BELLEVUE — The Peninsula College men’s basketball team suffered a rare loss to the Bellevue Bulldogs on Saturday night.
The Bulldogs scored 61 points in the second half to outlast the Pirates 94-84 and tighten up the North Division standings.
Whatcom stands alone at top with a 6-1 record while Peninsula is right behind at 6-2 and Bellevue is third at 5-2.
The Pirates, who had a four-game winning streak snapped, are 16-3 overall while the Bulldogs improve to 15-2.
Bellevue’s Keaton Hayenga won a scoring duel with Peninsula’s Dudley Ewell, 29-28.
Hayenga made 11 of 14 field goals, are close up, and 7 of 8 in free throws while Ewell made 10 of 16 field goals, 4 of 7 from 3-point range.
Ewell also was 4 for 4 in free throws.
Three Pirates scored in double figures with J.T.Terrell sinking 21 points and Sam Waller adding 11.
Jonathan Humphrie netted 19 for the Bulldogs while teammate Rex Nelson swished in 15.
Bellevue muscled the Pirates off the boards, winning the rebound war 44-26.
Hayenga and Laszio Miller had nine boards each while Ewell led the Pirates with eight.
Hayenga ruled the inside with five blocked shots.
Waller led the Pirates with four steals and four assists.
Eric Turner had a game-high five assists for the Bulldogs.
The Pirates next host Seattle on Wednesday.
Women’s Basketball
Bellevue 72, Peninsula 61, OT
BELLEVUE — Perhaps the biggest comeback in Peninsula College women’s basketball history did not result in a victory, but it may have provided a turning point for the Pirates, who previously were not convinced they are among the NWAACC’s best.
In the first meeting of the season between two teams deadlocked in second place in the North Division, the Pirates did not seem to believe they belonged there in a rough first half that saw them shoot only 14 percent from the field, leaving them trailing 42-17 at the break.
Coach Ali Crumb got her team re-energized at halftime and the Pirates came out of the locker room determined to live up to the slogan they wear on their T-shirts: “Together, all out, all game, all season.”
While some teams might have folded, the Pirates dominated the Bulldogs in a complete reversal of the first half, outscoring the hosts 42-17 and playing “all out” on defense, as a nice crowd of Peninsula fans who made the trip were on their feet for much of the amazing run.
The Pirates managed to tie it at 59-59 on a layup by Taylor Larson and a Jesse Ellis free throw — and almost won it.
Jasmine Yarde got off a 3-point shot from the wing that was all the way inside the cylinder when it popped out, giving Bellevue the ball for the final possession.
The Bulldogs got off two shots before Tia Mason ripped down a game-saving rebound to send the contest into overtime.
Unfortunately, the Pirates had been playing with the pedal to the metal for 20 minutes, hitting 50 percent of their shots, and they just couldn’t get their shots to fall in the overtime period, as the Bulldogs dominated the key and took advantage of second-shot opportunities to put the game out of reach in overtime with a 13-2 advantage.
Ellis had a big night for the Pirates, leading the way with 20 points, nine rebounds and four steals.
Larson had another double-double with 14 points and 15 boards, Abby Jones had 12 points and nine boards, and Yarde finished with 10.
Mason also had a big game for the Pirates defensively.
Look for the momentum of that second-half effort to carry into the second half of conference play, which begins Wednesday when the Pirates (5-2, 11-6) host Seattle (3-5, 5-11) at 5 p.m.
Bellevue now sits alone in second at 6-1, 14-4.