KINGSTON — North Kitsap took sole control of third place in the Olympic League on Tuesday night while simultaneously avenging an earlier loss to their district rival.
A strong defensive performance and 20 points from senior Noelani Barreith helped the Vikings defeat Kingston, 61-47, to split their season series and move one game ahead in the standings.
Barreith attempted just four field goals in the first half, connecting on three of them, but after closing the third quarter with a big 3-pointer from the top of the key, she took over, driving to the basket with ease and either laying in the ball or drawing a foul. Barreith also sank all six of her free throw attempts in the game.
“I just read the defense and read what they were giving me,” Barreith said. “First they were up on me, so I tried to drive right by them and draw the foul. The second half I saw they were sagging off me a little more so would take a shot or pump fake and drive.”
Kamora McMillian added 12 points for North Kitsap. The sophomore guard only made one field goal, a 3-pointer in the fourth quarter, but was 9-for-12 from the free throw line in the second half. The team as a whole shot a healthy 19-for-27 from the charity stripe and were able to get to the basket with greater frequency than the Bucs.
“I thought the whole team played really well,” Gienger said. “I thought they were all focused.”
The game looked as though it could be a repeat of the first game between these two teams, which Kingston won 49-46. Suzanne Skinner, Sierra Denning and Kylee Walker each hit a 3-pointer on Kingston’s first three possessions to take a 9-2 lead. Instead, the Vikings called timeout and quickly regrouped to avoid the sweep and a must-win game on Thursday.
“That was a damper on our season, but we put it in the past,” Barreith said of the team’s earlier loss to Kingston.
The North Kitsap defense stiffened significantly in the second and third quarters. The Bucs hit just two field goals in that timespan and scored only 11 points as the Vikings man-to-man pressure kept Kingston from creating offensive opportunities.
“I was really impressed with our defense myself,” Gienger said.
It was still a two-point game at halftime, but a 17-3 swing in the third quarter proved to be the difference. Sophia Baugh and Mia McNair both hit 3-pointers during that run and Grace Johnson added a pair of layups.
“We didn’t match their intensity; they were tougher than us,” Deam said.
North Kitsap hosts North Mason on Thursday in their regular season finalé with a chance to clinch third placce while Kingston hits the road to face Olympic in a must-win game.
North Kitsap 61, Kingston 47
NK 10 11 17 23 — 61
KN 15 8 3 21 — 47
North Kitsap (61) — Barreith 20, McMillian 12, Baugh 9, Johnson 8, McNair 6, Selembo 6.
Kingston (47) — Walker 13, Brockman 10, Deam 8, Denning 8, Skinner 8.
South Kitsap boys win another overtime thriller, this time against Rogers
PORT ORCHARD — The South Kitsap boys are still in the fight for fourth place in the South Puget Sound League and got a boost Tuesday night with a 64-62 win over Rogers.
Senior point guard Eli Mackie stepped up big again for his team, this time on Senior Night in front of an electric, sold out crowd.
With a minute to go in overtime, Mackie drove the lane and converted the layup to break a 60-60 tie. After Rogers tied it again, Mackie once again went to the rack with just a few seconds left in the game. He was fouled on the shot, but flipped it up in the air and the ball barely touched the net as it went through the hoop.
“It was really cool for Eli to come through in the clutch on Senior Night,” said head coach Brian Cox. “We had a huge crowd, it was sold out, the band was there. The atmosphere was electric.”
Rogers had less than two seconds to heave up a prayer from 70 feet, but the shot was well off the mark.
Brayden Segerman led South Kitsap with 24 points and eight rebounds.
The Wolves can still finish fourth, but need to go on the road and take down the SPSL champs, Puyallup, on Thursday evening.
Central Kitsap boys strengthen their grip on second place in the South Sound Conference
Colby White and Maurice Green each scored 18 points for the Cougars as they topped North Thurston, 73-50, on Tuesday to clinch at least a tie for second place in the South Sound Conference.
The last-place Rams were no match for Central Kitsap, which held a big lead by halftime.
Ian Massey added 16 points and freshman Jo Jo Johnson chipped in seven for the Cougars, who finish up their league schedule Thursday on the road at Shelton.
Other boys results
Olympic 58, Sequim 41
The Trojans stayed alive for a playoff spot on Tuesday with a huge 58-45 win over Sequim. Tyler Lindal led Olympic with 22 points, which led Sequim by double digits for much of the game. Malcolm Dewalt chipped in 10 points.
Olympic now must beat Kingston on Thursday and Sequim must lose to Port Angeles in order to create a tie for fourth place. That would result in a tiebreaker game being played on Saturday.
Port Angeles 68, Bremerton 31
The Knights are now locked into the No. 3 seed in the 2A West Central District III tournament after a 68-31 loss to Port Angeles on Tuesday.
Bremerton trailed 32-22 at the half and went cold in the third quarter, allowing the Roughriders to take a 16-point lead into the fourth quarter.
D’Angelo Moore led the Knights with 11 points and Caleb Washington added nine.
Klahowya 66, Chimacum 32
The Eagles had already clinched the last Olympic League 1A title, but routed the Cowboys on the road on Tuesday.
Klahowya will try to finish a perfect 6-0 in their final game against Port Townsend on Thursday and take the league’s No. 1 seed to the district tournament, which begins Feb. 15 at South Kitsap.
Other girls results
Klahowya 44, Chimacum 31
Katie Cooper had a double-double for the Eagles with 10 points and 14 rebounds as they knocked off Chimacum, 44-31, to move to 5-0 in league play and 12-7 for the season. Cooper also fell just one steal shy of a triple-double.
Ella Koebelin had a team-high 11 points and also had six rebounds, five assists and five steals.
Klahowya returns to action at home on Thursday for Senior Night as they look to sweep their six-game league schedule with a win over Port Townsend. Their district playoff slate begins Feb. 17 at South Kitsap.
Port Angeles 65, Bremerton 18
The Knights were no match for the first-place Roughriders in their final game on the season on Tuesday. Brooklyn Irvine scored six points for Bremerton while Trinity Malaga chipped in five.
Rogers 80, South Kitsap 24
South Kitsap went toe-to-toe with Rogers the first time they played them, but the Rams showed why they’re a 4A state title contender on Tuesday with an 80-24 victory.
Kiki Prudhomme led the Wolves with 12 points and also had four steals and three assists. They wrap up their season Thursday against Puyallup.
Sequim 80, Olympic 24
A fully-healthy Sequim roared past the Trojans, 80-24. Eliminated from playoff contention, Olympic can still play spoiler if they can manage to knock off Kingston at home on Thursday.
