SEQUIM — Isaiah Moore buried an elbow jumper to reclaim the lead and drained a pair of pressure-packed free throws with 12.3 seconds left to lift Sequim to a 60-57 triumph over Port Angeles — and kick off a subsequent storming of the court by the Wolves student section.
— Michael Carman (@MikeCarmanPDN) February 3, 2023
Sequim 60, Port Angeles 57 final. #wabkbscores pic.twitter.com/vcLykq0MjS
— Michael Carman (@MikeCarmanPDN) February 3, 2023
The Rainshadow Rumble rivalry victory snapped a 14-game losing streak to the Roughriders and came a little over six years to the day of Sequim’s last boys basketball triumph over Port Angeles on Jan. 29, 2016.
“I’ve been wanting to beat PA forever, every year they just piss me off,” an exhausted Moore said after the game. “I think it was because our work ethic and the thought we put into this.
“We knocked down some huge shots. That was probably the best game we played together.”
Thursday’s contest also served as senior night for the Wolves and everybody on the roster stepped up to make it happen.
“It seems like everybody who went into the game instantly did something for us,” Sequim coach Craig Brooks said.
Outside shooting sparked Sequim in the first half as Keenan Green drained three of the Wolves’ six triples. Green went on to lead the team with 13 points.
Port Angeles, meanwhile, found success getting the ball inside to junior post Isaiah Shamp early on. Shamp had 10 of his 14 points in the first half as the two teams went to the break tied at 32-all.
Sequim made it’s move in the third quarter, clamping down on the Riders defensively to force a number of turnovers and wasted Port Angeles possessions.
“It was our defense, letting our defense create some offense there,” Brooks said. “We kept turning them over and we played the passing lanes well and had a lot of deflections.”
A spark came off the bench in the form of Lars Wiker. Wiker missed the first shot he took, a 3-pointer, but followed his shot and was fouled, draining his two free throws to lift Sequim.
“Lars Wiker doesn’t play in the first half, he comes in lights out and immediately sparks us with some foul shots,” Brooks said.
The Wolves went on an 11-4 run over the final half of the third quarter, bookended by Zach Thompson’s 3 from the top of the key and Brett Mote’s corner triple just before the third quarter buzzer, to take a 52-45 lead into the fourth quarter.
“Brett was huge for us tonight,” Moore said of the recently returned Mote, who played his freshman season in Sequim before moving to Florida.
Sequim’s aggressive defense did net the Wolves plenty of fouls — Port Angeles was in the double bonus and shooting two free throws with every fourth quarter personal foul. The Riders managed to hit 4 of 6 from the line in the final frame.
The Wolves managed to limit Shamp’s touches in the paint in the second half and mostly stayed in front of Riders’ leading scorer Parker Nickerson.
“We did what we set out to do but we did it better,” Brooks said of his squad’s defensive performance after halftime. “Another strength of this team is to improve on their mistakes.”
Nickerson scored a game-high 23 points, despite being saddled with three fouls in the first half. But the junior, who hit for 42 against Kingston on Tuesday, was bumped, battered and sent to the floor a number of times to achieve his total.
“We just wanted to get him out of his comfort zone, get him mad,” Moore said of Nickerson.
Brooks said the Wolves tried to limit Nickerson’s touches close in.
“We tried to get the ball out of his hands,” Brooks said. “He got in foul trouble in the first half and that hurt them a little bit. It took intensity, team defense, not letting him back us down and not letting him close to the basket.”
Port Angeles was able to take a short-lived 57-56 lead when Nickerson hit a trey from the right side with 1:37 to go. But Moore answered swiftly to reclaim the lead and hit free throws to make it a 3-point game with 12.3 to play.
The Riders managed to get Nickerson open around a screen for a potential game-tying 3, but the shot rimmed off and the Wolves’ celebration soon followed.
“We didn’t play very well, we didn’t take care of the ball, we had too many careless turnovers and ultimately, we didn’t deserve to win the game,” Port Angeles coach Kasey Ulin said. “We are going to use this as a learning moment to get refocused for the postseason and really improve on the things that we value.”
Brooks said he was proud of his seniors.
“I’m so happy for them, this was huge for them, their senior night, the last time against Port Angeles,” Brooks said. “We describe it like this, a season is a lifetime. At the start in November we were an infant baby, and now we are maturing at the right time and it’s awesome to see.”
The Wolves (7-7, 10-10) and Port Angeles (11-3, 13-8) will await their seeds into the 16-team District 2/3 Basketball Tournament which begins Feb. 15.
Sequim 60, Port Angeles 57
PA 16 16 13 12— 57
Sequim 17 15 20 8— 60
Port Angeles (57) — Nickerson 23, Shamp 14, Long 7, Townsend 4, Dunning 3, Hoch 3, Halberg 2, Seera 1.
Sequim (60) — Green 13, Mote 12, Thompson 11, Moore 11, Carrizosa 7, Wiker 2, Grider 2, Smithson 2.
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Sports reporter/columnist Michael Carman can be contacted at mcarman@peninsuladailynews.com.
Michael Dashiell/Olympic Peninsula News Group Sequim’s Vince Carrizosa eyes the rim while defended by Port Angeles’ Dallas Dunning during the Wolves’ 60-57 win Thursday in Sequim.
Michael Dashiell/Olympic Peninsula News Group Sequim’s Vince Carrizosa eyes the rim while defended by Port Angeles’ Dallas Dunning during the Wolves’ 60-57 win Thursday in Sequim.
Michael Dashiell/Olympic Peninsula News Group Sequim’s Isaiah Moore shoots while defended by Port Angeles’ Parker Dunning (obscured) and Isaiah Shamp during the Wolves’ 60-57 win Thursday in Sequim.
