College basketball: Pirate women earn NWAC Final Four berth

By Michael Dashiell • March 23, 2022 1:30 am
Peninsula’s Hope Glasser, center, controls possession as Portland defenders Nia Bradley, left, and Iris Cubit defend the play, in a 64-59 Peninsula win in Everett on March 20. Glasser, a Sequim native, had 15 points and six rebounds as Peninsula earned a Final Four berth.
Peninsula’s Hope Glasser, center, controls possession as Portland defenders Nia Bradley, left, and Iris Cubit defend the play, in a 64-59 Peninsula win in Everett on March 20. Glasser, a Sequim native, had 15 points and six rebounds as Peninsula earned a Final Four berth.

On to the Final Four.

Getting 21 points from Ituau Tuisaula and 15 from Sequim High grad Hope Glasser, the Peninsula College women’s basketball team knocked off Portland 64-59 on March 20 to earn a spot in the Northwest Athletic Conference tourney Final Four this coming weekend.

Peninsula (24-3) will face Clackamas (26-3) at 7 p.m. on Saturday, March 26, at Everett Community College.

Playing without star guard Millie Long, sidelined with a sprained ankle, the Pirates opened the tourney with a 56-48 win over North Idaho on March 19.

Keeli-Jade Smith, who led Peninsula with 20 points, drained a pair of free throws with 21 seconds remaining.

Former Port Angeles standout Madison Cooke had 14 points, 14 rebounds and two blocks, and Tuisaula had 15 points, 11 rebounds and three blocks. Glasser added seven points and four steals.

Peninsula took a 31-23 lead into the half and quickly built it up to 36-23 midway through the third quarter.

PC held a double-digit lead through most of the second half, with its biggest lead a 52-37 advantage with 6:27 left in the game. The Cardinals, however, sank a pair of 3-pointers on an 8-0 run to close the gap to 52-45.

Peninsula shut down North Idaho from there, allowing three points the rest of the way, and Glasser scored a key basket with 1:59 remaining to help seal the win.

In Sunday’s NWAC quarterfinal, Portland — who beat Centralia 86-75 in the tournament opener — got 23 points from Iris Cubit. Peninsula, however, held the rest of the Panthers to just 13-of-40 (32.5 percent) shooting from the field and forced 19 turnovers.

Peninsula held a 16-12 lead after one quarter and pulled ahead by as many as nine (29-20), but Portland never went away, tying the game at 36-36 in the third quarter.

The Panthers consistently chipped away at PC’s lead in the final frame to a single point, but each time they did Tuisaula or Smith answered with baskets. A Tynesha Parnell 3-pointer with 1:40 remaining closed the PC lead to 61-59, but Smith responded with a lay-up, and PC shut the Panthers down from there.

Long returned from injury and had six rebounds and three steals, but she shot just 1-for-9 from the field and had two points before fouling out. Her Pirate teammates made up for it in a big way, however, as Tuisaula shot 10-of-17 and added 12 rebounds, and Smith chipped in 11 points and four assists.

Peninsula will face a Clackamas team that finished second in the South Region and is coming off a 65-51 win over top-seeded Walla Walla on March 20.

PC men fall to top-seeded Lane

Peninsula’s men rebounded from a tough first half to out-score Lane in the second, but the No. 1-seeded Titans (24-3) were too much for fourth-seeded PC (16-11) in an 82-68 decision March 17 in Everett.

Jay Elmore hit seven of his 10 3-point attempts for 21 points to lead Lane, who opened the game on a 19-4 run and led 38-18 by halftime. Elmore sank five of his long-range shots in the opening frame.

Peninsula, led by Rayshawn Harris’ 25 points, patiently trimmed Lane’s lead to 12 points with 6:20 remaining, but Titan Brad Lackey hit 3-pointers on back-to-back possessions and the Pirates were never able to close the gap under double digits.

Jaylin Reed had 20 points for Peninsula. Isaiah Sampson had nine points and eight rebounds, while Roosevelt Williams Jr. chipped in eight rebounds and a team-high six assists.

Peninsula’s Ituau Tuisaula (13) drives past Portland’s Iris Cubit in an NWAC tournament quarterfinal game on March 20. Tuisaula led PC with 21 points as the Pirates edged Portland, 64-59.

Peninsula’s Ituau Tuisaula (13) drives past Portland’s Iris Cubit in an NWAC tournament quarterfinal game on March 20. Tuisaula led PC with 21 points as the Pirates edged Portland, 64-59.

Peninsula College Photos by Jay Cline Peninsula’s Isaiah Sampson, center, bowls over Lane’s Tyshawn Ford on his way to the basket in an NWAC tournament first round game in Everett on March 17. Sampson had nine points and eight rebounds but the top-seeded Lane ended PC’s season with an 82-68 victory.

Peninsula College Photos by Jay Cline Peninsula’s Isaiah Sampson, center, bowls over Lane’s Tyshawn Ford on his way to the basket in an NWAC tournament first round game in Everett on March 17. Sampson had nine points and eight rebounds but the top-seeded Lane ended PC’s season with an 82-68 victory.

Peninsula’s Jaylin Reed, right, looks to drive past Lane’s Ethan Blythe to the basket in an NWAC tournament first round game in Everett in March 17. Reed had 20 points in Peninsula’s 82-68 loss to the top-seeded Titans. Photo by Jay Cline/Peninsula College

Peninsula’s Jaylin Reed, right, looks to drive past Lane’s Ethan Blythe to the basket in an NWAC tournament first round game in Everett in March 17. Reed had 20 points in Peninsula’s 82-68 loss to the top-seeded Titans. Photo by Jay Cline/Peninsula College