MOUNT VERNON — The Peninsula College men’s basketball team hit the century mark again in slaying the Skagit Valley Cardinals 104-92 on Saturday night.
The Pirates staked claim to an early lead, never allowing the hometown Cardinals to fully hit stride in the contest.
J.T. Terrell and DeShaun Freeman did something no other Pirate duo has done in recent memory with both scoring more than 30 points in the game.
Terrell led the way with 32 points, including six 3-pointers, while Freeman contributed 30 points on 13 of 19 field goals that included at least four powerful slam dunks.
“Both Free and J.T. played exceptionally well offensively,” coach Lance Von Fogt said.
“It is rare to have one person score 30, let alone two in the same game.
“The inside-out combination really made it difficult for Skagit Valley’s zone to focus on stopping one area, and that definitely worked to our advantage.
“It was almost as if they had to pick their poison and neither were a good choice.”
The inside presence of Freeman and the outside presence of Terrell overwhelmed the Cardinals throughout the game.
Terrell hit a 27-foot 3-pointer to finish the first half with 22 points and send the Pirates into the locker room with a 51-35 advantage.
The victory moves Peninsula (8-2 North Division, 18-3 overall) into sole possession of second place, one game behind Wednesday’s opponent, Whatcom (9-1, 17-3) and a half-game ahead of third-place Bellevue (7-2, 17-2).
The Pirates hit the road again on Wednesday, traveling to Bellingham with an opportunity to get back into first place.
The North Division has boasted three of the top four schools in the NWAACC, according to the Coaches Poll for most of the season and promises to be a race to remember.
“I know this, everyone who makes the NWAACC tournament out of the North Division will be battle-tested and ready to compete for the championship,” Von Vogt said.
“This is a very strong league this year.”
Other key contributors in the win against Skagit Valley were Sam Waller with 14 points and six assists, and Corey Clement with 11 points and nine rebounds.
Women’s Basketball
Skagit Valley 63, Peninsula 62
MOUNT VERNON — The Pirates (7-2 in the North Division) came close to upsetting the league-leading Cardinals (9-0).
Skagit had previously beaten Peninsula on the road by eight points, however, Peninsula had won their first meeting in the Pierce Invitational preseason tournament.
The Cardinals went up 2-1 in the series after squeaking out a close won, 63-62, off a last-second free throw by Jessica Denmon.
The Pirates were led by Taylor Larson with 18 points, shooting nine of 10 from the field with eight rebounds.
Jesse Ellis sank 17 points while Jasmine Yarde led all Pirate scorers with 19, shooting 5 of 8 from beyond the 3-point line, including three in a row to spark a Pirates comeback after Peninsula went down 11 points late in the second half.
The Pirates went down four at halftime and came out ready to make this a hard-fought game that came down to the last second.
In a game where there were seven lead changes, all in the second half, and seven ties, the Pirates showed they could fight against the undefeated Skagit Valley Cardinals.
The largest lead of the game for the Cardinals came late in the second half, going up 54-43, but the Pirates were sparked by three 3-point baskets by Yarde to help with a 19-9 late second-half comeback.
The Pirates went up two with with less than 1:30 to go, but with a few traded baskets, the game was tied with 9 seconds to go in the game.
Skagit Valley took the ball out on its sideline, and there was an off-ball foul that put Denmon to the free throw line, where she made the first of two.
The Pirates grabbed the rebound with 9 seconds left but couldn’t get a bucket to win the game.
“In all honesty, both teams could have won that game,” Peninsula coach Alison Crumb said.
“Do we wish we ended up with a W, yes, but the fact that the game was determined by a free throw in the last seconds shows that both teams deserved to feel proud about how they played.
“I’m really impressed with the fight in our team. We never gave up and were always giving us opportunities to win.
“Skagit is an excellent team, with great players who are well-coached, so our girls have nothing to be ashamed about.”
The Pirates have a crucial game coming up again on the road against Whatcom on Wednesday.
Peninsula and Whatcom are tied for third place.
“We are ready to take home a win,” Crumb said. “This team has heart, they play together, and they are competitors.”