It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.

The best time for the Port Townsend Redskin boys came Jan. 19 against the Kingston Buccaneers, when Coach John Stroeder's squad put together their best game of the season to upset the powerful Bucs 42-37. Stroeder thought his boys had turned the corner and would muscle their way into a string of wins en route to the playoffs.

But the worst time came Jan. 22 when the Redskins tanked one against the Port Angeles Roughriders, losing 36-27. The boys were held to six points in the first half and scored a fat goose egg in the entire second period.

Scoring leader Eric Thomas was held to a single field goal for the game and left with an injury midway through the third period. Jacob DeBerry led PT scorers with 9 points.

Thomas was slated to play Tuesday against Sequim (see results on ptleader.com). The Redskins host North Kitsap on Friday, Jan. 29 and host North Mason on Tuesday, Feb. 2. Varsity tip-off is at 7 p.m.

"That was a big letdown after beating Kingston," said Stroeder. "It looked like we were relaxed in the first half. I don't know how you can be that way with Port Angeles. Not scoring a point in the second period? I couldn't believe it."

His team played much better in the second half, outscoring the Roughriders 21-15 but it was too little, too late.

You could call the game a defensive battle, but you could also say it was a pitiful shooting night for the Town team, which is now 3-7 in league play and 5-9 overall.

Still, Stroeder says the Redskins are in pretty good shape for making the playoffs – if they step up and play like they did against Kingston. "We should make it," Stroeder said. "It would be nice to beat Sequim, and we have to beat Klahowya when we go down there" on Feb. 9.

The Kingston game was a sign of what this team can do.

The Bucs, in third place in the Olympic League, had man-handled the Redskins in their first matchup, winning by 18 points Dec. 4, 2009.

But on Jan. 19 the Redskins lacerated the Kingston full court press and settled into Stroeder's style of play – long, deliberate half-court offensive sets that ate up much of the 35 seconds of the shot clock with each possession. Against Kingston's 1-3-1 zone, junior DeBerry had his way inside the key, using quickness and hops to score eight points in the second period alone en route to a 20-16 Redskins halftime lead.

DeBerry's work was critical, as Redskin perimeter sharpshooters Thomas, Cameron Robinson and Evan O'Brien were hitting rim but not net from the field.

The Redskin defense clamped down in the second half, holding Kingston to four points.

O'Brien found his range in the second half, hitting for nine points, including a big trey from the right corner with 5:19 to play. That put the Town team up 31-22.

Kingston resorted to fouling in the final minutes and Robinson, Thomas and O'Brien put them in to seal the win.

Port Angeles         10         11         6         9 - 36

Port Townsend         6         0         12         9 - 27

PT: DeBerry 9, Robinson 6, O'Brien 5, Thielk 3, Thomas 2, Hallinan 2.

Kingston         5         11         4         17 - 37

Port Townsend         7         13         6         16 - 42

PT: O'Brien 11, Robinson 9, DeBerry 8, Thomas 6, Hallinan 3, Thielk 3, Rubio 2.