By Oly Archibald
The fifth-ranked Peninsula Pirate women saw their Northern Conference, 43-game winning streak pushed to the brink last night, but behind the hot shooting of former Neah Bay Red Devil Ryana Moss, the Pirates escaped Bellevue with a 63–60 come-from-behind win.
Peninsula trailed by one with under a minute to play when Moss knocked down a three-pointer from the left baseline. Moss finished with 17 points, hitting four three-pointers and adding three clutch free throws down the stretch.
It was a typical Peninsula–Bellevue grind-it-out finish that came down to the final seconds.
The Pirate heroes were many. Point guard Carliese O’Brien was outstanding with nine points, six rebounds, four assists, and two steals. Kimberlee Brown added six points and six rebounds, while Alecsis Smith came up big late, scoring 11 points with seven rebounds, many of them in the final five minutes. Aspen Fraser chipped in seven points and nine rebounds.
Former Neah Bay Red Devil Ryana Moss hits a crucial three-point shot late, lifting the Peninsula Pirates to a 63–60 win over Bellevue.
Freshman Veniza Jackson, again gave the Pirates quality minutes off the bench. Jackson scored six points, including four from the free-throw line.
The Pirates struggled at the stripe, hitting just 15 of 29 free throws, but improved to 3–0 in conference play and 11–5 overall. They return home Saturday for a 4:00 tip-off against Edmonds.
Pirates sophomore point guard Carliese O’Brien delivered an outstanding performance in Peninsula’s 63–60 victory over Bellevue, as the Pirates extended their Northern Conference winning streak to 43 games.
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On the men’s side, the Pirates ran into the fifth-ranked, 16–2 Bellevue Bulldogs, who played like a top-five NWAC team in a 77–37 win. Peninsula competed early but trailed 34–20 at halftime.
Sam Tekeste led the Pirates with eight points. Patrick O’Dingo and Parker Lambert scored seven points each, while Paxton Heitsch battled inside with five points, 10 rebounds, two assists, and three blocked shots. The Pirate men host Edmonds Saturday at 2:00.
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In swimming action, Port Angeles made big waves in Poulsbo, defeating North Kitsap 128–57. Miles Van Denburg qualified for state in the 200 IM and also won the 500 freestyle. Thomas Jones captured the 200 freestyle and 100 backstroke, Patrick Ross won the 100 butterfly, and Edward Gillespie took first in both the 100 freestyle and 100 breaststroke. The Roughriders also swept the 200 medley, 200 freestyle, and 400 freestyle relays.
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And in boys high school basketball, Port Angeles defeated North Kitsap 61–47.