by RYAN HUETER
The Buccaneer
Peninsula College
The weight is off and the wait is over.
The Pirates earned a much-needed victory, downing the Shoreline Dolphins, 65-45, on Jan. 26. “We just needed to get back to the fundamentals,” said Peninsula coach Alison Crumb. “It was just a tremendous effort by everyone.”
The Pirates had lost six division games in a row.
Peninsula jumped out to a 7-2 lead in the opening ticks of the first half, but the Dolphins (1-6 in division, 5-10 overall) strung together 15 unanswered points to take a 17-7 lead with 13:20 remaining in the period.
Peninsula’s Shawna Thein shoots — and sinks — a 3-pointer in the first half of the Pirates’ 65-45 win against Shoreline. Shoreline’s Tess Cathey (23) defends on the play.
Sequim Gazette photo by Michael Dashiell
The Pirates (2-6 in division, 5-12 overall) responded with an offensive outburst of their own a few minutes later.
Keyed by Shawna Thein’s 3-pointer at 4:07, Peninsula went on an 18-2 run to close out the half leading 32-20.
Peninsula netted the last 15 points of the period, including a barrage of three-point shots, two each by Danika Goodwin and Megan Smith.
Pirates pull away in second half
The Pirates stretched their lead to 22, 60-38, at one point late in the second half.
Thein began a Peninsula run with a baseline drive to the hoop with 11:47 to go, giving the Pirates a 42-33 lead.
Peninsula would outscore the Dolphins 18-5 over the next nine minutes.
Megan Smith netted seven points during that stretch, and Callie Monfrey chipped in with six baskets.
Following an 83-50 drubbing by the Everett Trojans on Jan. 22, in which the Pirates committed 26 turnovers, Crumb said she was going to stress the fundamentals to her team.
“We are going to go back to the basics,” Crumb said on Jan. 24. “Take everything down to the most fundamental things.”
The Pirates showed signs of a team that got the message.
Peninsula came out of the gate with a more disciplined offensive approach, swinging the ball around the perimeter of the key.
“It’s a good start, but we’ve got a long road to go,” Crumb said.
“The difference is when everyone touches the ball, it takes the weight off the individual.” Despite being hampered by tendinitis in her foot, Danika Goodwin led Peninsula with 18 points. Megan Smith added 17 points and seven rebounds. Callie Monfrey earned a double-double, netting 12 points and collecting 12 rebounds.
Goodwin has been dealing with the injury throughout the season and will continue to play.
Jenny Voss was the leading scorer for Shoreline, garnering 15 points. Gnanamani Hooyman chipped in with 10 points and seven boards.
Peninsula will have nearly a week off before they welcome the Olympic Rangers (0-8 in division, 3-13 ) at 5 p.m. today, Feb. 2.
Reach Ryan Hueter at news@sequimgazette.com.
