SEQUIM — Just when it looked like the Port Angeles boys basketball team might be down and out, the Roughriders regrouped and got some sweet revenge over the Sequim Wolves with a 56–45 win in a loser-out district playoff game.
It was nearly a year ago that Sequim eliminated Port Angeles in a winner-to-regionals, loser-out matchup, making this one especially emotional for the Roughriders.
KONP Newsradio play-by-play announcer Greg Thomas said the difference was clear.
“Hunter Flores came up huge — on the boards, on defense, shooting — he had it all, but most of all, a will to win. Port Angeles didn’t panic against the press, and Brock Hope disrupted a lot of shots inside.”
Brody Pierce and Hunter Flores shared high-point honors with 19 points each, while Brock Hope added eight.
Roughriders Abe Brenkman and Hunter Flores appear on the KONP Newsradio postgame show after Port Angeles’ district playoff win. The Roughriders are now one win away from advancing to the Sweet 16 regional round.
Now the Roughriders head right back into the pressure cooker against 15-8 Franklin Pierce.
The Cardinals are a mirror image of Clover Park and are led by athletic 6-foot-5 do-it-all guard Hakeen Collins, who averages 14 points and seven rebounds per game. During the season, Franklin Pierce beat Clover Park 60–53, then later lost to them 72–53.
Tip-off is set for 5:15 Saturday at Bremerton High School, with the winner advancing to the Sweet 16 regional round.
On the girls’ side, the Port Angeles Roughriders have a big opportunity in front of them tonight as they take on No. 4 seed, 14-7 Steilacoom in a district semifinal, with an automatic regional berth on the line. Tip-off is at 7:00 at Bainbridge High School.
KONP Newsradio will have live play-by-play with Greg Thomas, Dustin Clark, and Kylar McCaslin.
Steilacoom has beaten Orting twice this season by scores of 41–36 and 56–37. On Wednesday night, the Sentinels knocked off Sequim 44–38 in a game the Wolves played without Gracie Chartraw.
The Port Angeles girls currently hold an RPI ranking of No. 12.
A win over Steilacoom — and another win over the winner of the Fife-Bainbridge matchup in the district championship — would put the Roughriders in strong position for a high regional seed and a potential path to state. That said, beating the Spartans for a third time this season, especially on their home floor, would be no easy task.
Senior Teanna Clark and the Port Angeles Roughriders are three wins away from another trip to the state tournament in Yakima.
And finally, NWAC action tomorrow as the Peninsula College Pirate men face a must-win game at Olympic College with a 2:00 tip-off, followed by the Pirate women at 4:00.