Call it regionals or call it state. Either way, these Wolves are headed back into a level of prep postseason they haven’t seen in more than a decade.

Sequim’s girls basketball squad shrugged off a tough loss to a top-seeded White River game to win a pair of win-or-go-home games at the West Central District tournament last week to qualify for the regional round of this year’s 2A state tournament — the first such berth for the Wolves since the 2006-2007 season.

The Wolves (16-7) capped their state-bound effort with a 63-37 win over Kingston in the third game in three days.

“I’m very proud of them, especially with all the adversity — the snow, the fatigue,” Sequim coach Linsay Rapelje said. “It was a total team effort.”

Sequim will play either Feb. 22 or Feb. 23 at a site to be determined. The field of 16 teams — including district champ Port Angeles— are seeded by their RPI index, with the top eight teams playing each other and each advancing to Yakima’s SunDome for state games Feb. 27-March 2, while seeds 9-16 play each other in loser-out contests on Feb. 22 or 23.

See bracket updates here.

The Wolves’ 16 wins are the most by a Sequim girls basketball squad since the SHS 1986-1987 team that qualified for state and finished 19-5.

District gauntlet

The Wolves topped Lindbergh on Feb. 7, then had to wait a week for their district quarterfinal against a highly-touted White River squad.

There, despite a dominating performance from Sequim post Jayla Julmist, host White River broke a fourth quarter tie to edge SHS 57-50.

Julmist — who finished with 28 rebounds, five blocks and five steals — joined teammates Hope Glasser and Abby Schroeder on the bench for much of the first half after picking up two first quarter fouls apiece.

“At one point we were at a 12-2 disadvantage (on fouls in the first half),” Rapelje said. “That was frustrating because I thought that was determining the game and not the players.”

The Hornets managed to answer Sequim’s challenges late in the game.

“We had a couple of 3-point shots, but they would come back with a three or get fouled and make it, and they were good free throw shooters, too,” Rapelje said.

Julmist finished with 15 points while Glasser had 14 and Kalli Wiker added nine.

After playing in Enumclaw, Sequim was back on the road the next day to battle Eatonville in Sumner on Feb. 15 and saw its defense come up big in a comeback, 63-43 win over the Cruisers.

Wiker came up big on the offensive end, hitting six 3-pointers to lead the team with 26 points.

“Our bench went in and played phenomenal defense,” Rapelje said. “The defense really turned it around.”

Julmist paced the defense with 10 rebounds, six steals and four blocks, and Glasser added 10 rebounds and six assists.

Rapelje said she wanted her Wolves to be as mentally prepared as they were physically, particularly coming off a close game from the previous night and facing a team that hadn’t played in a week.

“There was fatigue there for sure (but) we talked about the game is 32 minutes long, (to) keep it in perspective,” Rapelje said. “They knew we’re a better team than Eatonville and that we couldn’t get caught up in their erratic defense. Mentally, they were focused.”

Facing their third game in three nights, Sequim came up with another big win against a familiar foe: the Wolves had beaten Kingston 79-36 on Dec. 5 and 69-48 on Jan. 11.

They defeated the Buccaneers 63-37 for their third match-up.

“They (the Buccaneers) are much improved,” Rapelje said. “Even though we beat them twice, they can really bring it.”

Glasser led the Wolves with 21 points.

“She had a great game,” Rapelje said. “We had a mismatch and we were able to really exploit that.”

Wiker scored 13 and Julmist had a double-double with 10 points and 17 rebounds.

Sequim’s Bobbi Sparks, right, guards White River’s Taylor Schmidtke in a West Central District tourney quarterfinal on Feb. 14. Photo by Kevin Hanson/The Courier Herald (Enumclaw)

Sequim’s Hope Glasser looks for an open teammate while White Rivers’s Lee Audrey Norris applies pressure in a West Central District playoff game on Feb. 14. Photo by Kevin Hanson/The Courier Herald (Enumclaw)