Area Sports by Michael Dashiell

Some days you're the crusher; other days, you're the crushed.

Sequim's boys got a little taste of both at Port Townsend's Crush in the Slush basketball tournament Friday and Saturday, earning a split in two drastically different games.

On Friday afternoon, Sequim opened the tourney with a 63-37 loss to a South Kamloops squad featuring four players 6-foot 7-inches tall - Sequim's tallest player is listed at 6-foot 4-inches - and rebounded nicely with a 61-29 crushing of peninsula neighbor Chimacum on Jan. 3.

Saturday's Sequim victory keeps Chimacum's Cowboys winless (0-7) on the season.

Against the Cowboys, Sequim (3-4) got 15 points from Ary Webb and 14 from fellow senior John Textor. The Wolves raced to a 23-9 lead after one quarter and a 37-16 advantage by halftime.

Dylan Brown led Chimacum with 11 points.

In the opener Friday night, the Wolves' squad was no match for a long and athletic South Kamloops team from British Columbia. The Titans used their height to out-rebound Sequim 45-17 and consistently forced the Wolves into difficult shots.

At 6-feet 10-inches tall, Titan point guard Kelly Olynyk led the Titans with a solid all-around game with 18 points, 15 rebounds, four steals and three blocks. When Olynyk and post David Wagner (11 rebounds) weren't forcing the issue in the middle, John Bantock (23 points) was lurking on the perimeter for three-point jumpers.

Ary Webb led Sequim with 11 points while Textor added 10 points, four rebounds and six steals.

The Wolves did have a bright spot, however: they forced 28 Titan turnovers and committed just 13.

Sequim coach Greg Glasser said he was happy with the team's effort.

"We're always going to be the smaller team on the court," Glasser said. "Today we didn't get hurt as much on the offensive boards."

Sequim also saw the return of Clancy Catelli this weekend. Catelli, a starter from last season, has missed much of the season because of an illness.

"Clancy is coming back - we'll be working him into the gel (the guys) have created," Glasser said.

Sequim was slated to take on Kingston on the road Jan. 6 - results were unavailable at press time. The Wolves travel to Poulsbo for a Jan. 9 match-up with North Kitsap before hosting cross-peninsula rival Port Angeles on Jan. 10.



Sequim sweeps in Sumner

That's more like it.

Sequim's boys basketball squad found the win column for the first time this season with a 59-53 victory against host Sumner at the Hoopin' for Life Tournament Dec. 30, outscoring the Spartans 21-10 in the fourth quarter.

The Wolves added a 74-59 win against Elma on New Year's Eve for a tourney sweep, improving to 2-3 for the season.

In the opener against Sumner, Ary Webb led the Wolves with 28 points and eight rebounds while Textor had 12 points and Corbin Webb added seven.

Sequim opened the game with a 15-4 run but saw the Spartans tie it by halftime. Sumner led 43-38 after three quarters until Sequim's strong finish.

"We shut them down and they had trouble making free throws," Glasser said.

In the tourney final against Elma, a 2A team from southwest Washington, Sequim held a five-point lead after three quarters before another strong fourth quarter, out-scoring the Eagles 26-16.

Textor led the Wolves with 19 points, nine rebounds and four steals - all team highs - while Corbin Webb had 17 points and Ary Webb added 16 points and eight rebounds. Reed Omdal had eight points, four rebounds and three steals.

"This was a good tournament for us," Glasser said.