KENNEWICK — DeShaun Freeman was unstoppable, J.T. Terrell refused to lose and the two sophomores led a late comeback to propel Peninsula College into the NWAACC Basketball Tournament semifinals Sunday evening.
The Pirates took Spokane to overtime before winning 96-91 in the quarterfinals.
The defending NWAACC champion Pirates now are two wins from a repeat title.
They were scheduled to play Chemeketa of Salem, Ore., in the semifinals late Monday night. Results weren’t available by press time.
Chemeketa beat Yakima Valley 86-75 in the quarterfinals.
A win Monday would put the Pirates in the NWAACC championship game tonight.
In Sunday’s quarterfinals, Freeman — Peninsula’s 6-foot-7 post from Los Angeles — scored a career-high 37 points and ripped down 11 rebounds while J.T. Terrell, who had some highlight reel dunks in the first half, came up big from 3-point range — and the free throw line — finishing with 31 to lead the Pirate attack.
Freeman also had three blocked shots.
The Pirates opened the game with a 4-0 lead, but didn’t lead again until overtime.
They found themselves down six with two minutes to play in regulation, but fought back, tying it on an NBA-3 by USC-bound Terrell with Trojans head coach Kevin O’Neill watching with Peninsula fans in the Toyota Center.
The Pirates then outscored the Sasquatch 20-15 in overtime to salt the game away.
Sunday’s win was a rematch of the 2011 tournament semifinal when the Pirates also came out victorious against a very talented and well-coached Spokane team.
Sam Waller added 10 points and five assists while Dudley Ewell had nine points for Peninsula.
Tyler Funk dished out four assists for the Pirates.
A quick Spokane defense held the Pirates to a 38 percent shooting clip from the floor, including an uncharacteristic 5-for-19 effort from beyond the arc.
Spokane had plenty of talent on its side of the court as Preston Wynne six players in double figures with 28 points.
Luke Evans and Marlowe Brim scored 13 each while Tayllor Pettersen and Brady Bagby netted 11 apiece and Eric Holbrook added 10.
Wynne also hauled in a game-high 13 boards while Evans was a monster inside with six blocked shots.
Holbrook gave out a game-high eight assists.
Peninsula women bow out at 17-11
KENNEWICK — Sunday’s loss to Clark in the second round of the 2012 NWAACC Basketball Championship Tournament marked a tearful end to the career of three Peninsula College sophomores, but it was a warning shot to the rest of the NWAACC from coach Alison Crumb and her nine talented freshmen.
Crumb, who in her third year guided the Pirates to a 17-11 record and a third-place tie in the North Division, gave her freshman-dominated team a taste of the postseason — and fans can look for the Pirates to be back next year with a mission to win it.
This year, however, the women ran into a tough Lane team in their opener and then faced a sharp-shooting Clark squad in a loser-out game on Sunday where they fell to the Penguins 78-46.
It was fitting Taylor Larson finished her freshman year with yet another double-double, leading the Pirates with 15 points and 12 rebounds.
Abby Jones and Jesse Ellis each hit for eight and Megan Smith chipped in six in her final game as a Pirate.
Also closing out their careers Sunday were Callie Monfrey and Ashley Manker.