Sequim shrugged off a sluggish start at home against North Mason to top the Bulldogs 70-56 on Jan. 2 in their first game back from winter break.
Keenan Green sank four 3-pointers in the second half en route to a team-high 22 points and Lars Wiker had a big game with 15 points (including three 3-pointers) and a team-high eight rebounds in the win, the Wolves’ first league victory of the season.
Sequim was down by two at halftime before a Green triple sparked a second half surge.
“The team played well,” Sequim coach Craig Brooks said. “We … shot 47 percent [on 3-point shots] in the second half. The most impressive stat was 24 assists on 28 made field goals. We can be dangerous when we look to find open teammates.”
The Wolves moved the ball effectively, with five players — Wiker, Green, Solomon Sheppard and Mason Rapelje — each racking up five assists. Sequim took care of the ball with just 15 turnovers.
Charlie Grider had 10 points, Zeke Schmadeke had nine and Ethan Melnick chipped in seven rebounds.
SHS KO’s Kingston
The Wolves (2-3 in Olympic League, 6-4 overall) added a 58-50 win at Kingston on Jan. 5.
Sequim got off to a fast start against Kingston, building up a lead of 32-19 at the half, then held on in the fourth quarter to beat the Buccaneers 58-50.
The Wolves held a comfortable 47-36 lead after the third quarter when Kingston closed the gap with a 7-0 run to begin the fourth to cut the lead down to 47-43 with lots of time remaining.
Green responded with a 3-pointer and Grider hit a pair of baskets 27 seconds apart to open the lead back up to 56-48 with 2:45 left in the game. The Wolves’ defense cracked down to only allow the Bucs another two points the rest of the way.
“Kingston played tough. Our boys fought hard to get the league win,” Brooks said.
The Wolves had balanced offense. Sheppard led the Wolves with 13 points, going a perfect 5-for-5 from the free-throw line, while Green and Grider each scored 11 and Rapelje scored nine.
Wolves split over break
Sequim went 1-1 in a pair of non-league games in Bellingham over the winter break, topping Overlake 63-55 on Dec. 29 and falling to Bellingham’s Bayhawks 69-57 on Dec. 30.
Against the 1A Overlake Owls, Sequim got balanced scoring with four players in double digits. Green and Schmadeke each had 13 points while Sheppard had 10 points and Melnick had a near double-double with 10 points and nine rebounds.
Schmadeke paced the team with three assists and added seven rebounds, while Green and Sheppard had two steals apiece.
The Wolves struggled from 3-point range (4-of-23, 17.4 percent) but corralled 20 offensive rebounds and earned 21 free throw attempts (making 15).
A day later, Sequim battled a tough 2A Bellingham squad to the end, but a disparity on the boards (45-23) caught up to the Wolves.
Green was 10-of-17 from the field and finished with a team-high 27 points while Sheppard added 10. Garrett Little, in his second game back from injury, led the team with four assists (and no turnovers), and he tied Green and Lars Wiker for the team-high in rebounds with four.
Overall, Sequim shot just 20-of-57 (35.1%) from the field.
Elias Togagae led the Bayhawks with 16 points.
Looking ahead
Sequim was scheduled to host Olympic on Jan. 9 — results were not available at press time.
The Wolves host Port Angeles on Jan. 11, and a non-league game against Clover Park on Jan. 13.
Sequim’s Mason Rapelje, left, looks to steal the ball from North Mason’s Hunter Brown in the first half of the SHS’s 70-56 win on Jan. 2.
Sequim Gazette photo by Michael Dashiell Sequim’s Keenan Green, center, drives past North Mason’s Cameron Revelez in the first half of SHS’s 70-56 home win on Jan. 2. Looking on is North Mason’s Derek Dunham (35).
Sequim Gazette photo by Michael Dashiell / Sequim’s Garrett Little (5) and SHS teammates defend the basket as North Mason’s Cameron Revelez looks to score in the first half of Sequim’s 70-56 win on Jan. 2.
Sequim Gazette photo by Michael Dashiell / Sequim High varsity coach Craig Brooks talks with players early in the second half of the Wolves’ 70-56 win over North Mason on Jan. 2.
