By Oly Archibald
PORT ANGELES — In high school basketball action, Port Angeles girls coach Mike Poindexter might want to petition the WIAA to hold the Sweet 16 Regional at the historic UPS Fieldhouse every year.
For the second consecutive season, the Roughriders knocked off a King County team at UPS to punch their ticket to the State Tournament in Yakima.
The 18-6 Roughriders rolled past 21-4 Renton 52-29 in a game they controlled early and were never seriously threatened.
Port Angeles jumped out to a 14-4 first-quarter lead, with Morgan Politika hitting shots early. Senior point guard Teanna Clark was relentless in the first half, attacking the rim and knocking down wide-open jumpers. Even though the Red Hawks spent extra time in the film room trying to find a way to slow her down, Clark poured in 16 first-half points.
After Clark hit her third three-pointer, Renton head coach Earl Cheatem called timeout and emphatically reminded his team that number 10 was the player they had game-planned to stop.
The Riders led 29-16 at halftime and 35-22 after three quarters.
Port Angeles stretched the lead to 18 points, and although Renton trimmed it to seven with two minutes left, the Roughriders quickly put the game away.
Clark finished with 17 points and controlled the game on both ends of the floor. Considering the opponent and the stakes, it may have been her best performance of the season.
Senior Lindsay Smith battled inside and, when established on the low block, was dominant. She scored nine points and likely prevented just as many with her defensive presence.
Junior Morgan Politika sparked the early offense and finished with seven points. Sariah Doherty added seven hard-earned points.
Coach Poindexter also praised senior Becca Manson, who played through a nasty cold this week. Manson crashed the boards and went a perfect 4-for-4 from the free-throw line in the closing minutes.
Mikkhia Stevens knocked down a three, while Kenzie Moses and London Bourland each added two points and provided quality minutes.
Next up, the Roughriders face fifth-seeded Archbishop Murphy, also 18-6, Wednesday at the Yakima Sundome with a 12:15 tip-off.
The Wildcats are led by one of the top five players in the state — 5-foot-8 senior shooting guard Brooke Blachly, who has signed with Division I Santa Clara and averages 30 points per game.
Archbishop Murphy senior shooting guard Brooke Blachly averages 30 points per game and has signed with Division I Santa Clara University.
We’ll have a full scouting report on the Roughrider–Wildcat matchup tomorrow.
Seniors Teanna Clark, Kenzie Moses, Mikkhia Stevens, and Becca Manson join the KONP Newsradio postgame show to reflect on their season and preview their upcoming trip to the state tournament.
Roughrider senior Teanna Clark is interviewed on the KONP Newsradio postgame show by Greg Thomas and her father, Roughrider head football coach Dustin Clark.