Women’s basketball: Pirates swept at NWAACC tourney

Published 4:28 pm Friday, March 21, 2014

Sequim Gazette staff

One 20-minute half stood between Peninsula’s Pirates and their first postseason win in the five-season Ali Crumb era.

Unfortunately, so did a Storm.

The Pirates (11-15) saw a two-point halftime lead dissipate in a two-point loss (53-51) to the Chemeketa Storm on Saturday night that ushered the Pirates out of the tournament still seeking their first tourney win since the 2008-2009 season.

Peninsula came into the tournament in Kennewick with the North Region’s fourth seed, meaning they’d face top-ranked Columbia Basin the East Division champ Friday evening. And for the first four-and-a-half minutes, it looked like Peninsula could hang with the Hawks, knotting the score at 13-13. But a 34-13 run by Columbia Basin to close the half led to a 91-49 blowout by game’s end.

Sierra Higheagle led Columbia Basin with 17 points while Lyndsay Oswalt added 16 points and 11 rebounds off the bench.

Gabi Fenumiai (14 points) and Olivia Henderson (12) led the Pirates in scoring.

The Hawks held Peninsula to just 15-of-49 from the field (31 percent), forced 29 P.C. turnovers and out-rebounded the Pirates, 54 to 31.

On Saturday, drawing the 10 p.m. game against Chemeketa, Peninsula jumped to a 30-28 lead by halftime, but poor shooting (18-of-60, 30 percent) ince again doomed Peninsula in the tough loss.

Fenumiai led the team with 16 points and 11 rebounds while Madison Pilster added 12 points and eight rebounds.

Final results from the NWAACC tournament were unavailable at press time for this section; games continued through Tuesday, March 4.

Crumb’s squads have improved from three wins in 2009-2010 and five wins in 2010-2011 to postseason appearances in each of the last three seasons, with each Pirate team going 0-2 at the NWAACC tourney.