PHOTO: Port Angeles and Renton will meet at the historic UPS Fieldhouse tomorrow night at 6:00 in a Sweet 16 regional matchup
By Oly Archibald
PORT ANGELES — Tomorrow night, the No. 12 seed 17-6 Port Angeles girls basketball team will take on No. 13 seed 21-3 Renton in a Sweet 16 regional matchup. The winner punches their ticket to the state tournament in Yakima on Wednesday.
The 21-3 Renton Red Hawks have improved dramatically from last season’s 9-16 record, even though they start three freshmen
The Red Hawks and Roughriders do have postseason history.
In 2023, Renton knocked off Port Angeles 44-42 in the first round of district play after the Riders blew a 14-point third-quarter lead, sending them to the losers bracket. The two teams met again two weeks later in the Sweet 16 regional, with Renton winning that one 47-40.
In 2024, the Roughriders suffered a tough 37-36 district loss to Sammamish in a game many felt they had the talent to win. That was followed by another difficult Sweet 16 regional loss to West Valley of Spokane, 48-41.
Last year, in a close, hard-fought game, the Roughriders finally punched their ticket to Yakima with a 44-38 win over Cedarcrest. Renton, meanwhile, went 9-16 but beat Cedarcrest and Sultan in district play to reach the Sweet 16, where the Red Hawks fell to North Mason 44-30.
For Port Angeles to beat a very young Renton team that starts three freshmen, the formula is simple: play strong defense, limit turnovers, and have point guard Teanna Clark attack the paint — getting to the rim, hitting floaters, drawing fouls, or feeding Lindsay Smith on the low block.
The Roughriders will need a big game from senior point guard Teanna Clark tomorrow night, seen here on last year’s KONP Newsradio postgame show following the win over Bainbridge.
Tipoff is set for 6:00 p.m. at the University of Puget Sound Fieldhouse — the same court where the Roughriders beat Cedarcrest in last year’s Sweet 16 regional.
KONP Newsradio will carry the live broadcast, with Oly Archibald on play-by-play, Greg Thomas providing color commentary, and Dustin Clark as game analyst. The pregame show begins at 5:45.
Fans can make it a full evening of basketball at UPS. At 4:00, Bainbridge’s boys face Foster, and at 8:00, defending state champion Bremerton takes on Renton.