by MICHAEL DASHIELL
Sequim Gazette
With the three toughest tests of the season in the next week and a half, Sequim was looking to gain a little momentum against North Kitsap Friday night.
As the cliché goes, mission accomplished.
Jayson Brocklesby scored 24 points, Corbin Webb had 14 and Gabe Carter added 11 points, six rebounds and six assists as the Wolves routed the Vikings 68-47 in Sequim.
“They [North Kitsap] played better than the last time we played them,” Sequim coach Greg Glasser said, referring to the Wolves’ 42-27 win in Poulsbo on Dec. 16.
“But we played better defensively than we did that time. I loved the way we shared the ball,” he said.
Sequim did share the ball well, committing most of the 12 turnovers late. Instead of letting the struggling Vikings stay in the game, Sequim patiently pounded the ball inside or, when the Vikings hounded the Wolves on the perimeter, simply drove past them for buckets or trips to the free-throw line.
“We just do our thing, play our game,” said Carter, who had three of the team’s 15 steals.
Sequim jumped out to a 17-10 lead after one quarter, 36-21 by halftime and held a comfortable, 54-31 lead after three quarters.
Then it was left to Sequim’s second-string squad, one that held the 20-point advantage despite playing some of North Kitsap’s top players.
“That last group handled the pressure really well,” Glasser said, extolling the efforts of reserves Anthony Pinza, Christian Cruz, Alex Barry, and newcomer Rory Kallappa.
Pinza and Barry each had six points, with each of Pinza’s coming on hard drives to the basket.
Despite what turned out to be a physical game, Sequim came away relatively injury-free – not a small point, considering the Wolves have played just about a half-dozen games with their starters together, and recently added several new reserves to the lineup.
“I feel like we’re starting to mesh,” Carter said.
They’ll need all the meshing they can get in the final three games of the regular season, as they take on the top three teams in the league, angling for a top seed going into subdistricts and districts in early February.
Sequim hosts Kingston at home on Feb. 3, then turns around and plays Bremerton the next evening, also at home.
The Wolves round out the regular season Feb. 7 against Port Angeles.
“We need to limit teams’ second shots,” Glasser said, summarizing Sequim’s keys to success against the Bucs, Knights and Roughriders.
Wolves bully Bulldogs
Minus their star senior, Sequim fared just fine against a struggling rival.
Carter scored a career-high 24 points as the Wolves beat up the North Mason Bulldogs 64-37 at home on Jan. 25.
Brocklesby chipped in 16 as the Wolves led wire-to-wire.
Sequim played minus injured guard Corbin Webb.
Despite Webb’s absence, Sequim scored the first 10 points of the game before the first Bulldogs tally.
Sequim led 22-9 after a quarter and 41-20 by halftime.
Carter had 19 points by the halfway mark.
Anthony Price led the Bulldogs with 12 points.
Klahowya shocks, stymies Sequim
A month after handing Klahowya its worst loss of the season, Sequim got a bit of comeuppance, losing not only an Olympic League game but also a lock on second place in the league standings.
Clark Rose went for 20 points, 17 rebounds and five assists as the Eagles topped Sequim 61-46 on Jan. 24.
“They dominated us on the glass,” Glasser said. “They played almost with a chip on their shoulder. That kind of sent a message to us. Where we need to be better … [is] on the glass. That’s where we need to dominate.”
Carter scored 19 points and Brocklesby added 12, but Sequim could never quite find the rhythm they did when they clobbered the Eagles 56-31 at home on Dec. 14.
It didn’t help Sequim’s cause that Webb suffered an apparent ankle injury in the second quarter and did not return to the game, finishing with seven points.
