By Oly Archibald
KINGSTON — If the Sequim boys basketball team spent last season on “training wheels,” they’ve now upgraded to a shiny purple Porsche. The Wolves improved to 2-0 with a commanding 76-55 win at Kingston last night.
There were questions heading into the season about whether the Wolves could tighten their defense and play disciplined basketball without taking bad shots or committing turnovers. The team has answered with a resounding “yes.” Despite a few third-quarter turnovers, the Wolves played a near-flawless game for their second outing of the season.
The Wolves’ speed, athleticism, and shooting prowess were on full display. After leading just 20-19 at the end of the first quarter — credit to Kingston for a hot hand from beyond the arc — the Wolves broke loose with an eight-point run early in the second quarter. Sophomore Jericho Julmist shone in the first half, scoring 14 of his game-high 28 points. Sequim outscored Kingston 23-12 in the second quarter for a 43-31 halftime lead and extended their advantage to 58-41 by the end of the third.
Junior Solomon Sheppard electrified the crowd with a two-handed dunk late in the game, bringing the score to 70-46. Sheppard finished with 11 points, Mason Rapelje scored 10, while Zeke Schmadeke and Jamison Gray each added six. Ethan Melnick contributed five points, Charlie Grider four, and Brayden White two.
6’3″ sophomore Jericho Julmist lit up Kingston last night, scoring 28 points
Wolves Head Coach Craig Brooks was pleased with his team’s performance, as the Wolves improved to 2-0 this season
The Wolves now look ahead to Saturday when they travel to Fife to face Clover Park (0-2) at 4:30 p.m. Clover Park has struggled early, with losses to River Ridge (79-36) and White River (96-72).
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The Port Angeles Roughriders host a basketball doubleheader against North Mason tonight. The girls tip off at 5:15, followed by the boys at 7:00.
The North Mason girls are off to a strong start at 2-0, with dominant wins over East Jefferson. Port Angeles standout Lindsay Smith recorded 19 points and 17 rebounds in a recent game against Forks and will aim to keep her momentum going.
On the boys’ side, Port Angeles faces a rebuilding season after losing 57 points per game with the graduation of key seniors. Senior guard Gus Halberg is the team’s lone returning double-digit scorer. He’s joined by junior guard Matthew Miller, senior forward Keatyn Hoch, junior forward Hunter Flores, and 6’9″ sophomore Brock Hope.
North Mason’s boys are 1-1, with a 64-60 win over Orting and a 63-57 loss to Fife.
The Roughrider girls will also host two-time defending state champion Neah Bay on Saturday at 7:00 p.m. The Red Devils have beaten Port Angeles in their last two matchups, but with three seniors gone to the NWAC, the Roughriders could be poised for a win.
The Sequim Wolves girls host Kingston tonight at 7:00 and are favored to earn a victory.
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Meanwhile, the Peninsula College Pirates are in action today. The fourth-ranked Pirate women host sixth-ranked Chemeketa at 6:00 p.m., while the men travel to Edmonds for a 5:00 p.m. matchup against Grays Harbor. Tune in to KONP Newsradio for live coverage of the men’s game, starting with the Les Schwab Tires Pregame Show at 4:45 p.m.
Former Roughrider star Allison Crumb, now head coach of the Pirates women’s basketball team, has built another NWAC Final Four contender. The Pirates face a big challenge tonight at home against sixth-ranked Chemeketa.