Photo: Isaiah Shamp #40 and Parker Nickerson #35 will need big games tonight to upset the Vikings
By Oly Archibald
PORT ANGELES — It is being called one of the biggest home games in the history of Roughrider basketball. Tonight, the #1 ranked North Kitsap Vikings come to town for a 7:00 tip off and can pretty much claim the Olympic League championship. The Vikings are 10-0 in league play and 14-3 overall. Their 3 losses were to big boy schools. A 59-51 loss to 4A Puyallup in week 2, who is 12-8 and the Vikings went 2-2 in the prestigious Holiday Tournament in San Diego against California powers like Berkley and Torrey Pines high schools. In the Olympic League, no one has come close to knocking off the Vikings. Their best competition was a 69-49 win over the Roughriders on January 5th. In the last 3 years, the Vikings are 37-1 in the league, and have won 24 in a row. The last Viking league loss was February 10th, 2022, at Port Angeles 80-63.
The Vikings are led by 6’5″ Senior Cade Orness who averages over 20 points a game. Orness has been offered a preferred walk on position at Gonzaga and a full ride to Central Washington. The Vikings average 73 points per game while giving up just 49 for a average win of 24 points.
Viking guard Cade Orness with his father Viking Head coach Scott Orness have the talent to win their 2nd state championship
Orness is not a one man show. Shooting Guard Harry Davies is a 6’3″ athletic senior who can hit 3s and get to the paint and rim on the dribble drives. Davies also averages 20 points per game. There will be NWAC coaches with scholarships hanging out of their pockets at the game tonight watching Davies.
Lightning-fast point guard Jordan Williams averages 12 points per game but can put up 20 any night. Six-foot senior Mason Chmielewski is the Kurt Rambis of the Olympic League. Chmielewski is one of the best rebounders in the state and can score in double digits any night.
The Roughriders go into tonight’s game tied for 2nd place with Bremerton with an 8-2 record and 12-5 overall. The Roughriders are 32-6 in Olympic league play over the last 3 years and 45-23 against an always tough non-league schedule. The Roughriders are averaging 66 points per game while giving up 56 points per game.
Roughrider senior forward Parker Nickerson is averaging 19 points per game and 6’5″ senior Isaiah Shamp is averaging 14 points per game and 9 rebounds. If the Roughriders want to pull off an upset win tonight all 5 starters will have to have productive games on offense. 6’5″ senior Dallas Dunning is averaging 8 points per game and 7 rebounds per game. Point guard Gus Halberg, a 6’2″ junior averaging 7 points per game, will need a big night knowing when to push the ball up the floor and when to slow it up.
Turnovers kill teams playing against the Vikings. The Vikings more often than not go on 10-16 point runs to put away teams early. 5’9″ guard Kason Albaugh has shown he can get hot from the 3-point stripe. A 14-20 night by Albaugh might just give the Roughriders a chance for an upset.
Watching the Xs and Os chess match between Viking head coach Scott Orness and Roughrider Head coach Kasey Ulin will be fun. You can hear tonight’s game here on KONP Newsradio and on the stream at myclallamcounty.com. The Les Schwab Tires pre-game show starts at 5:00. Oly Archibald has the play by play, Joe Gladfelter and Greg Thomas has the Color Commentary and Game Analyst duties.
The Roughrider girls will jump it off at 5:15. The Roughriders, coming off an emotional and energetic win at Bainbridge, beat the Vikings in OT by 3 points on January 5th. The Roughriders (9-1; 11-6) are two games up on Sequim for first place in the Olympic League.
The Sequim boys host Kingston tonight in a must game if the Wolves want a chance for the 4th place district spot.
The Sequim girls will have a tough game at Kingston against a much-improved Buccaneer team. Both games tip off at 7:00.