For 16 minutes in Tuesday night’s Olympic League finale, Sequim’s Wolves gave their rivals from Port Angeles quite a fight.
In the second half, it was business as usual for the Roughriders.
Port Angeles completed a second consecutive undefeated league season with an 84-28 win against the visiting Wolves.
Sequim takes the Olympic League No. 4 seed into Friday night’s loser-out, winner-to-districts basketball game at Sumner High School, where the Wolves will take on the Renton Indians at 6 p.m.
On Feb. 8, Port Angeles’ Jessica Madison tallied 23 points, seven rebounds, six steals and five assists, while teammate Kiah Jones added 17 points and nine rebounds, giving the Riders their second big win against Sequim this season.
Haleigh Harrison led Sequim with 10 points and six rebounds and Columbia Haupt chipped in with seven points.
“This was more of a practice game for us,” Sequim coach Stephanie Lewis said, noting that the Wolves already had their playoff fate set prior to tip-off. “We executed in the first half.”
After falling behind 15-4 after one quarter, Sequim kept pace with the Riders in the second quarter by matching P.A.’s 17 points and trailed 32-21 at halftime.
Defensively, the Wolves keyed in on Madison — the Riders’ all-time leading scorer — using quick-handed guards Rylleigh Zbaraschuk and Lea Hopson to diffuse P.A.’s top scorer in the first half; Madison had nine points at halftime.
But following a pair of jumpers from Harrison early in the second half, the Roughriders simply dominated the Wolves, outscoring Sequim 47-3 over the final 14 minutes.
Sequim earned just five free throw chances all evening and committed 24 turnovers.
“I don’t know what team showed up in the second half,” Lewis said.
Earlier this season, the Roughriders beat Sequim 68-21.
Port Angeles now has 36 consecutive league victories dating back to the 2008-2009 season.