Photo: Red Devil players hoist the 1B state championship trophy at the Spokane Arena
By Oly Archibald
NEAH BAY — The championship town of Neah Bay is always buzzing on game nights. And when a 2A school with more than 500 additional students is making the short trip out to Cape Flattery, there’s an extra charge in the air.
Two years ago, the Port Angeles girls basketball team got swept up in one of those Cape Flattery storms — this time wearing red and black. The state 1B champion Neah Bay Red Devils jumped on the Riders early, racing out to a 24–6 lead on their way to a 60–27 win.
In fact, Neah Bay has beaten Port Angeles by an average of 22 points in their last three matchups.
These Red Devils have won three straight state championships, and their senior class carries a remarkable 71–5 record. One of those rare losses came last week — a 57–49 defeat to KingCo 3A Mercer Island — one night after Neah Bay beat 3A Jefferson 63–49.
The Neah Bay Red Devils girls basketball team celebrates another state championship.
So how does a 1B school with roughly 50 girls in the entire high school stay this dominant?
Peninsula College women’s head coach Alison Crumb has a pretty good idea. Current Red Devils coach Cherish Moss and her sister Cierra won an NWAC title under Crumb, younger sister Ryana is now a sophomore standout for the Pirates, and senior Cerise Moss is one of Crumb’s top recruiting targets.
Asked about the Neah Bay pipeline, Crumb said:
“The Neah Bay program is one of the best in the state. The kids come in competitive and wanting to win. They have the details and fundamentals that make it easy for us to plug them into our system. They’re well coached, they know how to win, and they value winning — and that’s the toughest skill to teach young players.
I’m super proud of the program and the basketball culture in Neah Bay, and we love having them come to Peninsula. It’s been a decade-long partnership I hope lasts a long time.”
The Red Devils are led by sharpshooter Q Greene, averaging 15 points per game while hitting 32% from beyond the arc. Cerise Moss adds 13 points a night and shoots a blistering 36% from three.
Senior Angel Halttunen is one of the top athletes and defenders in the state, averaging 10 points per game and anchoring the defense.
Senior Nu Nu Martin adds 9 points per game, and sophomore Caylee Moss chips in 6.
Visitors entering Neah Bay pass the Red Devils’ state championship sign, now displaying eight titles.
You can hear the live broadcast tomorrow night on KONP Newsradio, with pregame at 4:45 and tipoff at 5:00.
High School Bowling:
Bremerton edged Port Angeles 5–3 yesterday, but it was a record-setting day for Zoey Van Gordan. She broke the Roughriders’ single-game record of 217 — previously held by Abby Robinson — by rolling a 224. Zoey added a 147 in game two.
Izzy Spencer rolled a personal-best 158 and picked up her first career turkey.