PORT ANGELES — The non-league season is over for both Peninsula Pirate basketball teams.
The Pirate men closed out non-league play with an 80–67 loss at Highline on Saturday. The 1–14 Pirates once again kept things close early, trailing just 26–24 at halftime. Peninsula struggled from the floor, shooting a chilly 32 percent, while the 6–7 Thunderbirds were red-hot at 56 percent shooting.
Pirate guard Sam Tekeste was outstanding. The smallest player on the court scored 15 points and pulled down 10 rebounds. Patrick Odingo led the Pirates with 16 points. Cinco McNeal added 14, and Parker Lambert finished with 11.
Pirate guard Sam Tekeste, a 6-foot-1 freshman from Lincoln High School in Sacramento, will need another big performance to help Peninsula earn a win at Shoreline on Wednesday night.
The fifth-ranked 8–4 Pirate women now turn their attention to Northern Conference play, where they look to continue their dominance. Only Olympic, at 9–5, posted a winning record during the non-league season. Peninsula has won 40 straight conference games and has not lost since a January 14, 2023 defeat at Shoreline.
The Pirates open conference play Wednesday night at Shoreline. The Dolphins are 0–14 and dressed just seven players at the Lower Columbia College tournament, where they fell to LCC 105–22. Shoreline averages just 42 points per game while allowing 85.
Pirate guard Carliese O’Brien, a 5-foot-7 sophomore from Bethel, Alaska, turned in an outstanding three-game tournament at Lower Columbia College.
You can hear the Peninsula–Shoreline doubleheader Wednesday night on KONP Newsradio, with the men tipping off at 5:00 and the women at 7:00.
Former Pirate Millie Long scored eight points for 7–8 Fresno State in an 85–59 loss at UNLV. Long also poured in 18 points in an 86–83 loss at Colorado State.
And former Port Angeles Roughrider basketball and soccer standout Bailee Larson is now an assistant coach for the Lower Columbia College women’s basketball team in Longview.
Former Port Angeles Roughrider Bailee Larson is now an assistant women’s basketball coach at Lower Columbia College.