College basketball: Peninsula squads gear up for conference play

By Sequim Gazette Staff • December 28, 2016 1:30 am

The calm before the storm?

Peninsula College’s men’s and women’s basketball squads are two weeks away from kicking off their conference schedule and defending their North Region titles.

Coming off of winning two of three games at the Highline Crossover from Dec. 16-18, the PC men are ranked just outside the top eight in the NWAC Under Armor Coaches Poll. North Idaho (9-1) ranks No. 1, with Spokane second (10-2) and Pierce (10-3) in third. Peninsula received four points in the voting, placing them in a tie for 10th place.

The Pirate men get a pair of arm-up contests before conference play starts, hosting Elite Prep — a star-studded team of high school-aged players from the Bellevue area — on Jan. 3 and a game at top-10 ranked Tacoma on Jan. 7.

PC’s Kevin Baker leads the NWAC in shooting percentage (72.4 percent) while Cole Rabedeaux is seventh in 3-point shooting (48.7 percent) and Alex Baham is ninth (47.8 percent). Darrion Daniels is 11th in assists (4.2 per game) and 14th in steals (2.1).

The Peninsula women are similarly just outside the top eight in their respective poll, receiving three votes that puts them tied for 11th place.

The PC women, who finished second in the NWAC last year, earned some attention after knocking off Lane last week and going 2-1 at the Green River Crossover. Lane (10-2), ranked No. 1 going into that game, was unseated by Umpqua (9-1) for the top spot and is now No. 2 in the NWAC rankings. Spokane (7-1) is third.

Pirate Alicia Dugan is eighth in the NWAC in steals (2.5 per game) and sixth in free throw percentage (82.1) while teammate Jenise Mc-Knight is fourth in free throw percentage (83.3) and 18th in rebounds (8 per game). Sephora Yayouss is 16th in assists (3.8) and Anaya Rodisha is 19th in 3-point shooting (35.1 percent).

The Pirate women are at Clark on Dec. 30 for their lone game prior to conference play.

Both Peninsula squads are at Shoreline to open North Region play on Jan. 11, followed by a Jan. 14 road game at Everett. PC opens their home conference schedule Jan. 18 versus Olympic.