North Kitsap boys basketball extends home winning streak to 48 games

POULSBO — Just when it appeared North Kitsap's boys basketball team might be ripe for a rare home defeat, the Vikings rediscovered their winning formula against a familiar nemesis.

Junior Harry Davies scored a game-high 26 points and senior Ethan Gillespie added 14 points — all in the second half — as North Kitsap took over first place in the Olympic League 2A standings Tuesday with a 64-56 win over Port Angeles in Poulsbo. The Vikings (6-4 overall, 5-0 in league) won their 48th consecutive home game, a streak that dates back to the 2017 season.

"We are very, very aware of it," Davies said. "For home games especially, we come out with as much energy as we can."

The Vikings snapped a two-game skid by knocking off Port Angeles (6-4, 4-1). The Roughriders have been North Kitsap's main league rival for several years running. Last year's game in Poulsbo saw the Vikings prevail 76-74 in another streak-saving victory.

"Every year we are marking them on our calendar because we know they are going to give us our best game," Davies said.

North Kitsap lost a pair of games in Yakima over the holiday break, falling to Toppenish (62-59) and Selah (70-57). Head coach Scott Orness said he loaded the Vikings' schedule with challenging non-league contests in order to expedite the team's growth process this winter. North Kitsap's two other defeats this season came against Union and Auburn in November.

"It helps reveal some of the bad habits we develop and makes sure we're staying true to running our stuff, both defensively and offensively," Orness said.

Facing a Port Angeles team that North Kitsap defeated in the state quarterfinals a season ago en route to a third-place finish in 2A, the Vikings grabbed a 23-20 lead at halftime. The low-scoring first half wasn't a complete surprise considering how many scorers both teams saw graduate in 2022. Port Angeles has four new starters, while North Kitsap has three after the departure of league MVP Jonas La Tour, Johny Olmsted and Aiden Olmstead.

"Last year, we really tried to shoot the ball in the first eight to 10 seconds of the shot clock," Orness said. "This year, with only two main guys and the supporting cast, we don't have quite the firepower."

Patient and deliberate might be two words to describe North Kitsap's offense on Tuesday. The Vikings stressed ball movement against Port Angeles, who paid special attention to Davies and junior Cade Orness, who combine to average 48 points per game.

"We need to move the ball, we need to make defenses work a little bit more," Orness said. "The second half we did that finally."

Led by junior Parker Nickerson (25 points) and senior Tyler Hunter (21 points), Port Angeles led by as many as six points in the third quarter before North Kitsap pulled even at 42-all entering the fourth. The final eight minutes saw one tie and five lead changes before North Kitsap grabbed control. Gillespie sank back-to-back 3-pointers to put the Vikings up 58-54 with 2:22 remaining.

Still leading by four points with under a minute to play, Davies helped seal the victory by stealing an inbounds pass from Port Angeles' Kason Albaugh, who tried to throw the ball over Davies' head.

"The last second, I put my hands up," said Davis, who sank a pair of free throws after being fouled by Port Angeles.

For all of Davies' points on Tuesday, the steal showed a level of determination and desire that allowed this evolving North Kitsap squad keep its impressive home win streak intact.

"It's all about grit," Davies said. "We made a real effort to be the grittier team."

This article originally appeared on Kitsap Sun: North Kitsap boys basketball extends home winning streak to 48 games