Olympic League standings

(as of Jan. 10)

North Kitsap 5-0 10-2

Kingston 4-1 9 3

Olympic 4-1 10-3

Port Angeles 3-2 7-5

Bremerton 1-4 3-9

North Mason 1-4 5-6

Sequim 0-6 2-10

Both at home and on the road, Sequim’s Wolves are struggling to find that winning combination to lock up their first Olympic League win.

Sequim (0-6 in league, 2-10 overall) slipped in a pair of league contests last week that book-ended a non-league loss to Neah Bay.

Roughriders edge energized Wolves

Round one of the cross-peninsula rivalry goes to the Roughriders.

Senior guards Noah McGoff and Grayson Peet did damage from the outside early on and sophomore posts Liam Clark and Garrett Edwards protected the lead late as Port Angeles fended off their hosts in Sequim on Jan. 3, 48-32.

Edwards had 12 points and McGoff added 11, leading Port Angeles to their third win in four games.

“I liked how we stayed with it defensively,” Rider coach Kasey Ulin said. “We didn’t want a repeat of last year.”

In the Roughrider-Wolves matchup in Sequim last season, the Wolves hit a last-second shot for a two-point victory.

There would be no such suspense in last week’s matchup, though the Wolves kept the game within single digits until PA finished with a 12-3 run.

“I was pleased with our effort tonight,” Sequim coach Greg Glasser said. “They made their shots and we didn’t. We knew we were up against a good team, probably one of the top three in the league.”

Junior guard Payton Glasser led the Wolves with 22 points; no other Wolf scored more than three.

Port Angeles got out of the gate early, as McGoff and Peet hit first quarter triples to gain a 14-5 advantage midway through the first quarter and looked to blow out their rivals.

The Wolves, thanks to Glasser’s points from the post, kept Sequim close; a Glasser 3-pointer early in the second half cut the Rider lead to 27-22.

Sequim couldn’t garner much momentum after halftime, however, unable to capitalize on open looks or corral rebounds thanks to Clark and Edwards. Clark finished with five rebounds and five blocks to go with his eight points.

“We preach hitting the glass,” Ulin said. “Everyone knows we play for threes, but we can’t live and die by threes.”

“They’re probably one of the more physical teams in the league,” Sequim guard Nate Despain said.

Luke Angevine, a 6-foot 5-inch wing, had just two points but had a solid all-around game with six rebounds, three assists and three steals. Sophomore guard Kyle Benedict added six points.

“It seemed like every time we cut the lead, Kyle (Benedict) hits a floater or Garrett (Edwards) posts up,” Greg Glasser said. “You worry about Noah (McGoff) or Grayson Peet, but these other guys will kill you.”

Ulin said he liked how well Angevine, Peet and McGoff defended Payton Glasser, who finished 8-of-24 from the field to go with a game-high 12 rebounds.

Greg Glasser had high praise for Konnor Parrish, a senior post who in his first start of the season had two points, two rebounds and two blocks.

“One of his best games; he garnered a lot of trust,” the Sequim coach said. “He’s a guy who can get it going offensively.”

Sequim plays at Port Angeles on Jan. 27.

Neah Bay comes back

In a tale of two halves, host Neah Bay rebounded from an 18-point halftime deficit to edge Sequim 55-51 in a non-league game on Jan. 4.

Rehab Munyagi scored 14 points while Anthony Bitegeko and Kendrick Doherty added 12 apiece as the class 1B Red Devils upended the 2A Wolves after falling behind 23-18 after one quarter and 39-21 at halftime.

Payton Glasser led the Wolves with 20 points and nine rebounds while Despain had 12 points, five rebounds and four steals. Riley Cowan chipped in 10 points.

Bitegeko came up big for Neah Bay, adding 10 rebounds, two blocks and went 8-for-9 at the free throw line. Doherty had five steals and seven rebounds as the Red Devils forced 19 Sequim turnovers.

Bulldogs bear down in first, third quarters

Perhaps it was playing their third game in four days, but Sequim ran out of gas in a 61-47 defeat at North Mason on Jan. 6.

Jonah Ness led four Bulldogs in double figures with 16 points as the hosts from Belfair jumped out to a 14-4 lead after one quarter and, after the Wolves had trimmed that lead to 25-18 by halftime, reeled off an 18-2 run in the third quarter.

Despain had a breakout game for the Wolves, scoring 22 points on 8-of-13 shooting. He hit half of his eight 3-point tries and had four rebounds and three assists.

Payton Glasser had 13 points and Cole Williams added six, with a team high six rebounds.

Looking ahead

Sequim was scheduled to play at Coupeville on Jan. 10 — results were not available at press time.

The Wolves are home for their next three games, matching up against Bremerton on Jan. 13, Olympic on Jan. 17 and league-leading North Kitsap on Jan. 20.