SEQUIM — Postgame team dinner never tasted so good for the Sequim girls basketball team.
Eight years of rivalry rejection were washed away when Sequim’s Jordan Miller drained a pressure-packed 3-pointer with 5 seconds remaining to give the Wolves a 35-33 victory over the Roughriders on Friday.
Sequim’s win ended a 14-game losing streak to Port Angeles dating to January 2007.
“We try to take it one game at a time, but after practice [Thursday] we talked about how we wanted this [game] more and that we really needed it more,” Miller said before heading to the hard-earned team meal.
The contest was tight the entire way, with Port Angeles getting out to a 9-5 lead after one quarter, fueled in part by a 2-2-1 defensive trap in the backcourt that didn’t quite give Sequim fits, but did force extra focus from the Wolves’ ball-handlers.
“That wasn’t necessarily designed to draw steals, but instead drain time off the shot clock and make them work faster to setup their offense,” Riders coach Michael Poindexter said.
“Unfortunately, we got in foul trouble and had to call that off, otherwise we would have probably kept it on all game.”
The foul trouble, two first-quarter violations on Port Angeles post Nizhoni Wheeler, freed up the inside and the Wolves took advantage.
Sequim (3-2, 6-6) forwards Victoria Cummins, Adrienne Haggerty and Elise Beuke all scored down low as the Wolves took an 18-13 lead into halftime.
A basket by Miller early in the third quarter gave Sequim its largest lead of the night, 20-13, but the Riders battled back with baskets by sophomore Katyn Flores and freshman Natalie Steinman and a free throw by Lauren Lunt tying the game at 22-all with 3:59 left in the third.
The Wolves closed out the period with a 6-0 run, capped by a line-drive, buzzer-beating 3-pointer from McKenzie Bentz to close the third quarter and give Sequim a 28-22 lead entering the fourth.
To earn the win, Sequim had to hold back a frenzied Riders rally down the stretch.
After a slow start to the fourth quarter, Poindexter was whistled for a technical foul with 4:57 left.
“I felt we were a little deflated, our shoulders were slumping and we needed a jolt,” Poindexter said.
Port Angeles (1-3, 5-7) did seem to perk up after Sequim’s Caitlin Stofferahn knocked down the two free throws to put the Wolves up 31-25.
But quick baskets by Maddie Boe and Wheeler put the Riders down 31-29 with 4 minutes remaining as they went back to the 2-2-1 back-court pressure.
Wheeler hit two free throws with 2:04 to go bring Port Angeles to within 32-31.
Something peculiar occurred on the Wolves’ next possession.
Port Angeles defended well and the shot clock read “0” when the ball was poked out of bounds with 1:28 to play.
“We’ve had this issue come up before,” Sequim coach Evan Still said.
“The shot-clock buzzer is really high-pitched, and with the crowd going on both sides, I just don’t think the refs could hear it.”
The Wolves couldn’t muster a shot on the inbounds play, and the Riders were unable to get a good look on their next possession.
Hayley Baxley then came through with a steal for Port Angeles and Flores found Wheeler down low for a bucket and a 33-32 lead with 28 seconds left.
Flores, Wheeler and Lunt led the Riders in scoring with six points apiece.
Following Wheeler’s bucket, the Wolves called timeout to setup a last shot with 18 seconds to go.
Still said he didn’t put any restrictions on the final play, wanting his players to look inside for a potential shot first before putting up a long jumper.
“Jordan even asked in the huddle if she was open [for a 3] if she should take it,” Still said.
Sequim worked the ball around the perimeter, with first Bentz then Kylee Williams eyeing Stofferahn, who led all scorers with 11 points, Haggerty and Cummins down low.
The Riders’ 2-3 zone sagged inward to protect the close shot and Williams rifled a right-to-left pass across the arc to a waiting and wide-open Miller.
“We had too many people swarming the ball on that play, but given the time and score, I can’t get too upset about it,” Poindexter said.
Miller said the Wolves were on the same page on where to go for their final shot.
“We knew we were down one and we were looking to get it in close for a shot,” Miller said.
“We wanted to pass the ball around as much as you can, but if there was an open 3 to not hesitate to take that shot.
“Nobody got out on me and Kylee swung the pass and I took the shot.”
Port Angeles had a chance in the final seconds but a half-court shot by Boe fell short at the buzzer.
Despite the defeat, a drained Poindexter had plenty of praise for his players.
“I’ve been coaching for 30 years, and I’m not sure that I’ve been prouder of a team,” he said.
“We have words that we try to embody out on the floor — moxie, grit, pluck — and I thought we were the epitome of those tonight.”
Still told his happy group of players after the game, “there’s no other locker room I’d rather be in and no group of players I’d rather coach.”
“What a shot by Jordan,” Still said. “The biggest shot she’s ever hit and one she’s certain to remember for years to come.
“Oh, definitely,” Miller said. “I’ve never hit a game-winner before.”
Until now.
Sequim 35, Port Angeles 33
Port Angeles 9 4 9 11— 33
Sequim 5 13 10 7— 35
Individual scoring
Port Angeles (33)
Wheeler 6, Flores 6, Lunt 6, Baxley 5, Johnson 4, Steinman 4, Boe 2.
Sequim (35)
Stofferahn 11, Cummins 9, Haggerty 5, Miller 5, Bentz 3, Beuke 2.
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Sports reporter Michael Carman can be contacted at 360-452-2345, ext. 5250 or at mcarman@peninsualdailynews.com.
