PORT TOWNSEND — Port Townsend seniors Jewel Johnson, Jayde Richardson and Rilke Rutenbeck scored in double figures to lead the Redskins to a 51-43 Senior Night victory over Bremerton.
Tuesday night’s game also served as the final home game for longtime coach Randy Maag, who will step away from the program after this season.
“It was a good way for the seniors and myself to go out, a very enjoyable win,” Maag said.
“We are playing our best basketball of the year right now.”
The Redskins (6-9, 9-10) jumped on Bremerton early, rolling out to a 15-4 lead after one period.
“Rilke [Rutenbeck] hit four of five in the first quarter and scored eight points,” Maag said of what keyed the early advantage.
“Bremerton tried to focus on Jewel Johnson and shut her out and she was able to get it to Rilke or to Jayde Richardson, and between the three they [Bremerton] just didn’t know where to go on defense.”
Johnson and Richardson achieved double-doubles, with Johnson dropping 18 points doling out 10 assists while Richardson had 16 points and 13 rebounds as the Redskins readied themselves for the postseason.
Rutenbeck finished with 11 for Port Townsend.
The Olympic League’s leading scorer Sawyer Kluge was held to just seven points for the Knights.
“We just did it through our 3-2 zone,” Maag said when asked if there was any special defense drafted to contain Kluge.
“Whenever she went through on offense we designated a girl to follow her to the corner and just limited her touches as much as possible, and I don’t think she took more than eight shots all game.”
Maag is stepping down after 10 years as head coach of the girls basketball team and 10 years as an assistant for the Redskins’ boys program.
“It’s not burnout and I’m not tired of coaching,” Maag said of his decision to step aside.
“I wanted to see this group of seniors through [high school] and there are some work issues, traveling back and forth to Tacoma,” Maag said.
“I have a fantastic wife [Deanna Maag], who has been super supportive and it’s just a good time in my life to pass it on.”
Port Townsend has a coach-in-waiting in junior varsity and Blue Heron Middle School eighth-grade team coach Jeanne King.
King played at the University of Montana and professionally in Europe and Australia. She operates 2x inc., a female-focused sports agency that represents women’s professional basketball players in the United States and abroad.
It’s a perfect scenario, Maag said of the hand over.
“I wanted to leave the program in a good place, with the right league setup [Port Townsend will be part of a Class 1A Olympic League with Chimacum, Klahowya and Coupeville next year], and this is a perfect time for Jeanne to come in and build it,” Maag said.
Port Townsend’s most likely playoff scenario, according to Maag, is a loser-out playoff crossover game against Cedar Park Christian on Feb. 15 or 17th.
The Redskins wrap their regular season with a road game at Port Angeles on Tuesday.
Port Townsend 51, Bremerton 43
Bremerton 4 10 9 20— 43
Port Townsend 15 9 16 13— 51
Individual scoring
Bremerton (43)
Herford 15, Beach 11, Lamarouex 10, Kluge 7.
Port Townsend (51)
Johnson 18, Richardson 16, Rutenbeck 11, Reeves 2, Olin 2, Meek 2.
Forks 49, Tenino 26
FORKS — Senior guard Courtnie Paul was a perfect 12 for 12 from the free-throw line and scored 18 points to lift the Spartans to a victory.
With the win, Forks is the Evergreen 1A League’s No. 6 seed and advances to a crossover loser-out playoff game against the Trico League’s No. 3, likely La Center or Ilwaco, at Castle Rock High School at 6:30 p.m. Monday.
[I’m] very proud of the girls in playing well enough to get into the postseason,” Forks coach Al Scheibner said.
“We started out strong moving the ball and getting good looks at the basket in the first quarter.”
The Spartans lead was 24-16 at intermission.
“At halftime I talked with the girls about stepping up our defensive intensity and moving the ball on offense,” Scheibner said.
“We did a great job the second half in holding Tenino to only 10 points.
“Emily Klahn made some key baskets for us on her way to her eight points.”
Forks 49, Tenino 26
Tenino 9 7 5 5— 26
Forks 18 6 13 12— 49
Individual scoring
Tenino (26)
Tibbetts 7, Vens 6, Gubbe 4, Richardson 4, Masters 3, Dowles 2.
Forks (49)
Paul 18, Klahn 8, Flores 7, Weekes 6, DeMatties 4, Palmer 3, Collins 2, Henderson 1.
Quilcene 49, Shorewood Christian 39
QUILCENE – Quilcene got some revenge on Shorewood Christian after an early season 52-19 loss to the Lions with a big home-court win on Tuesday.
“[We] controlled the tempo of the game and were patient and successful running [our] sets,” Quilcene coach Briana Weller said.
“Defensively, [we] prevented the Lions from utilizing their fast-break transitions, which killed us when we played them in early January.”
Megan Weller scored 16 points, grabbed 12 rebounds and dished out four assists for Quilcene. Sammy Rae led the team with 16 rebounds and scored eight points.
Bailey Kieffer had 12 points, six coming on two 3-point baskets and Katie Bailey had nine points, including hitting 3 of 4 from the free-throw line.
Quilcene (5-9, 9-9) visits Muckleshoot on Friday.
Quilcene 49, Shorewood Christian 39
Shorewood Chr. 4 19 12 4— 39
Quilcene 10 12 18 9— 49
Boys Basketball
Sequim 55, North Kitsap 48
POULSBO — The Wolves clinched the Olympic League’s No. 2 or better seed to the Class 2A West Central District Tournament with a rally on the road Tuesday.
The win also clinched a district berth for Sequim’s rival, the Port Angeles. The will be the No. 3 or No. 4 seed at the district tournament.
North Kitsap went ahead 39-37 entering the fourth and led 44-41 before Jesse Francis knocked down his third three of the game to tie the game at 44-all with 5:50 remaining. Francis scored nine for Sequim.
With the Vikings in foul trouble, the Wolves (12-2, 14-4) hit multiple free throws down the stretch to ice the win.
Alex Barry led the Wolves with 13 points and 11 rebounds. Anthony Pinza had a tough night from the floor, hitting 3 of 15 shots, but had six assists and six rebounds.
Vance Willis scored eight points, six of them from the free-throw line for the Wolves.
Sequim hosts Port Angeles on Friday.
Sequim 55, North Kitsap 48
Sequim 13 18 6 18— 55
North Kitsap 20 9 10 9— 48
Individual scoring
Sequim (55)
Barry 13, Pinza 10, Francis 9, Willis 8, Rutherford 7, Christensen 6, Johnson 2, McConnaughey 2.
North Kitsap (48)
Dennis 20, Lemmon 12, Graebner 9, Perry 7.
Bremerton 67, Port Townsend 50
BREMERTON — The Knights clinched a share of the Olympic League title with the win.
Skyler Coppenrath led Port Townsend with 17 points, Cody Russell had eight and Paul Spaltenstein and Sean Dwyer had six apiece for the Redskins.
Port Townsend will travel to Neah Bay for a nonleague contest with the Red Devils on Saturday.
Redskins coach Tom Webster said the team will spend the night on Friday out on the West End as part of team-bonding activities before the playoffs begin.
Port Townsend will play in a loser-out crossover game with the Nisqually League No. 5 for a spot in the Class 1A Tri-District Tournament later this month.
Bremerton 67, Port Townsend 50
Port Townsend 14 13 12 11— 50
Bremerton 24 18 15 10— 67
Individual scoring
Port Townsend (50)
Coppenrath 17, Russell 8, Spaltenstein 6, Dwyer 6, King, 5, Charlton 4, Adkins 2, Delagarza 2.
Bremerton (67)
Dixon 21, Mason 13, Winderl 8, Houston-Sims 7, Ayers 5, West 4, Lewis 4, Cole 3, Cardwell 2.
Forks 46, Tenino 44
FORKS — The Spartans secured a District IV tournament play-in game by outscoring the Beavers 19-9 in the fourth quarter.
Forks trailed by as many as 15 in the third quarter before its big finish.
“When we were down 13, I told them that there’s no 13-point play,” Spartans coach Rick Gooding said after Tuesday’s game.
“We just had to take each possession, each defensive stop, block out, and come down and give ourselves a good chance to score.
“And we did. We got our hands on a couple balls, and came down and got some shots to fall.”
Leo Gonzales led Forks with 17 points and Colton Raben had 16.
Parker Browning was a spark off the bench with eight points, including two 3-pointers, and Ollie Sampson had five.
Although only four Spartans scored, Gooding said everyone, from the starters to the reserves to the assistant coaches, contributed to the win.
“It was a great team win,” he said. “You just love to be a part of a victory like this.”
Forks (3-9, 5-14) will face either La Center (11-5, 13-5) or King’s Way Christian (11-6, 11-8) on Tuesday night at Castle Rock High School in Cowlitz.
“That’s all we wanted,” Gooding said. “We just wanted a chance to play past the regular season.”
Forks 46, Tenino 44
Tenino 15 10 10 9— 44
Forks 7 9 11 19— 46
Individual scoring
Tenino (44)
Guzman 1, Bailon 8, Hishaw 2, Peterson 8, Caldwell 8, O’Brien 6, Davido 6, Engebreth 5.
Forks (46)
Raben 16, Browning 8, O. Sampson 5, Gonzales 17.
Boys Swimming
Sequim, PA at divisional meet
PORT ANGELES — Port Angeles achieved four new district qualifying times and three Roughriders divers qualified for districts at Tuesday’s last-chance meet at William Shore Memorial Pool.
Rider divers qualifying for districts were Colton Olson with 301.85 points on 11 dives, Scott Methner with 298.5 points on 11 dives and Augustin Miller with 239.95 points on 11 dives.
John Macias will swim in eight events at districts after adding a qualifying time in the 50 free in 23.41.
Other qualifiers included Kaleb Sheldon who swam the 100 free in 58.83; Karsten Herzog in the 100 backstroke in 1:12.10 and Wei-Yan Fu in the 100 breaststroke with a 1:16.67.
Port Angeles will have 15 individuals and three relay teams in action at the district meet.
Eric Prosser and Markus Petersen will compete for Sequim at districts.
Prosser will compete in the 200 individual medley and possibly the 100 backstrke, according to Sequim swim coach Linda Moats.
Petersen will swim the 100 backstroke for Sequim.
Patrick Singhose, a swimmer from Crescent High School, qualified for the 500-yard freestyle in 6:09.68. He will participate in seven events for the Loggers at the District Championships at Hazen High School in Renton on Feb. 14-15.