PORT ANGELES — Peninsula College handed then-No. 1 Skagit Valley its first NWAC North Region men’s basketball loss of the season last month on the road, so it stood to reason the Cardinals would be out for revenge.
Skagit Valley did just that, scoring the game’s first nine points, running out to 15-1 and 38-14 first-half leads, and never looking back in beating the Pirates 86-64 at home Wednesday night.
The loss moved Peninsula (7-5, 14-13) into a tie for second in the NWAC North with Skagit Valley (7-5, 22-5) two games behind Edmonds (9-3, 19-8) with two left to play.
Everett (6-6) and Whatcom (6-6) also are in the mix for one of four NWAC Tournament seeds out of the North.
The Pirate men control their own destiny, needing wins on Sophomore Day on Saturday at 4 p.m. against Everett and/or at Shoreline on Wednesday to secure their spot in the tournament.
Peninsula closed within 11, trailing Skagit Valley 51-40 with 16:58 left in the second half, but the Pirates would come no closer.
Javon Ervin led Peninsula with 32 points, knocking down 11 of 21 shots including 5-for-7 on 3-pointers.
Ese Onakpoma added 17 points, eight rebounds, three steals, two assists and a block for the Pirates.
Skagit Valley 86, Peninsula 64
Skagit Valley 49 37 — 86
Peninsula 33 31 — 64
Skagit Valley (86) — Drinkwine 23, Williams 19, Bilodeau 12, Hayes 12, Jackson 11, Maxwell 5, Russ 2, Meyer 2.
Peninsula (64) — Ervin 32, Onakpoma 17, Odum 6, Odingo 4, Dunning 3, Rushmeyer 2.
Peninsula’s Aiden Olmstead, right, tries to hold off the advances of Skagit Valley’s Mathew Russ on Wednesday in Port Angeles. (Keith Thorpe/Peninsula Daily News)
Peninsula’s Antonio Odum, center, finds himself mobbed by Skagit Valley’s Jacob Bilodeau, left, and Cinque Maxwell, resulting in a jump ball on Wednesday night in Port Angeles. (Keith Thorpe/Peninsula Daily News)
Peninsula’s DeShawn Rushmeyer, left, shoulders into Skagit Valley’s Mathew Russ on Wednesday at Peninsula College. (Keith Thorpe/Peninsula Daily News)
Peninsula’s Jason Ervin, right, is held off by Skagit Valley’s Sylas Williams, left, and Connor Drinkwine on Wednesday night in Port Angeles. (Keith Thorpe/Peninsula Daily News)
