KINGSTON — The Vikings’ path to an Olympic League championship is not quite clear of hurdles, but they side-stepped another major roadblock at Kingston on Jan. 19.
North Kitsap opened up a 10-point lead during the first quarter, and that would ultimately prove to be the difference in a 67-60 victory over the Buccaneers.
Olivia Selembo sizzled with 11 of her game-high 28 points coming in that opening frame. The senior guard went 4-for-4 on her field goal attempts and hit both of her free throws. After battling an injury for most of the year, Selembo has resumed her full-time duties.
“I’m 100 percent now,” Selembo said. “I’m doing rehab and getting stronger, but it doesn’t hurt.”
Erin Pearson picked up a double-double, scoring 10 points and pulling down 11 rebounds. Raelee Moore had a relatively quiet game from the outside, but hit several big free throws in the fourth quarter that helped her team pull away. Moore finished with 11 points. Point guard Lauren Weins was superb on defense and hit a pair of big 3-pointers in the second half.
Noelani Barreith, whose short stature belies her rebounding ability, led North Kitsap with 12 boards and also added seven points.
“She’s hard to guard, you put a big post on her and she’ll take her,” North Kitsap head coach Penny Gienger said of Barreith, who has had to play point guard much of the year with Weins and Selembo absent from the lineup. “She’s a matchup problem for other teams.”
Trailing 19-9 after the first quarter, Kingston actually outscored North Kitsap in the second and third as the offense kicked into gear.
Lily Beaulieu paced the Buccaneers with a team-high 21 points, and Karleigh Gomez added 15, including a big 3-pointer from the wing in the third quarter as part of the comeback effort. Avy Hiner finished with 13 points and led Kingston with seven rebounds.
“Before the game I didn’t put a whole bunch on the board,” Kingston head coach Charles Deam said. “They know what we do, we know what they do, these guys have played against each other since they were kids, so I said, ‘Let’s roll the ball out and play basketball.’ ”
Entering the fourth quarter, Kingston trailed by just a single point, and would eventually tie the game at 50, but the Buccaneers never held the lead as North Kitsap regrouped in the nick of time. The Vikings’ relentless penetration game drew plenty of shooting fouls and they capitalized, shooting 13-of-18 from the charity stripe in the final frame.
”I thought in the fourth quarter we settled a little bit, played a little more controlled,” Gienger said.
The victory gives North Kitsap the advantage in the Olympic League standings, holding a one-game edge over Port Angeles. Those two teams will meet on Jan. 30 at North Kitsap.
Meanwhile, Kingston will have to rebound quickly. The Buccaneers are currently in third place and have two tough games ahead — a Jan. 23 game against a surging Olympic team and a Jan. 26 matchup at Port Angeles. Kingston and Olympic currently hold the final two district playoff spots, but Sequim is still in the mix and will push hard to enter the top four.
“It was a heck of a game,” Deam said. “I was happy. I told them to not hang their heads, they battled.”
North Kitsap 19 16 12 20 — 67
Kingston 9 18 19 14 — 60
North Kitsap (67) — Selembo 28, Moore 11, Pearson 10, Weins 8, Barreith 7, Hughes 2, Johnson 1.
Kingston (60) — Beaulieu 21, Gomez 15, Hiner 13, Denning 6, Deam 3, Halady 2.
— Mark Krulish is a reporter for Kitsap News Group. He can be reached at mkrulish@soundpublishing.com.
Kingston’s Lily Beaulieu fights through the defense of North Kitsap’s Lauren Weins (11). Beaulieu led her team with 21 points. (Mark Krulish/Kitsap News Group)
