It had been more than a month since the Peninsula High boys basketball team had tasted a victory, and the Seahawks didn't get off to the best of starts as they tried to end their losing streak Wednesday.

Peninsula eventually found its energy and raced to a 62-38 victory over the Washington Patriots in a nonleague boys basketball game at Washington High in Parkland.

After the game, I caught up with two key players in the victory — seniors Cody Olson and Austin Filkins — and they're the focus of the game recap below. Look for the story in the Gateway's Jan. 9 print edition, too.

After 11 days off, the Seahawks looked rusty and weren’t playing well enough to end their nine-game losing streak. Jackson’s message was simple: Refocus mentally.

“Usually, the first four-minute war of the game we lose, and the first four-minute war out of halftime we lose,” said Peninsula senior guard Cody Olson.

“We came out a little slow, but then we kind of picked it up and said, ‘We have to get it going.’ The guys did well.”

Olson scored 13 points, freshman guard JaQuori McLaughlin added 11, and Peninsula’s reserves did much of the dirty work as the Seahawks claimed a 62-38 victory in nonleague action at Washington High.

Peninsula (2-9) won for the first time since the Nov. 28 season opener against North Mason, a big boost before it returned to Class 3A South Puget Sound League action this week.

The Seahawks used their entire bench, and 11 of the 12 players scored. James Silberman drilled a 3-pointer, capping an 11-2 run to end the first period. Marque Kriebel had some solid minutes at point guard after McLaughlin picked up two early fouls. And senior Austin Filkins returned from an ankle injury to give his team a little muscle under the rim.

“I just like bringing energy to the team,” said Filkins, who scored six points. “I feel like I can add stuff with my energy — getting boards, getting charges, all that stuff. Not really scoring the points or anything, but just doing the little things I need to do.”

“It’s really easy to throw the ball into him in the middle, which is what we need,” Olson said of Filkins. “He’s been a huge help.”

Olson scored nine points in the second period, and his 3-pointer stretched Peninsula’s lead to 26-15. Washington (3-8) never got within single digits again.

McLaughlin was hampered by the early foul trouble, but he scored six straight points to open the third quarter, including an ankle-breaking crossover dribble to free himself for an 18-foot jumper.

“He’s just such a playmaker,” Filkins said. “You saw his dribbling he can do, so he just opens it up for everyone else.”

Peninsula’s lead grew to 20 points after three periods, and there was no letup late in the game. The Patriots struggled all game to solve the Hawks’ zone defense, and Jackson tossed in some full-court pressure that led to some transition baskets.

However, half-court execution was the biggest reason Peninsula had its top offensive output since it scored 64 against North Mason. Olson chalked it up to outstanding ball movement.

“We call it zip — we move the ball around as fast as we can, and (there was) a lot of backdoors, because they were overplaying us on the perimeter,” he said.

Injuries to key veterans, and an overall lack of experience, have contributed to Jackson playing several freshmen and sophomores over the course of the season.

Filkins and Olson said the players are getting more comfortable with their roles, the result of the varsity and JV teams practicing together.

“Whoever is doing best in practice will play varsity, so it makes our practices really important,” Filkins said. “We just put the best players on the floor, and we have a lot of depth, and it’s going to help for our future getting all the young guys in there.”