Area Sports by Michael Dashiell

"That may have been one of the strangest games I've ever seen," assistant coach Larry Hill said, moments after Sequim's 50-45 win Friday night against Kingston.

"And I've seen a lot of them."

The Wolves, stepping on the court with everything to play for (a playoff berth) and without their leading scorer (Ary Webb), dug themselves a 17-point hole in the first quarter.

Or rather, they were buried. Kingston hit a barrage of long-range shots - seven in a row to start the game - and led 17-2 at one point in the first quarter.

"We knew they were going to come out shooting," Sequim coach Greg Glasser said. "It was a matter of chopping into that lead."

John Textor led the Wolves (4-8 in league 7-9 overall) with 16 points and four steals, Corbin Webb added 14 points and Jeremie Oliver chipped in with 12 points and a team-high nine rebounds.

The win puts Sequim in the Olympic League's top three 2A schools that will play at the league tournament Feb. 21, hoping for a district playoff berth.

Despite freshman point guard Corbin Webb's trio of three-pointers, Sequim found themselves down 18 points midway through the second quarter before a combination of a stingy defense, work on the offensive glass and Kingston's suddenly cold shooting allowed the Wolves to creep within nine points at halftime.

"We needed to get up on their shooters," Sequim post Taylor Thorson said. "They were just ridiculous."

That's all they needed.

Sequim opened the third quarter with a 7-2 run. A pair of Textor steals and baskets closed the lead to 37-36 after three quarters.

With the score 39-36 Kingston and four minutes remaining in the game, Sequim's Oliver sank a pair of free throws, then stole a pass and found John Textor for his only three-point make in five tries. It gave Sequim a 41-39 lead, the Wolves' first of the contest.

Kingston managed a tie but free throws from Webb, Oliver

and Textor helped Sequim pull ahead.

With a four-point lead, Thorson secured a Kingston miss, got fouled and calmly sank two free throws that clinched Sequim's fourth league win.

Except for a last-second basket, Kingston missed their final five shots from the field and three of five free throws.

After making their first seven shots, the Buccaneers were just seven-of-30 (23 percent) from the floor and five-of-14 from the free throw line.

Sequim senior Reed Omdal finished with a workmanlike two points, three steals and five rebounds.

"Reed kind of started the

chaos, not only with his play but his leadership," Glasser said.

Zane Ravenholt led the Bucs with 14 points while George Hill, the sharpshooter who led the first-quarter barrage of threes, finished with 12 points, none after the first quarter.

"He's the leader of the team by far," Corbin Webb said of Hill, the Bucs' shooter. "But we're a team; we play as a team."



Redskins romp at home

Not bad, considering.

Unfortunately, Sequim fans can only be considering what their Wolves might have done with a full lineup after watching their Ary Webb-less troupe battle and lose to Port Townsend 60-40 on Jan. 27.

Webb, Sequim's leading scorer, is out of action due to a bout with mononucleosis. Without the senior sharpshooter, the Wolves struggled early, falling behind 15-7 after eight minutes and 32-17 by halftime.

Parker McClelland, the Redskins' 6-foot 5-inch post, scored 19 points and Elan Solvick added nine points as the state's No. 2-ranked 1A team rolled.

Textor led the Wolves with 15 points while Thorson and Michael Dunning added eight points each, but it simply wasn't enough.

"This was our first game without our big offensive threat," Glasser said. "Tonight, (the Redskins) did what they didn't do the first time (we played them) - they shot the ball well from the outside."

Last season, the Wolves gave Port Townsend their only regular-season loss in the P.T. gymnasium. Earlier this season, Port Townsend survived a scare in Sequim with a 35-33 win.

Glasser said he's looking for younger players like Dunning and Corbin Webb to step up in Ary Webb's absence.

"I was really happy for Mike to get some opportunities," Glasser said of Dunning. The 6-foot junior hit three shots in the fourth quarter, two from long range. "He's going to have to step up and be a shooter for the rest of the season."

Glasser said he hopes to see Ary Webb back in uniform by the Wolves' final league game, a Feb. 17 match-up with Olympic. If

Sequim wants to continue the 2008-2009 season, they'll have to finish in the Olympic League 1A/2A division's top three teams. That means getting past Klahowya, a team they trail by one game in the standings but have split in the season series.

The Wolves were scheduled to play against Port Angeles Dec. 3 - results were unavailable at press time. Sequim hosts North Kitsap Feb. 10.



Reach Michael Dashiell at miked@sequimgazette.com.



Olympic League standings

_ 1A/2A

Team Lg. Over.

North Mason 10-1 13-2

Pt. Townsend 10-2 14-2

Sequim 4-8 7-9

Klahowya 4-8 5-10

Kingston 1-10 2-13

_ 3A

Team Lg. Over.

North Kitsap 11-1 13-2

Bremerton 7-5 7-9

Olympic 4-7 7-8

Port Angeles 1-10 2-11