*Editors note: Full game stories and photos from Thursday’s Rainshadow Rumble rivalry doubleheader will be posted online Friday and appear in Sunday’s edition of the Peninsula Daily News.
PORT ANGELES — With an outright Olympic League 2A Division girls basketball championship on the line against rival Sequim on Thursday night, Port Angeles forced a flurry of Wolves turnovers to win 61-45.
It’s the third consecutive Olympic League championship for the Roughriders (16-4), who capped a 12-0 Olympic League mark with the win.
Port Angeles will host a South Puget Sound League squad next Friday, Feb. 14 in the Rider Gym.
Sequim (10-2, 15-5) could have earned a share of its first-ever Olympic League championship with a win Thursday, but were forced into 15 first-half turnovers and Riders’ senior Mikkiah Brady hit three 3-pointers as Port Angeles went up 26-14 at halftime.
Eve Burke scored 11 of her game-high 21 points in the third quarter as the Riders extended their lead to 43-27 after three quarters.
Sequim never could cut into Port Angeles’ advantage in a significant way in the fourth quarter and buckets by Millie Long, Burke and Bailee Larson steadied the Riders in crunch time.
Brady finished with 12 points, Long 11 and Larson 10 for Port Angeles.
Jayla Julmist totaled 14 points to lead the Wolves.
Port Angeles 61, Sequim 45
Sequim 5 9 13 18— 45
Port Angeles 11 15 17 18— 61
Sequim (45) — Julmist 14, Dietzman 9, Wagner 9, Bates 5, Glasser 4, Wiker 3, Raney 1, Porter.
Port Angeles (61) — Burke 21, Brady 12, Long 11, Larson 10, Wood 5, Noel 2, Stensgard, Brown, Petty, McGoff, Walker.
Boys Basketball
Port Angeles 57, Sequim 42
PORT ANGELES — Sequim threatened Port Angeles through three quarters, taking the lead after halftime and trailing 32-29 heading to the fourth before the Roughriders cracked down defensively to earn a 57-32 Rainshadow Rumble rivalry win Thursday.
Port Angeles’ senior night victory was keyed by 15 points on five 3-pointers by junior guard Dru Clark and some fourth-quarter heroics from its cast of eight seniors.
Senior post Anton Kathol stepped out to knock down a 3-pointer to open the fourth, followed by a basket inside by senior post Damen Ringgold to give the Riders a little bit of breathing room.
Port Angeles also got two fourth-quarter treys from senior Stuart Methner and another deep ball from senior Derek Bowechop to turn a close contest into a rout.
The Riders (10-2, 15-5) are the Olympic League’s second seed to the district tournament and will host a first round West Central District contest against a South Puget Sound League squad on Thursday, Feb. 13.
Sequim (6-6, 11-9) finished tied for fourth in the league standings with Olympic (6-6, 7-12).
The two squads will play a tiebreaker playoff game Saturday at Port Townsend High School at 3:30 p.m.
Port Angeles 57, Sequim 32
Sequim 6 11 12 3— 32
Port Angeles 14 8 10 25— 57
Sequim (32) — Christiansen 9, Moore 8, Duncan 5, Despain 5, Young 5, Eaton, Ballantyne, Smithson.
Port Angeles (57) — Clark 15, Ringgold 11, Methner 9, Kathol 6 Cobb 5, Bowechop 3, Maestas 3, Johnson 3.