Sequim Gazette staff
Cinderella story? Sure. But Peninsula College’s women’s basketball squad isn’t sneaking up on anyone this season.
The Pirates surprised the field at the 2014-2015 Northwest Athletic Conference Basketball Championships to win the first women’s basketball title in school history. Port Angeles native Ali Crumb enters her sixth year as head coach at PC, and the 2014-2015 NWAC Coach of the Year says this year’s squad is a new team and it’s a new year.
“The last thing we want to do is ride the coat tails of last year,” Crumb said. “This is a new year, and at this level, you lose half your team every year. So this is not going to be the same team, but we will have the same goals. We want to be a position to win a championship at the end of the season,” she added. “Beyond that, everything else is new and that makes it exciting.”
Leading the team into competition this year are two All-Conference returners in Imani Smith, a 5-foot 8-inch guard from Ontario, Calif., and Zhara Laster, a 5-foot 9-inch guard originally from Maryland who now calls Port Angeles home.
Smith was Peninsula’s second-leading scorer last year with a 12-point average and also the team leader in assists, averaging 2.8 per game, and steals, averaging 2.1.
Laster also is an impact player, who averaged 8.3 points per game, 2.5 assists, 1.9 steals and was the team’s second leading rebounder with 200 boards in 2014-2015, an 8.3 average.
Also playing a key role in the NWAC title last year were the Moss sisters from Neah Bay. Ciera Moss, a 5-7 guard, led the team in three-point field goals with 40 and also found success attacking the basket, averaging 10.3 points per game. Older sister Cherish Moss, also a 5-7 guard, didn’t put up big numbers last year, but came up big in key times and also played a key leadership role for the Pirates.
The Pirates’ other returners include Amanda Hutchins, a 5-foot 9-inch guard from Wasilla, Alaska; Savanna Gonzales, a 6-foot post from Honolulu, Hawaii; Nika Criddle, a 5-foot 10-inch forward from Downey, Idaho, and red-shirt freshman Jackie Schaubel, a 5-foot 10-inch freshman from Seattle.
“Our returners are strong and mentally tough,” Crumb said. “They really have come back in shape and you can tell they have worked on their game throughout the summer.”
The Pirate women opened their 2015-2016 season at the Pirate Tip-off event on Nov. 6. The Pirates then play most of their non-conference schedule on the road until returning home Dec. 17-19 when they host the eight-team NWAC North Region Crossover Tournament.
The PC women will then begin their quest to win their third North Division title when conference play gets under way Jan. 9.
