Olympic League standings

(as of Jan. 22)

North Kitsap 8-0 13-3

Port Angeles 8-1 12-3

Kingston 5-3 11-5

Olympic 4-4 6-10

Sequim 3-6 6-9

North Mason 2-7 7-9

Bremerton 0-9 0-15

After splitting four games last week, a playoffs-berth still remains within reach for the Wolves’ girls basketball squad.

Sequim (3-6, 6-9) had four games in five days last week first traveling to Kingston for a 58-39 loss on Jan. 16, followed by another loss to Olympic 56-48 on Jan. 18. They rebounded for a home win against winless Bremerton 54-26 on Jan. 19, and in Friday Harbor 44-32 in a non-league game the next day.

By defeating the Knights, Sequim sits in fifth place in the Olympic League, 1.5 games behind Olympic (4-4, 6-10) who they’ll face at home on Friday, Jan. 26.

“We pretty much have to win out,” said Sequim coach Larry Brown.

For a chance at a play-in game to districts, Sequim would need to win at least two of its three remaining league games and Olympic just one of its four league match-ups.

The Wolves were set to travel to North Mason (2-7, 7-9) on Tuesday, host Olympic on Friday, Jan. 26, and travel to league-leading North Kitsap (8-0, 13-3) on Feb. 1 to finish the regular season. They also play two non-league games at Cascade Christian on Jan. 24, and then hosting Coupeville on Jan. 30. Including the game with Sequim, The Trojans play three of its final four on the road including finishing the season on Feb. 1 in Port Angeles (8-1, 12-3).

Second half struggles

Despite opening the week with two losses, the Wolves kept pace with Kingston trailing them 21-20 at halftime before losing 58-39. Kingston’s 37-point second half included six 3-pointers, Sequim coach Larry Brown noted.

“Our girls fought hard but they weren’t able to finish the strong first half that they started,” he said.

Kalli Wiker, Hope Glasser, and Alisha Grasser led Sequim scorers with seven points each.

Kingston senior Lily Beaulieu led all scorers with 15 points while Karliegh Gomez added 14.

Facing Olympic two days later, Sequim went up 21-17 at halftime, Brown said, and the Trojans fought hard to come back and win 56-48.

“(Sequim) lost its identity in the second half,” he said. “We had a few players in foul trouble, which hurt our momentum.”

Jessica Dietzman led Sequim with 13 points but was injured in the fourth quarter and sat out the next two games. Brown said he hopes she’ll back for this week’s games.

Sequim’s Jayla Julmist added 12 points and “played a very poised and confident game,” Brown said.

Taking down Knights

There wasn’t a second half blunder against Bremerton last Friday.

Sequim dominated every quarter and held the Knights to two points in the first quarter and three in the third quarter in the 54-26 victory.

“We did well at what I call ‘floor-bringing,’ getting to the ball and loose balls,” Brown said. “We had some good shots and it’s not bad to hold them to 26 points.”

For the game, Glasser led the Wolves with 10 points followed by Bobbi Sparks with nine points.

Sequim’s Grasser and Wiker had seven points apiece while nine Wolves scored on the night.

Bremerton didn’t score its first points until 1:30 left to play in the first quarter off a lay-up by Roxanna Dunklin who led the Knights with 10.

The Wolves had runs of 10, 9 and 8 points while the Knights only scored unanswered points once in the first half and twice in the second half.

Glasser helped Sequim finish its busy week with 11 points in the 44-32 win in Friday Harbor.

Brown said “(they) pressed and zoned us and we were able to beat it almost every time down the court.”

“We limited our turnovers and shot the ball relatively well,” he said.

Julmist added 10 points and Grasser eight points for the Wolves.

Sequim’s Melissa Porter goes up for a lay-up late against Bremerton. The freshman guard finished with five points and was one of nine Sequim players to score points on Jan. 19.

Sequim freshman Abby Schroeder leans in for a shot late over Bremerton players on Jan. 19. Schroeder and the Wolves kept the Knights winless on the season outscoring them each quarter and forcing more turnovers. Sequim Gazette photo by Matthew Nash