The Sequim girls basketball team gave themselves a challenge at the Cloud 9 Classic tournament in Lynden, splitting two games against some tough competition.
The Wolves won a 63-60 game over the Sehome Mariners on Dec. 27, followed by the their first loss of the season, an 85-53 decision to the Lynden Christian Lyncs on Dec. 28.
Jayla Julmist led the way for the Wolves against the Mariners with a double-double, scoring 21 points and pulling down 14 rebounds. Kalli Wiker added 15 points with three 3-pointers, Jessica Dietzman scored 10, and Melissa Porter continued her solid season with nine points. Hope Glasser scored six points and paed the defense with four steals.
Sequim held a comfortable lead at halftime, but with numerous starters in foul trouble — Glasser ended the game with five fouls, while Dietzman and Julmist had four apiece — head coach Linsay Rapelje was forced to lean on her bench in the third quarter. Sehome was able to take advantage of that and made a massive comeback.
The fourth quarter, however, saw the Wolves score 23 points en route to the win, including some sterling work at the free throw line from Glasser, Wiker and Porter, who were a combined seven-for-seven at the line.
Rapelje gave much of the credit for the win to that trio’s work at the line, especially with Porter earning an “and one” — making a basket while getting fouled and hitting the resulting free throw. The Wolves finished 15-of-21 overall from the line.
First stumble
The Wolves’ weekend did not go perfectly, however. Tournament hosts Lynden Christian, runners-up in the 1A state tournament a year ago, showed their quality against the Wolves on Sunday.
Despite playing a close game through the first half, Sequim struggled to score in the second half while failing to prevent the Lyncs from having their way from long range.
Glasser led the Wolves’ scoring with 16 points, while Dietzman added nine and Julmist scored eight.
The Wolves struggled from the free throw line, knocking down just five of 15 from the charity stripe.
Looking ahead
The Wolves return to action on Jan. 2 in a road game against 3A Edmonds-Woodway, then play another non-league game on the road against the Tumwater Thunderbirds on Jan. 4.
Sequim’s Olympic League schedule resumes with another pair of road games, first to the North Kitsap Vikings on Jan. 7, then at the Olympic Trojans in Silverdale on Jan. 10.
The Wolves return home for a pair of games, first on Jan. 14 against the Port Angeles Roughriders at 5:45 p.m. — the first half of a double-header with the boys team — before hosting Kingston’s Buccaneers at 7 p.m. on Jan. 17.
