BY OLY ARCHIBALD
PORT ANGELES — It was another big weekend for high school and NWAC sports, with the Port Angeles bowling team and the Peninsula Pirates basketball teams emerging as the big winners.
The Roughriders bowling team placed 4th at the league tournament to qualify for the district tournament. Individually, Zoey Van Gordon placed 3rd with a three-game total of 468, and Xoey Penn bowled a 464 for 4th place. Both Roughriders scored above their season averages.
The other five Roughriders heading to District are Sarah Butterworth, Leilah Franich, Kenadie Ring, Izzy Spencer, and Lucy Townsend.
.
Roughrider bowlers Xoey Penn placed 4th, and Zoey Van Gordon placed 3rd at the Olympic League bowling tournament. The district tournament begins Saturday in Lakewood.
The Sequim Wolves placed 6th but still qualified five bowlers for District. The district tournament is scheduled for Saturday at Lakewood.
—
In NWAC basketball action, the 3rd-ranked 14-2 (6-0) Peninsula Pirates won their 13th straight game, blowing out Everett 76-39. The Pirates jumped out to a 35-17 halftime lead and sealed the game with a 26-8 third-quarter run.
Former Copperhead Makena Patrick, a 5’9″ freshman from Anaconda High School in western Montana, dominated the Trojans with 15 points, 14 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 steals. With Pirate post players Jelissa Julmist dealing with a foot issue and Alecsis Smith potentially out for the season, Patrick has stepped up, averaging 8 points and 6 rebounds per game.
Pirate sophomore Makena Patrick had another strong performance with 15 points and 14 rebounds in a 76-39 win over Everett.
Lexie Mackey, a serious contender for Northern Conference Player of the Year, scored 14 points and grabbed 13 rebounds. Ciera Agasiva had another solid game with 14 points and 6 rebounds. Carliese O’Brien and Jelissa Julmist each contributed 8 points.
The Pirates travel to Shoreline (4-15) on Wednesday for a 5:00 p.m. tip-off, and that game will be broadcast on KONP Newsradio.
—
The Pirate men (9-10, 3-3) earned a hard-fought come-from-behind win over Everett, 73-68. The Pirates trailed 38-35 at halftime.
Jaiden Blackmon led the Pirates with 22 points, 9 rebounds, and 3 assists. Isaiah Lopez scored 13 points, and Akeem Sulaiman added 13 points, 12 rebounds, and 3 steals.
The Pirates travel to Shoreline (3-3, 7-10) on Wednesday for a critical conference game that will also be broadcast on KONP Newsradio, with a 7:00 p.m. tip-off.
—
In high school basketball action, the 3rd-ranked Sequim Wolves lost a heartbreaker in a raucous, full-to-capacity gymnasium at 10th-ranked Bainbridge, 57-51. The Wolves led for most of the second half; however, in the last three minutes, the Spartans hit clutch outside shots, while the Wolves did not.
Despite facing a box-and-one defense, Wolves sophomore Jericho Julmist scored 15 points. Senior Ethan Melnick had his best game of the season, dominating the boards and scoring 11 points. Solomon Sheppard added 10 points, Mason Rapelje scored 8 points, and Jamison Grey played well off the bench with 4 points.
The Wolves (8-2) are now ranked 4th in the RPI poll. Bremerton is ranked 7th and leads the league with a 9-1 record. Bainbridge is tied with Sequim at 8-2 and holds an 8th-place ranking.
The Roughrider girls won a very rare doubleheader over Olympic, 41-36 and 39-28. The first game was a continuation of the game at Olympic that had been suspended due to a leaky roof in the fourth quarter.
Roughriders Cayleigh Alward and Mikkhia Stevens have a big game tomorrow night at North Kitsap. That game will be broadcast on KONP Newsradio
The Roughriders are 7-3 and in 3rd place, one game behind North Kitsap (8-2). The Roughriders can move into 2nd place with a win at North Kitsap tomorrow night. That game will be broadcast on KONP Newsradio with a 7:00 p.m. tip-off.
In other games, the Sequim girls lost to Bainbridge 76-22. Freshman Kaira Robinson hit three three-pointers for 9 points. Libby Turrella scored 7 points, and Taylor Heyting contributed 5 points.
The Roughrider boys defeated Olympic 86-51. No stats were provided by the Roughrider coaching staff.
—
In swimming action, the Roughriders sank Bremerton 131-51. The three Roughrider relay teams—the 200 medley, the 200 relay, and the 400 freestyle—each placed 1st. Individual 1st-place finishers included Miles Van Denburg (200 freestyle), Finn Thompson (50 freestyle and 100 backstroke), Grant Butterworth (diving), Isaac Meek (100 freestyle), Thomas Jones (500 freestyle), and Edward Gillespie (100 breaststroke).