PORT ANGELES – East high school’s Knights have completed their run for the Olympic peninsula class AA basketball roses and left it entirely upon the shoulders of the West Wildcats to catch up.

East attained its lofty spot ahead of the AA pack, not in the easiest of fashions, last night by squeezing out a 52-51 decision over the Port Angeles Roughriders here in the last of the Knights’ series of warfares for a berth in the post-season district tournament which will qualify one Olympic peninsula team for the state ‘AA’ tourney in Seattle.

THE KNIGHT conquest, propelled by senior forward Mike Holen’s 28-point offensive effort, left them with an 11-1 standard in the peninsula class AA chase and elevated their season-long standard to 12-5 with a game remaining. That one will come next Tuesday night in a strictly kings-x affair with the Mount Tahoma Thunderbirds in Tacoma.

East’s conquest of Port Angeles, its second of the year over the northern quintet, leaves cross-city rival West with a record to equal. The Wildcats will try just that on Saturday, March 1, against the Central Kitsap Cougars in Silverdale.

West goes into that one with a 10-1 mark and victory essential to square its standard with East. Should the Wildcats do it, the teams would finish in a deadlock and necessitate a coin flip to determine which goes into the post-season playoffs as numbers one and two.

East had its scares last night after trailing through both the first two periods. It was 11-8 Port Angeles after the first – one in which neither of the teams could generate anything in the way of sustained attack. Both perked up some on the second panel which saw the host Roughriders retire to the dressing room with a narrow, 25-23, advantage.

THEN THE Knights, who went almost all the way sans substitute, displayed the basketball wares which carried them to their higher perch in the “AA” scramble.

With Holen leading the way offensively, East erased the Port Angeles lead, moved to the front itself and eventually entered into the fourth and deciding quarter own.

This the Knights built to 45-37.

But then the ‘Riders began a small comeback bid of their own. Sophomore center Bruce Shamp converted on four straight efforts from the charity line and it became 45-41 to set the stage for a run to the wire.

‘Rider reserve Toby Williams made it a two-point deficiency, but Jim Tienhaara quickly got it back for East and Greg Morrison made it a six-point bulge, taking a long pass from Darryl Fry to convert a layup.

PORT Angeles, though wouldn’t lie dead. Guard Dave Denny pumped in a jumper at 2:30 and at 1:45 Shamp countered with another of the same variety to close the Knight margin to 49-47.

Off the control-type offense, East found Holen loose for a cripple which was to turn out the big basket of the final stanza.

After an exchange of personal fouls, on which both ‘Rider Denny and Knight Morrison each missed the first of a one-and-one situation, Shamp brought his team back to within two with another jumper at the 40-second mark.

It was to prove, however, to late when Tienhaara hit the first of a one-and-one setup with six seconds remaining to up the spread to 52-49.

Post Angeles called a hasty time out and used it to hope for the impossible – a basket and an East foul.

The Knights gave them the basket – a cripple by Shamp – but refused to come near any rival and it ended on that note.

HOLEN’S 28 counters came on 10 field goals and eight charity tosses.  He had 13 points in the first half, 15 in the second. In addition, he topped Knight rebounders with 13 grabs.

Only other of the six Knights to see combat and hit the double figures in scoring was Tienhaara with 12. Shamp enjoyed his best offensive night of the year with 20.

East’s margin of victory came at the foul line after it was out-field-goals by the ‘Riders, 19-15. Knights dropped in 22 of 34 gift chances as compared to PA’s 13 of 22.

East

Totals

Totals

B Team Game

East (42) - Winderl 5, Kennedy 6, Johnston 14, Gibson 7, Strachen 10, Slate.

Port Angeles (44) - Patterson 16, Bell, Bond 2, Lovell 5, Green 1, Roddell 10, Speaker, Berg 7, Bennett 3.