The Falcons fell, but the Roughriders and Redskins finished ahead of Sequim in the third annual Crush in the Slush Tournament this weekend in Port Townsend.
Who knows how many points South Whidbey’s Lindsey Newman would have scored if she hadn’t just made a rough crossing to Port Townsend from Whidbey Island aboard the Glacier Spirit passenger ferry. The 5’9" junior hit 27 points from both the outside and inside of the court Dec. 27, to lead all scorers in the first-day matchup against the Wolves.
But despite a rash of turnovers and a lid on the basket at Sequim’s end of the court during long minutes of the first half, the Wolves patiently worked their way back into the game using their big inside post players Laine Briggs and Sarah Moores to seal the win. Moores was Sequim’s top scorer in the game with 14 points.
During the tournament’s second day, the Wolves narrowly lost to the Port Angeles Roughriders 48-42. Just a couple of weeks ago, the Wolves lost to the same team by 17 points. Coach Lisa Corbit said the difference might mean a win for the wolves in future encounters.
The Roughriders used their size and speed to pull out to an early lead of
26-19 at the half. But the Wolves would not lie down. Led by Briggs, who battled all day with Roughriders for rebounds and putbacks, Sequim climbed back into the game in the fourth quarter but was unable to take the game. The leading Sequim scorer was Moores, with 10 points.
In a preview of the Friday, Jan. 4, Olympic League contest between
Sequim and the Port Townsend Redskins, the ‘Skins won the Dec. 29 game in overtime 71-66.
It was a come-from-behind effort for the Redskins, who trailed 35-28 at the half and 49-46 at the end of three quarters. The Wolves’ full-court press bothered the young Redskins, and in the first period Moores was unstoppable. She accounted for all of the Wolves’ points for the first six minutes. She finished with a game-high 25 points and finished the weekend by being named to the all-tournament team.
The second half belonged to the Redskins, however – and proved the depth of coach Randy Maag’s squad. Sophie Wilson and Ashley Sly kept the Redskins in the game with Wilson’s inside slashing and Sly’s powerful moves to the basket.
When Sly left the floor with a little more than a minute to play, Sequim led 62-58. Furious action produced turnovers at both ends of the court, but junior Alyx Coppenrath coolly hit a pair of free throws for Port Townsend to pull within two points. Two turnovers later, the Redskins were attacking with 10 seconds to play. Junior Megan Reinhart pulled up for a 10- foot jumper in traffic and nailed it for the tie at the buzzer.
Overtime belonged to Port Townsend. The Wolves’ long-range artillery was off the mark, and Kelsey Langston fouled out. Redskin forwards hit their free throws and nailed short inside jumpers to finish the game with a win.
