Missing their senior post, the Wolves missed a slew of shots and in the end missed a chance at an automatic berth in the state tournament.
Fortunately for Sequim’s girls basketball squad, they have a path back to the state tourney — and it may go through a pair of teams they know well.
Fifth-seeded Enumclaw sank a bevy of 3-pointers and dominated the glass on both ends of the court in a 66-49 win Wednesday evening in Sequim in the opening bi-district tourney for both teams, sending the fourth-seeded Wolves (12-6) into the consolation bracket.
Needing two wins to advance to state, the Wolves will host 12th-seeded North Mason (9-11) at 6 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 16. With a win, Sequim would play either Olympic League foe North Kitsap (11-10, eight seed) or Clover Park (9-10, nine seed) at 6 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 17, at Foster High School in Tukwila, for one of the tourney’s six state 2A tournament berths.
Sequim has seen both North Mason and North Kitsap twice this season, winning all four games. The Wolves topped North Mason’s Bulldogs 68-49 on Jan. 2 and 73-66 on Jan. 26, and NK’s Vikings 56-40 on Dec. 15 and 66-51 on Jan. 23.
Against Enumclaw (15-6), Sequim jumped out to an early 6-4 lead but that advantage quickly dissipated as the Hornets ran roughshod over the Wolves, who were missing injured senior Dani Herman, the team’s leading rebounder.
Led by Kalee Swanson’s 15 first half points, the Hornets grabbed an 18-10 lead after one quarter held a 38-17 advantage by halftime.
“They shot the lights out during the first half and won the battle of the boards,” Sequim coach Joclin Julmist put it succinctly.
The Wolves, thanks to some timely shots from leading scorer Gracie Chartraw (27 points), made a run in the third quarter, at one point cutting the lead to 12(42-30).
But Enumclaw proved too tough on the boards and pulled way early in the fourth quarter, going on a 12-0 run midway through the final frame.
“We struggled from the field once again, but the girls played hard,” Julmist said.
Sequim wound up just 18-of-73 from the field (25%), including five-of-21 from 3-point range.
Chartraw was playing sick Wednesday, Julmist noted, and has been injured for much of the season.
“Tonight she played her heart out for us; she a special player,” he said.
Defending Olympic League MVP Jolene Vaara was kept off balance as Enumclaw shadowed the Sequim senior all night. Vaara managed eight points, six rebounds and eight steals.
Libby Turella posted a near double-double with eight points and nine rebounds.
Swanson paced Enumclaw with 18 points, while Natalie DeMarco had 14 and Bella Firnkoess added nine.
In other district tournament action, second-seeded Port Angeles beat Foster 67-37 and will advance to state; the Riders play third-seeded Sammamish in the district semifinals on Friday. In the other semifinal, Enumclaw faces top-seeded White River, who clobbered North Kitsap 65-28.
Olympic League teams went 3-3, with all six teams still alive in the district tourney after the first round.