PHOTO: Pirates 5’6″ Sophomore Ciera Agasiva leads a 22-2 Pirate team that is a legitimate Final Four team into the NWAC tournament today at Noon.
BY OLY ARCHIBALD
PASCO — The Peninsula Pirates women’s basketball team, ranked third in the NWAC, is set to begin its tournament run today against the Chemeketa Storm. With an impressive 22-2 record, the Pirates enter the matchup as strong contenders, while the Storm, the fourth seed from the South Conference, come in at 19-10. Tip-off is scheduled for noon at Columbia Basin College in Pasco.
These two teams have already met once this season at the Pirate Classic, where Peninsula dominated with a 73-55 victory. Statistically, Chemeketa averages 69 points per game while allowing 61, whereas Peninsula boasts a 76-point scoring average, ranking fourth in the NWAC, and holds opponents to just 53 points per game, the third-best defense in the league.
The Storm rely on the play of Maddy Diaz, a 5’7″ sophomore from Salem, Oregon, who leads the team with 14 points per game, along with Annie Bafford, a 5’10” sophomore from Canby, Oregon, who contributes 12 points per contest. Meanwhile, Peninsula showcases an impressive mix of backcourt and frontcourt talent. The Hawaiian guard duo of Ciera Agasiva and Shania Moanunu brings both skill and athleticism, averaging 12 and 10 points per game, respectively. In the paint, the Pirates feature what is arguably the best frontline in the NWAC. Alecsis Smith, a 6’3″ freshman, leads the charge with 16 points and 8 rebounds per game, while Jelissa Julmist, a former Sequim Wolf, adds a strong presence at 5’11” with 10 points and 9 rebounds per game. Lexie Mackey, a 5’10” sophomore, puts up 13 points and 7 rebounds per game, and Makena Patrick, another 5’10” freshman, contributes 8 points and 6 rebounds. The Pirates also get solid production from Ryana Moss, a 5’6″ freshman and former Neah Bay Red Devil, who has been a consistent scorer at 8 points per game.
The stakes are high, as the winner of today’s game will advance to the Quarterfinals tomorrow at 2:00 PM, where they will face the winner of the matchup between South Puget Sound, the third seed from the West, and Big Bend, the second seed from the East. A victory in that round would send the team to the Final Four next weekend.
—
Meanwhile, the 2A State Basketball Tournament is also getting underway at the Yakima SunDome. This afternoon at 2:00 PM, the Sequim Wolves boys team, with a 20-4 record, will take on Mark Morris, who sits at 20-5.
The Wolves will need big games from Ethan Melnick and Jamison Gray to knock off Mark Morris at the state tournament today at 2:00.
Later in the evening, at 5:30 PM, the Port Angeles Roughriders girls squad, coming in at 18-6, will battle Columbia River, a 20-4 team. Fans can catch both Sequim and Port Angeles games live on KONP Newsradio as they chase state tournament success.
Roughrider guards Makkhia Stevens and Morgan Politika will face a fast in your face full court press from Columbia River today at the Yakima Sundome.
Columbia River Head Coach T Anderson has the Rapids in the state tournament for the 3rd straight season and tips off against Port Angeles at 5:30.