory over Pierce, giving Peninsula a three-game sweep in its home NWAC crossover tournament.
Peninsula, which began the season ranked No. 1 in the NWAC, has now won eight straight after losing the first two games of the year with some of the Pirates’ players missing.
That steals record had stood since 2000.
Coach Alison Crumb said it’s great to see Kamae performing so well since she has been a big part of the Pirates program since before the pandemic. She also had 18 points Sunday for a double-double.
“She’s a three-year kid. She’s the only COVID kid to stay for three years,” Crumb said.
Kamae also had a fantastic game Friday against Mount Hood, scoring the final nine points of that game as the Pirates came from behind — they were down 23-8 at one point — to win. She finished that game with 26 points and averaged 19.3 points a game over the three-game tournament. One of the reasons she had to step up this weekend is one of the Pirates’ top weapons, Ituau Tuisaula, has been out with a knee injury.
Crumb said Tuisaula “tweaked” her knee. She said it doesn’t appear to be a serious injury, but she felt it was safe to hold her out until January.
“She said she was good to go and felt fine, but I didn’t want to risk it. It was a blessing in disguise. It was a good opportunity to see people step up,” Crumb said.
Millie Long also filled up the scorebook, though she struggled with her shooting. She had 17 points, seven rebounds and seven steals as the Pirates totaled 25 steals.
Peninsula allowed just 15 points in the second half. Pierce got off only 20 shots in the second half, making three.
While Long’s stat line is impressive, she did something even more impressive Friday, nearly getting an extremely rare quadruple-double against Mount Hood. She had 21 points, 10 rebounds, eight steals and seven assists.
“I’ve haven’t seen anyone like her before, she’s so much fun to watch,” Crumb said. “Even if she does something stupid, it’s OK, because she just did five amazing things before that.”
Adam Kaganak also had 12 points for the Pirates.
Tuisaula was named the NWAC Player of the Week for Dec. 5-11 after a 21-point, 19-rebound and a 26-point, 10-rebound game that week. She is averaging 17.6 points and 12.4 rebounds a game this season.
The Pirates (8-2) are off for three weeks as they recover from their nagging injuries. Jenilee Donovan was also out this weekend with a sprained ankle and Long has been playing with a sore ankle. Peninsula will begin North Division play Jan. 11. The Pirates are hoping that one of their top transfers, Chasity Selden, will be able to play when league play begins.
NOTE: The women were ranked No. 3 in the latest NWAC poll, but that was before this weekend. The Peninsula College men, who are 11-1 and swept three games this weekend in Eugene, Ore., including a 114-50 win over Centralia, are ranked No. 3 in the men’s poll.
Peninsula 63, Pierce 41
Pierce 16 10 6 9 — 41
PC 15 18 17 13 — 63
Pierce (41) — Romain 13, Brooks 12, Luna 12, Carter 4.
Peninsula (63) — Kamae 18, Long 17, Kaganak 12, Moss 5, Marini 5, Brown 4, Hopson 2.
