PORT ANGELES — It was a little rusty at times as the Peninsula College women’s basketball team played its first actual game in nearly a month, but the Pirates rode a stifling defense and five 3-pointers from Neah Bay’s Allie Greene for a 61-46 North Region opener against Whatcom.

The Pirates last played Dec. 16 and it might have showed a bit as the team had 16 turnovers, and other than Greene, shot 2-for-21 from 3-point range and 8-for-16 from the free-throw line.

But the Pirates held Whatcom to 29.5 percent shooting from the floor (18-for-61) and outrebounded them 41 to 26.

Coach Alison Crumb felt her team played “awesome” all things considered. The Pirates won their fourth straight and improved their season record to 8-2.

“We made mistakes and had some lulls. I actually expected a little bit more of that,” she said. She was especially pleased with the play of Greene, who shot 5-for-9 from 3-point range.

“She can shoot, man,” she said.

The Pirates got up 17-5 after the first quarter, allowing Whatcom to shoot just 1-for-9 from the floor. They only allowed seven points in the first 13 minutes of the game and held a commanding 33-16 lead at the half.

“We’re definitely prideful in our defense. Our offense can come and go,” she said.

“[Working on defense] that’s 80 percent of our practices,” said forward Alexa Mackey, who had an ice pack to her head after the game after getting hit with an elbow. She had a solid all-around game with eight points and nine rebounds, leading the team.

Whatcom rallied in the third quarter, going on a 14-5 run to cut the lead down to 38-30. The Pirates responded with two straight baskets by Talia Marini and four points from Mackey to get the lead quickly back up to 50-33. A 3-point dagger by Greene with 5:55 left in the game made it 57-38 as the Orcas never threatened again.

Mackey said the team fully expected Whatcom to make a run in the second half.

“We had a bit of a dip there, but we came out of it,” Mackey said.

Mackey said the team held scrimmages against themselves “to keep our competition up,” over the long winter break.

Ciera Tugade Agasiva scored 11 and Jenilee Donovan scored 10. Shania Moananu made some great passes, tallying eight assists.

Peninsula (1-0, 8-2) next plays at Edmonds (1-0, 7-5) at 2 p.m. Saturday.

Peninsula 61, Whatcom 46

Whatcom 5 11 17 13 — 46

Peninsula 17 16 11 17 — 61

Whatcom (46) — Ostrander 11, James 11, Miller 10, Medico 4, Murrell 3, Zamora 2, Sanchez 2, Huntington 2, Kantarevic 1.

Peninsula (61) — Greene 15, Agasiva 11, Donovan 10, Mackey 8, Moananu 6, Marini 4, Bates 2, Suaava 2, Vaaia 2, Julmist 1.

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Sports Editor Pierre LaBossiere can be contacted at 360-417-3525 or sports@peninsuladailynews.com.

KEITH THORPE/PENINSULA DAILY NEWS Peninsula’s Jelissa Julmist, a graduate of Sequim High School, passes over the heads of Whatcom’s Michaela Medico, left, and Alexa Rodriguez during Wednesday’s game in Port Angeles.

KEITH THORPE/PENINSULA DAILY NEWS Peninsula’s Alexa Mackey drives to the lane as Whatcom’s Haley Ostrander tries to defend on Wednesday night at Peninsula College.

KEITH THORPE/PENINSULA DAILY NEWS Peninsula’s Ciera Agasiva, left, slips into the corner as Whatcom’s Kyla Miller ties to hold her off on Wednesday night in Port Angeles.