Bremerton's Japrea Pedesclaux cuts under the basket for a reverse defensed by Kingston's Liam Young, left, Tuesday night at Bremerton. (Photo: Larry Steagall / Kitsap Sun)

With the ball in the air following a missed free throw, the Bremerton boys basketball team had something they didn’t have the last time the Knights played Kingston: Desmond Moore there for the rebound.

The senior forward missed the Buccaneers 58-43 win against Bremerton on Dec. 9 because he thought since school was closed because of snow that the game would be canceled as well.

With 30 seconds remaining Tuesday, Bremerton’s senior guard Japrea Pedesclaux missed his second free throw, putting Kingston one-point behind after the Buccaneers were down 10 for most of the second half. But as the loud Kingston contingent cheered following the miss, Moore was there to not only snatch the rebound and prolong the Knights’ possession, but to score and give Bremerton the breathing room it needed, beating Kingston 54-49.

“Everyone in here is looking at Japrea like he has to hit one of these,” Moore said after the game. “I knew he had a lot of pressure on him, there’s a 50-50 chance he was going to miss one. My coach taught me how to box out very well, and it just came off the side perfectly to me and I knew I had to take it in for the bucket.”

Moore, who led the Knights (6-9, 4-4 Olympic League 2A) in scoring with 16, said he came into the game with a chip on his shoulder because he thought his team could have won the previous matchup had he played.

Bremerton's Desmond Moore reaches for a rebound against Kingston Tuesday night at Bremerton. (Photo: Larry Steagell / Kitsap Sun)

“I felt like I had more weight on my shoulders than everybody else,” he said. “I had to come out and prove to them … that they weren’t going to come out and beat us again like that.”

Losing close games was an issue for Bremerton early in the season. The Knights lost by one to Peninsula to begin their season and then wasted a 16-point lead entering the fourth quarter the following night against Central Kitsap on Nov. 30.

So Bremerton head coach Miah Davis said he was “relieved” after Tuesday’s game, seeing his team coming together during the final stretch of the season. He said he has focused practices on offense to help pick up the defense, the Knights’ strong suit. Bremerton’s defense held the talented Kingston duo of Liam Young and Gabe Gregory to 15 combined points.

Now, using a lot of ball screens to capitalize on their speed, the Knights are more balanced than they have been all season.

“If we play like this, we can surprise a lot of people if we make the postseason,” Davis said. “The main thing was just play for each other. As long as we keep playing for each other – you never know how far you can go.”

The Knights now have some momentum to make the playoffs, sitting a half-game behind Port Angeles for the league's No. 4 seed. Those teams square off again Friday, after PA took the first game 53-44.

BOYS BASKETBALL: Bremerton 54, Kingston 49 - Bremerton's Japrea Pedesclaux fouls Kingston's Isaiah Calloway Tuesday night at Bremerton. (Larry Steagall / Kitsap Sun)

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In the opposing locker room, the mood was much more solemn.

Kingston coach Ben Wisniewski said his team has let “mental and physical fatigue” set in coming down the stretch. The Bucs (10-5, 5-3) are 2-3 in their past five games. They fell to Olympic 64-54 on Friday, dropping them to third in the league.

“This is the part of the high school grind that really separates good teams from average teams. And, right now, we’re playing like a very average basketball team,” Wisniewski said.

Kingston big man Andrew Shaw led the team with 20 points and six rebounds after not playing in the first quarter. Wisniewski said the senior missed practice Monday while nursing a hip injury, so he couldn’t start.

Now Wisniewski looks to regain his team’s focus with five games left in the season and turn the current negatives into positives.

“It depends on how we respond,” he said. “It’s all our response to tonight. It could propel us, or (it could not).”

Bremerton 54, Kingston 49

Bremerton 15 12 16 12 – 54

Kingston 10 9 14 16 – 49

Bremerton – Desmond Moore 16, Harold McMichael III 12, Diontae Madison 12, Japrea Pedesclaux 11, M-Red Miochy 3.

Kingston – Andrew Shaw 20, Brett Spencer 10, Liam Young 9, Gabe Gregory 6, Popeh Chiquiti 3, Eli Miller 1.