TACOMA — The Sequim girls basketball team suffered through a late-season swoon, losing four of its last five regular season games and its district opener to No. 3 White River.
But the Wolves rallied Friday, extending their season with a 40-23 victory against Evergreen.
Sequim (10-12) will face River Ridge (13-9) in a loser-out contest Monday at 6:30 p.m. at Wilson High School in Tacoma.
“I thought we played a lot better than we have been,” Sequim coach Evan Still said.
“We talked about it as a team: games 17 through 20, our play was kind of going downhill.
“I was happy with portions of our game against White River because that team is so talented, but tonight we really were pretty solid in most aspects.”
Holding the Wolverines to 23 points pleased Still.
“We played really solid team defense,” Still said. “Our press was very effective for us, forcing turnovers and getting us extra opportunities.
“Our turnovers were down and we were passing the ball well and finding our shooters.”
Caitlin Stofferahn exploited Evergreen’s 2-3 zone defense for 12 points to lead the Wolves.
“She got fouled on a 3-point attempt to get going and then hit three 3s after that,” Still said.
“Then they realized, hey, this girl can shoot, so they started to cheat out on her.”
Victoria Cummins added 11 for Sequim.
“She was very active,” Still said.
“Usually if we can get it to the high post against a 2-3, she can sneak and slip in behind on the baseline, and she did that a few times.”
The Wolves put the game away with a solid third-quarter performance.
“We came out and scored a couple of quick baskets and they switched into a man-to-man and we did well against that too,” Still said.
Adrienne Haggerty and Elise Beuke added six points apiece.
“Adrienne didn’t play a lot of minutes because of foul trouble, but she made the most of them,” Still said.
“Elise did pretty well, too. Her points came in the second and third quarter to help our runs.
“We did a much better job of working the ball inside and out, and they were more aggressive than they have been lately.”
Sequim 40, Evergreen 23
Evergreen 5 7 6 5— 23
Sequim 9 12 13 6— 40
Individual scoring
Evergreen (23)
Tupa 9, Lindo 6, Cox 4, Pietron 2, Dabairi 1, Makasini 1.
Sequim (40)
Stofferahn 12, Cummins 11, Haggerty 6, Beuke 6, Lester 3, Williams 2.
Renton 43, Port Angeles 37
TACOMA — Offensive woes resulted in a quick exit from districts for the Roughriders with a season-ending loss to the Indians.
A 10-2 run by Renton (16-6) in the final three minutes of the second quarter pushed the Indians to a 27-13 lead at halftime.
“We didn’t close out the quarter real well,” Port Angeles coach Michael Poindexter said.
“We had a string of turnovers and quick missed shots that gave them the ball right back during their run. And credit to them, they were hitting shots from inside and outside in that stretch.
“That last run was enormous in terms of the outcome.”
The Roughriders (10-13) cracked down defensively after halftime, limiting Renton to just two third-quarter points, while trimming the Indians’ lead to 29-20 entering the fourth quarter.
“Lauren Lunt was pretty instrumental,” Poindexter said. She hit three 3s in the second half.
“Renton left the wings open some, so we got plenty of shots from the wing and she hit them.
“Her shooting helped bring us back and we got some defensive stops and bothered them a lot.”
Port Angeles trailed by four on a couple of occasions in the fourth quarter, but could pull no closer.
“Whether it was fatigue or trying too hard or bad decisions, I’m not sure, but we ended up fouling shooters too many times in the fourth quarter,” Poindexter said.
“Renton ended up hitting six free throws in the fourth quarter.”
The Roughriders had no seniors this season, so next year’s outlook appears bright.
“After the game, I talked with them about having the aggressiveness, the confidence, the team orientation we have on defense and making sure the offseason goal is to carry that over to offense,” Poindexter said.
“I don’t think anyone is content. We can acknowledge the good things that happened, but the kids are disappointed since we set higher goals. But overall, there is a good feel to this team.
“I think they wanted a bit more success and to see more of the postseason.”
Renton 43, Port Angeles 37
Port Angeles 5 8 7 17— 37
Renton 9 18 2 14— 43
Individual scoring
Port Angeles (37)
Lunt 13, N. Wheeler 7, Boe 6, Johnson 4, Baxley 2, Long 2, Steinman 2, C. Wheeler 1, Robideau.
Renton (43)
Burks 11, Williams 6, McMillan 6, Thomas 6, Bush 4, Alem 4, Apolonia 3, Sauls 3.
Bellevue Christian 63, Chimacum 26
BELLEVUE — The Cowboys stuck around for a quarter before the Vikings’ size, speed and talent overwhelmed them in a loser-out, winner-to-districts game.
“In the first quarter, we went toe-to-toe with them and were down three late,” Chimacum coach Trevor Huntingford said.
“I told the girls to hold the ball for a last shot, and we went and put up a quick one and they came down and hit a 3 to go up six.”
Huntingford was quick to credit the Vikings.
“They are a highly skilled group,” Huntingford said.
“They have about seven or eight girls that play year-round-ball, and that talent and skill really started to show in the second quarter, and they were able to assert themselves.”
Huntingford said his team was surprised by the physical nature of the contest.
“It was more physical than we expected,” Huntingford said.
“There was some commentary from the kids about how much more physical it is over the in the Seattle area.”
Mechelle Nisbet led the Cowboys with nine points and twin sister Shanya added five.
“Our girls fought hard. I can’t fault the effort from any of the girls,’ Huntingford said.
“I feel really good about the personalities we have coming back and hope to cultivate those next season.”
Bellevue Christian 63, Chimacum 26
Chimacum 12 4 6 4— 26
Bellevue Christian 18 14 12 19— 63
Individual scoring
Chimacum (26)
Snyder 4, M. Nisbet 9, Cerna 2, Yaley 4, S. Nisbet 5, Castillo 2.
Bellevue Christian (63)
Dugani 5, Crosby 12, R. Berg 12, McQuaid 8, J. Berg 2, Bloch 13, Jewett 5, Vanderburk 7.
Muckleshoot 50, Clallam Bay 30
SHORELINE — The Bruins’ season came to an end with a loss in the Class 1B Tri-District play-in game.
After falling behind 16-3 going into the second quarter, Clallam Bay stormed back to within six points at 25-19 at halftime.
“We came out in the second quarter with a press, and it really changed the intensity of the game,” Bruins coach Kathleen Winter said.
“Going into the locker room at halftime, I felt that the momentum was in our favor.
“We took good outside shots, and we were getting inside shots as well, we just couldn’t get anything to go in.”
Fifteen of Clallam Bay’s points came at the free-throw line.
Molly McCoy led the Bruins with eight points and 15 rebounds. Jennica Maines added seven points and Inga Erickson had six.
As a team, Clallam Bay racked up 19 steals.
Muckleshoot 50, Clallam Bay 30
Clallam Bay 3 16 8 3— 30
Muckleshoot 16 9 9 16— 50
Individual scoring
Clallam Bay (30)
McCoy 8, Maines 7, Erickson 6, LaChester 3, Herndon 3, Abe 3.
Boys Basketball
Lindbergh 58, Sequim 49
RENTON — The Wolves couldn’t quite finish off a big second-half comeback, falling 58-49 to the Lindbergh Eagles in the opening game of district play.
With the loss, Sequim (15-7) faces a stiff task. It must win four games in the next week to make the regional round, beginning with Olympic League foe North Mason (8-13).
Lindbergh had the upper hand early in Thursday’s contest on the strength of hot 3-point shooting.
The Eagles (11-8) knocked down 7 of 12 treys in the first half, with Anthony Hill netting three 3s in the first quarter as Lindbergh pushed to a 14-7 lead.
“They shot the ball very well through the first half. We didn’t make the adjustments on Hill that we needed to until the second half when Alex Rutherford guarded him very well,” Wolves coach Greg Glasser said.
Devon Jackson scored 12 of his game-high 26 points, including two 3s in the second quarter as the Eagles led Sequim 31-18 at halftime.
“He turned us over a lot and got some easy buckets off those,” Glasser said.
“He also was assigned to stop Alex Barry and did a solid job. He was pretty physical with him at times, and just up into him so much that Alex couldn’t get enough space to get his shot going from the 3-point line.
“But Alex did a good job of grinding in the second half and getting some scores inside.”
Barry, the Wolves’ leading scorer, finished with 14 points, 17 rebounds and had five steals, but missed all six of his 3-point attempts.
Sequim as a team was cold from beyond the arc, hitting 1 of 10 in the first half and 4 of 20 on the night.
The Wolves chipped away in the third quarter, and a Vance Willis 3 at the buzzer trimmed the Eagles lead to 41-35 entering the fourth quarter.
Willis kept the comeback going for the Wolves in the fourth quarter, scoring nine of his team-high 16 points.
“I told him at practice that he’s our second go-to guy and he needs to look for his shot more, since the word is out on Alex and teams are looking to stop him,” Glasser said.
“Vance did that for us tonight. He was real strong taking the ball to the hoop.”
Willis knocked down a triple to pull Sequim within 41-40 with 6:29 to play.
Adrian Espinoza hit a big 3 as the Wolves again cut the lead to one, 45-44, with 4:33 to go.
Sequim took the lead at 49-47 with 2:21 left when Willis scored on an old-fashioned 3-point play.
But Lindbergh made some crucial buckets to retake the lead late.
The Eagles hit foul shots down the stretch after the Wolves committed an offensive foul with 28 seconds to play and trailing 51-49.
“The official was standing right in front of me so I was screened off a bit, but that’s a game-changer right there,” Glasser said.
“We thought we’d get the ball with Alex [Barry] right at the top of the key after a screen by Rutherford, and their kid was fighting through the screen and they called it on Alex Rutherford.”
“You’d hope that the officials would let the kids decide the game, but they saw something there.”
Glasser was encouraged by what he saw at Friday’s practice with his team.
“At this point, its a long season and you are trying to make sure the kids are interested and still into it, and I think we have some games left in us,” Glasser said.
Lindbergh 58, Sequim 49
Sequim 7 11 17 14— 49
Lindbergh 14 17 10 17— 58
Individual scoring
Sequim (49)
Willis 16, Barry 14, Rutherford 6, Espinoza 5, Bates 3, Oliver 3, McConnaughey 2.
Lindbergh (58)
Jackson 26, Hill 16, Flye 6, Harvey 4, Sawyer-Lamb 4, Williams 2.
Providence Christian 79, Clallam Bay 61
SHORELINE — The Bruins couldn’t make two comebacks in the same game and fell to the Highlanders in a loser-out, 1B Tri-District play-in game.
“They jumped on us early,” Clallam Bay (9-11) coach Kelly Gregory said of Friday’s game.
“I bet they were up 10 or 12, but we cut it down to three at half.
“Providence had a lot of height, too, so for our boys to scrap with them they way they did, I was sure proud of them.”
The Highlanders roster lists six players above 6 feet tall.
Providence pushed past the Bruins with a 25-8 third quarter advantage.
“They extended the defense in the half-court set and got right up on us,” Gregory said.
“We had some trouble finding guys in transition and lost our composure a little bit.”
The Bruins were able to regroup and trim the Highlanders 20-point lead to eight.
“That last quarter, we calmed down and made a run, got within eight, but we couldn’t get it closer,” Gregory said.
His son, Kelly Gregory, led all scorers with 32 points.
“I don’t know if I’ve coached a better 5-foot-10 post player,” the elder Gregory said. “He was our leader without a doubt.
“He checked out of the game with about 25 seconds left and it was pretty emotional. He wanted to win so bad and go a little farther than we have in the past.”
Alan Greene added 11 points, seven rebounds and six assists for the Bruins.
Sam Signor scored seven points with nine rebounds and two assists.
Providence was led by the 31 points of Matthew Moisant, and 22 points, including seven 3-pointers, from Paul Jekel.
“We have a good core group coming back,” Gregory said.
“I talked with them about working on their individual games this offseason and playing in the summer. I think we will be set for another good year next season.”
Providence Classical Christian 79, Clallam Bay 61
Clallam Bay 18 14 8 21— 61
Providence Classical 19 16 25 19— 79
Individual scoring
Clallam Bay (61)
Greene 11, S. Signor 7, Gregory 32, Keys 2, Willis 9.
Providence (79)
Morris 9, Walsh 4, Johnson 7, Moisant 31, Hansen 3, Pineda 3, Jekel 22.
Boys Swimming
PA excels at district preliminaries
RENTON — Port Angeles had four first-place showings at the West Central District preliminaries at Hazen High School.
The Roughriders advanced nine swimmers to the second day of the district meet in eight events and three relays.
Eric Prosser helped all three of Sequim’s district entries moved on to the second day.
Senior John Macias was part of three of Port Angeles’ first-place showing.
He swam Friday’s best time in the 100-yard freestyle, finishing the race in 49.73 seconds, which was three-fourths of a second ahead of the second-fastest swimmer in the event.
Macias came in second in his other individual event, the 100 backstroke.
Macias also swam with the Riders’ two first-place relays.
He joined Jay Liang, Wei-Yan Fu and Tristin Butler to swim the 200 medley relay in 1 minute, 44.33 seconds.
Those four also teamed up to record the top preliminary time (3:26.31) in the 400 freestyle relay.
Fu had Port Angeles’ other first-place finish on the opening day of districts, swimming the 100 butterfly in 56.19 seconds. The second-fastest swimmer was nearly four-tenths of a second back.
Fu also advanced in the 100 butterfly by coming in 10th.
Individually, Butler was third in the 200 individual medley and the 500 freestyle.
Liang was fifth in the 200 individual medley and in the 100 breaststroke.
Milo Atwater, Karsten Hertzog, Dario Andereozzi and Kody Kuch came in sixth in the 200 freestyle relay.
Atwater and Hertzog also advanced in the 200 freestyle and the 500 freestyle.
Atwater was fourth in the 200 free and fifth in the 500 free, while Hertzog came in sixth in the 200 free and fourth in the 500 free.
Nathan Bock also qualified individually for the Riders by taking 11th in the 500 freestyle
Prosser had a nice day for Sequim, advancing in two individual events and one relay.
Prosser, a senior, came in sixth in both the 200 individual medley and the 100 backstroke.
He also swam with the Wolves’ 200 freestyle relay that finished 12th. Joining Eric Prosser in that relay were Chas Prosser, Christian Goodrich and Chase Ridgway.
Crescent swimmer Patrick Singhose placed 19th in the 200 freestyle and 20th in the 100 butterfly.
