By AARON MANAGHAN
Sports editor
If there was any time for someone to step up for the Olympic girls basketball team, it was Friday night.
With key forward Shawntell Bradford out early from a severe rolled ankle through at least this Friday, and with key posts Nicole Buhl and Pepper Fanua in foul trouble as the Lady Trojans played host to rivals Bremerton, Oly needed someone to step up.
That someone was Sammy Viray.
“Sammy looked very aggressive in the beginning,” Olympic girls coach Rick Peters said. “We put pressure on them early. She started off on a role. She just stepped up to the pressure. And she’s just starting to become what she can be.”
Viray scored a career-high 28 points in helping Olympic (7-3, 6-1) to a 62-52 home win Friday. But she wasn’t alone.
With Bradford going down early after scoring just a bucket, and Buhl and Fanua logging numerous fouls, Peters said his bench was just as important in the win.
“Our bench came up big too,” he said. “We basically lost three starters by the end of the game.”
The win gives the Trojans sole possession of first place as Kingston upset Port Angeles 58-38, with the 5-2 Roughriders a game back of Oly.
While Peters said his team could have played better, he also said anytime you walk off the court with a win is a good night.
“If you can win ugly, that’s a good thing,” he said.
With Oly coming off of the break, Peters said it was nice to get some momentum rolling, especially considering the alternative.
“To me it’s just finding balance on the court,” he said. “We could have come out the other way. We could have come out flat.”
But that doesn’t mean they took the visiting Knights (3-7, 2-4) lightly.
“I thought Bremerton has a phenomenally athletic squad,” Peters said. “We just happened to come out on the winning side.”
That momentum was needed as Oly traveled to Peninsula last night. Results were unavailable at press time.
Olympic boys hoops
Olympic’s boys basketball team held on to a close battle with Bremerton on the road Friday, winning 42-38 in the battle between childhood friends turned head coaches.
Oly coach Devin Huff got the win in his first time facing Bremerton coach Casey Lindberg, whom Huff used to coach under at BHS.
Larry Dixon led the Trojans (3-6, 3-4) with 15 points while Justin Sena added 13 off the bench.
The loss dropped the Knights (3-7) to .500 in league play at 3-3.
Oly hosted Peninsula (2-8, 2-4) last night but results were unavailable at press time.
