Poulsbo girls reach

“turning point” March 7

The Poulsbo Junior High Lady Panthers have lost three games this season which have come down to two-points or less at the end of regulation.

The most recent disappointment came March 2, when the team hosted Ridgetop and lost 32-31 despite a 14-point performance from Kelle Taplin. It has nearly been a season of heartbreakers, including the loss of potentially-loaded point guard Darcey Hughes to a broken arm.

But coach Karla DeVries saw a turn around in the team against Marcus Whitman March 7.

“From a coach’s perspective, (the) game was the turning point for a group of girls that have deserved to win all season,” DeVries said. “Everything they have been working on from day one finally ‘clicked’ and they came together as a unit.”

Forcing and taking advantage of Marcus turnovers, the Panthers jumped out to an 18-7 lead at the end of one quarter. By halftime, they had upped it to 30-17, and they held strong for the 52-42 victory.

A balanced scoring attack and an impressive defense led the Lady Panthers, DeVries said. Krista Vestman scored 13 points, followed by Taplin with 12 and Jordan Chargualaf with 10. Haley Fidler added nine points.

The Lady Panthers utilized a 20-point fourth quarter to beat the Fairview Falcons March 9 by a count of 55-39. Taplin scored 12 of her 26 points in the fourth quarter to lead Poulsbo.

Next up the Panthers will travel to Kingston for the final game of the season, starting at 3 p.m. Thursday.

Kingston continues winning

ways with three Cav victories

The Kingston Junior High Lady Cavaliers improved to 68-0 on the season and 38-0 over the past two and half years. With one game left in the season, the Cavs are closing in on perfection.

The Cavs rolled over the Sedgwick Generals Feb. 28 in a 39-24 contest in which Kingston had the upper hand. Ashley Redican led the Lady Cavs with 12 points while Laura Wicklein added eight and Sophia Baetz scored seven.

A balanced scoring attack and a strong bench have illuminated a true team concept at KJH this season, said head coach Tony Chisholm.

Against Fairview March 2, the team clobbered the Falcons by a final tally of 45-14. The Cavs defense shined as it held Fairview to a single-digit score over the course of the entire first half.

Arissan Ugles (12 points), Kira Markey (10 points) and Taylor Wall (eight points) collaborated to produce the bulk of Kingston’s offense.

“It was a great week for us. (The team) kind of got back on track,” Chisholm said. “We stressed defense and that’s what did it.”

The Cavs kept on track through last week beating Bremerton 46-43 March 7. Then on March 9, seventh-grader Sophia Baetz led the Cavs with her season high 18 points as Kingston defeated Ridgetop 58-35.

Next up, in what Chisholm noted as the toughest week of the season for the Cavs, Kingston will host Poulsbo in the final game of the regular season at 3 p.m. March 16.

Kingston grapplers win

final match of season, 42-39

The last wrestling match of the season was decided where it should be March 9: on the mat.

Both Kingston and visiting Marcus Whitman had large gaps in their lineups and started with an even score. It was Kingston’s lighter wrestlers who came through big, said coach Chris Gilbreath.

While Kianna Witt, Christian Bauer and Brandon McGahan gathered forfeit wins, Logan Hixon and Alex Lambert attacked and earned key pins.

Likewise Alfredo Ramirez and Kim Lansangan crushed their opponents with first-period pins. On the strength of those performances Kingston squeezed past Marcus by three points, 42-39.

The Cavaliers will be competing in the varsity and JV league tournaments with the JV championships starting at 3 p.m. March 17 and the varsity taking the mat at 9 a.m. March 18 at Ridgetop Junior High School.

Poulsbo ends season

with an up and a down

The Poulsbo Panther grapplers picked up a “huge W” March 7, said coach Joe Power as the blue crushed Marcus Whitman by a count of 42-27.

The Panthers were led by Conner Cather and Karl Healing as each wrestler secured pins to open the match. Blaine Inman and Colin Fogerty also captured pins while Justin Swansboro and Sam Vegkley each held strong decisions.

At Fairview March 9, the team score was not as pleasant as the Panthers lost 55-39. However, some strong individual performances have Poulsbo gearing up for a good performance at the league meet this weekend.

Jaecen Avery led the Panthers March 9 with a comeback pin after being down 4-12 in his match and Inman battled out a gritty 2-1 decision. Vegkley and Daniel Jewett also picked up pins.

Next up, the Panthers will travel to Ridgetop Junior High School for the league championships with JV at 3 p.m. March 17 and varsity at 9 a.m. March 18.