Area Sports by Michael Dashiell

Still without a win, Sequim's Wolves are chipping away at the difference between themselves and their Olympic League foes.

After falling to the Kingston Buccaneers by 54 points earlier this season, Sequim battled the league's top 2A team in a 67-39 defeat on Jan. 29.

Lea Hopson led all scorers with 17 points while Sequim's Lindsey Soha and Rylleigh Zbaraschuk each had six points in the loss.

Amanda Carper led Kingston with 14 points and Sophia Baetz added 13 as the Buccaneers led 21-10 after one quarter and 31-4 by halftime.

Former Wolf Alex Rose-Albert had four points and 11 rebounds for the Bucs.

Sequim was slated to play at league-leading Port Angeles on Feb. 2 - results were unavailable at press time. The Wolves (0-12 in league, 0-16 overall) host North Kitsap (5-7, 5-11) on Feb. 9.

SHS comeback falls short

Junior Lea Hopson led the Wolves with 22 points as Sequim erased a 12-point halftime deficit to tie Port Townsend at 40-40 after three quarters.

But Port Townsend, led by Kerri Evalt's 15 points, outscored Sequim 18-7 in the final frame and topped Sequim 58-47.

Evalt hit her first six shots from the field as the Redskins took a 34-22 lead by halftime.

Sequim responded with a flurry of points in the third quarter, led by the firebrand Hopson, a 5-foot 6-inch combo guard who consistently drew fouls from the P.T. defense by slashing through the lane. She went to the free throw line 12 times in the third quarter, sinking seven of them.

Sequim's Rylleigh Zbaraschuk, who had 14 points, snagged a steal and basket to even the game just before the third-quarter buzzer.

With the score tied entering the final quarter and the Wolves holding all the momentum, Sequim coach Stephanie Lewis asked her players for five minutes of foul-free, high-energy play.

It was the first time

Sequim was near closing out a game since their first game of the season, a two-point loss to Chimacum on Nov. 30.

Instead, it was Port Townsend finding a way to close it out. The Redskins took advantage of Hopson picking up her fourth foul with five minutes remaining.

Lewis, not wanting her top scorer to foul out, made repeated substitutions to protect Hopson. The Redskins got inside rebounding from Bella Fox (15 boards), late scores from Brooke Little and a key three-pointer from Kiley Maag to put the game away.

Lewis said her players might have tensed up in that final frame.

"We're not in that position very often," she said. "We got into foul trouble in the end (but) I think they played well."

Sequim was just two of 12 from the field with four turnovers in the final quarter.

P.T.'s Maag finished with 13 points while Fox and Little had 12 points each.

Sequim's Haleigh Harrison had seven points and a team-high nine rebounds.

Hopson had eight rebounds. She and Zbaraschuk had four steals apiece. Caitlin Wiker had seven rebounds.



Reach Michael Dashiell at miked@sequimgazette.com.