By Eric Trent
The Peninsula men are now in the fourth and final playoff spot in the North Division of the Northwest Athletic Conference.
The Pirates put the pressure on early and often en-route to a 77-64 electrifying win over Everett, Saturday night, in Port Angeles.
Peninsula took a 15 point lead at halftime, then held off a mounting second half comeback by the Trojans, who cut the lead to two with eight minutes left in regulation.
The Pirates held tight in the final minutes to keep Everett at bay and end with a 13 point win. “I think we’re starting to play our best basketball. We’re really starting to trust each other and play together. I’m proud of the way we came out, start to finish.” Peninsula head coach, Mitch Freeman said.
The Pirates opened up a 9-0 lead before Everett knew what hit them, thanks to steals by Jeremiah Hobbs, and Jal Deng that led to quick buckets. After an Everett timeout, Deonte Dixon took off on a breakaway steal and slashed to the rim with a bleacher shaking dunk.
Eight minutes later, Dixon one-upped his dunk, with a Sportcenter Top 10 highlight worthy pass. Snatching a steal at mid-court, Dixon launched a rocket pass, between the legs of a running defender, to an open Jal Deng for a lay-in.
The Pirates had a 13 point lead at this point, and managed to outscore Everett by two more to take a 38-23 lead going into the half. “It was our second best effort in a half this year. I’m really proud of our guys, it was a great effort” Freeman said.
After the break, the Pirates opened up a 19 point lead before Everett came firing back. Derek Brown Jr, for the Trojans, used dribble-drive penetration to pressure PC into foul trouble.
Everett cut the lead to four with eight minutes remaining in regulation, with back to back three pointers and a bevy of foul shots from Brown Jr. “We tried to go with some defensive changes and it kind of went against the way we want to play.” Freeman added.
But the Pirates wouldn’t be denied a victory as they managed to stem the tide, turning the momentum back in their favor by attacking Everett’s interior defense.
With three minutes left in the game and a 10 point lead, Peninsula put the game out of reach by forcing Everett to foul and converting on free throws, ending the game with a 77-64 Pirate win.
“I think we’re finding our identity, as a team, which is valuing the possession, and playing hard for 40 minutes, on both ends of the floor” Freeman said.
Peninsula (5-5, 12-10) heads to the road to face a 0-9, 5-16 Olympic team on Wednesday.