In Port Angeles with a chance to edge ahead of the Roughriders for first place? Exactly where the Wolves wanted to be Friday night.
On the bad end of a 62-41 score was not, however.
The Roughriders shook off a resurgent Sequim squad with a big second half, knocking off the Wolves on Jan. 10 in what amounted to a battle for first place in the Olympic League.
Maddy Hinrichs and Bailee Jones had 15 each and Krista Johnson added 14 as Port Angeles stayed a perfect 7-0 in league play heading into the week’s action.
“Hopefully our girls learn a lot from this,” Sequim coach Evan Still said.
Sequim, behind strong inside play from Alexas Besand and outside shooting from McKenzie Bentz and Caitlin Stofferahn, matched the Riders step for step in a 22-22 first half.
But Port Angeles tweaked their lineup in the second half, going to a 2-3 zone that stymied Sequim’s offense.
“We hope teams do that (zone), but we kept dribbling into double teams,” Still said. “I the first half, we were calm, showing a lot of poise. When we play our game, we can play with anybody.”
Bentz led Sequim with 10 points. Besand and Stofferhan had seven points and Elise Beuke added four points.
The game dropped Sequim into a tie for second place heading into this week’s play.
“We control our own destiny; we’re not needing someone else to lose or anything (for a postseason spot),” Still said.
Earlier in the week, Sequim took advantage of a Viking injury to edge North Kitsap.Beuke scored a team-high 11 points in a defensive struggle as the Wolves knocked off the host Vikings, 34-31.
North Kitsap, playing without second-leading scorer Kristin Brown — a senior guard/forward who tore a ligament in her ankle during a late December practice — held a 20-13 lead at halftime but scored just two points in the third quarter and saw Sequim out-score them 16-9 in the final quarter.
Besand and Melanie Guan added six points each for Sequim. Rebekah Baugh led North Kitsap with 17 points.
Sequim was slated to host Bremerton on Jan. 13 — results were not available at press time for this edition. The Wolves are at Port Townsend on Jan. 15 and host Olympic on Jan. 17.
