The North Kitsap girls basketball came into the game against Port Angeles Jan. 5 losing nine of its last 10 against the Roughriders.
Although the Vikings fought into overtime, they fell short again 46-43.
Coach Karla DeVries was proud of her team fighting until the end.
“They are finally realizing they are worthy,” DeVries said. “I knew we would improve after a rough start to the season and a tough schedule. We built some confidence tonight.”
Port Angeles took an early 10-4 lead after the first quarter with only Teegan DeVries and Avery Kline making a basket each. The Roughriders extended the lead in the second quarter. However, Viking Evelyn Beers made a difference in her debut after a hamstring injury during the soccer season.
“I could only play (Beers) four minutes a quarter and a bit more in overtime,” DeVries said. “We are just enjoying having her on the team, and she did a great job.”
Beers made a basket and free throw in the second quarter, and Kline scored six more points to slim the lead. However, NK still trailed 35-26.
The Roughriders had a hot start in the first two minutes on the third quarter as it looked like they would take control of the contest.
“It was not what we were dreaming about at halftime,” DeVries said. “After that timeout, they decided they didn’t want to get buried.”
NK trailed 33-15 with six minutes left in the third quarter. But they went on a 24-6 run to tie the game at 39-39 in the fourth quarter. During that span, Kline and Corina McMillian scored eight points each, DeVries scored four and Beers three.
Kline nailed a couple of free throws to give the Vikings a 42-40 lead with less than 10 seconds left in regulation.
“I was concerned they would panic and get careless with the ball but they didn’t,” DeVries said. “It wasn’t an error, it was two missed rebounds.”
Both missed rebounds led to five total free throws for the Roughriders. Port Angeles nailed two of the five to send it to overtime.
The Vikings failed to score a basket during overtime, only scoring on a Kline free throw.
