By Oly Archibald
PORT ANGELES – In high scholl bowling action, the Roughriders beat Noth Mason 5-2. Trailing by a single pin going into the “Team Baker” scores, the Roughriders stormed ahead to win by 91 pins. Paige Pangaro recorded a Turkey on her way to a personal best of 201. Abby Robinson rolled a single game of 158 and Zoey Van Gordon bowled for an average high of 154. Also contributing to the win, were Sophie Constant, Xoey Penn and Caidence Pozcrzycki. The Roughriders have a rematch with Olympic on Monday.
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The 2023-2024 NWAC basketball season starts tonight for the 3rd ranked Peninsula Pirates women’s basketball team. It appears to be a major rebuilding season for Head coach Allison Crumb, or is it? The Pirates could not have started off with a tougher opponent traveling to Pasco to take on the 2nd ranked Columbia Basin Hawks. Both teams lost last year in the Final Four Semi Finals. The Pirates lost in a heart-breaking OT game to eventual NWAC Champion Lane College. The Pirates were the walking wounded as the game continued.
The Pirates return just 4 players off a team that went 22-5 overall and 12-2 in conference to win the North. However, very few NWAC coaches will feel sorry for Allison Crumb with the mother lode of talent she brought in from Hawaii, Alaska, Oregon, Australia and 3 home grown stars.
The Pirates returning scorer is Jenilee Donovan a 5’10” Sophomore from Barrow, Alaska. Donovan averaged 8 points per game last year and should light up the scoreboard this year. After a year of hitting the weight room Donovon will have extra attention from NWAC coaching staffs.
The Pirates also return Talia Marini the goaltending star of the Pirates soccer team. Marini is a 5’3″ sophomore from Reno, Nevada. She averaged 4 points per game last year. Sophomore forward Lupe Vaaia out of Anchorage has length and a wide wingspan and has shot the ball well in Fall camp. 5’7″ freshman Sunny Pedebone out of Anchorage redshirted last season and has a nice outside shot and is very athletic.
It seems Allison Crumb gave the other NWAC coaches the shaft by mining all the major JC recruits from Alaska. Begin with 5’11” Post Lainey Suaava out of Palmer, Alaska; throw in 6’0″ post Jelissa Julmist of Sequim and 5’11” forward Lexie Mackey from Melbourne, Australia; and the Great Wall of China has nothing on the Great Wall of the Olympics. Suaava, Julmist and Mackey have the perfect combination of size, speed and athletic ability that can dominate a game at both ends of the floor. Julmist the Sequim star who helped the Wolves to a 4th place trophy in Yakima continues to improve her foot work and post moves and looks very smooth.
Lainey Suaava Palmer, Alaska; Lexi Mackey Melbourne, Australia; and Sequim’s Jelissa Julmist will form the Great Wall of the Olympics
Besides Suuava, Crumb headed to the Brooks Range and brought back Amy Pilon a 5’7,” versatile player who can run and shoot.
Crumb also hit the Pineapple express picking off some of the best hoopsters from the Islands. You start with Ciera Agasiva a 5’6″ point guard- linebacker out of Kaliho. That is not a typo. Agasiva played linebacker for her high school football team. If that’s not enough the Honolulu newspaper rated Agasiva as the 13th best basketball player on the Islands. Shania Moanau is an intense, quick and athletic point guard that Crumb loves running her up-tempo offense.
The rich get richer with point guard Hannah Bates the 2nd Team All-State selection from Sequim. Bates forever will be remembered for hitting a layup with 3 seconds left to give the Wolves a come from behind win over Othello to claim the states 4th place trophy at the State Tournament in Yakima. Forks 5’9″ freshman Kadie Woods will also compete for time at the guard positions.
The Pirates always have long ball shooters and Crumb brought in two of the best shooters in the Northwest. You start with Allie Greene, the 2023 1B State player of the year who led her Neah Bay Red Devils to their first state championship. Greene is a shooting machine and has heated up the nets in fall camp.
Maya Rowland is a 5’4″ shooting guard out of tiny Shedd, Oregon a town of 350. Rowland, besides being a great shooter wanted to be clear that she is a Beaver fan and not a Duck!
This is a talented but very young team that might take some lumps early in the season like tonight’s game against Columbia Basin. The Hawks coached by former Yale University assistant coach Amy Sokaitis returns 3 Sophomores who scored in doubles figures last year.
Tonight’s game will be broadcast on KONP and on the stream at myclallamcounty.com. the pre-game show starts at 5:45 with the tip off at 6 pm.
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The Pirate men begin their season tonight taking on Green River at Tacoma CC. The Pirates will play Tacoma tomorrow.