Bremerton loses first home game
of season to #1 team in the state

George Edgar

(Sports Writer)

The top ranked Class 1A team in the state came into the Eathorne Gym and took a big bite out of the Bremerton Knights.

The Annie Wright Gators, the defending Class 1A state champs from Tacoma, came out of the gate hard and fast against the Knights, stifling them on defense and controlling the tempo of the game, on their way to a 62-43 non-league win in the Eathorne Gym.

The Gators (17-1) used their starters height against the Knights combined with a full court pressure on defense that forced some early turnovers.

Bremerton was down 14-5 after the first quarter and was unable to recover.

“We just need to play better,” said Bremerton coach Miah Davis after the game. “We have to give ourselves a chance early because we had eight turnovers and that led to eight points. Having that opportunity to understand the flow of the game, and what we can’t is turn the ball over early in the shot clock. Its something we can learn from whe we watch film.”

The Knights (12-4) were facing a tall team in Annie Wright, two nights after defeating another tall team in Bainbridge. But the Gators sported a starting lineup of 6-foot 6 Neal Schow, 6-2 Jeremiah Harshman, 6-5 Brian Holliday, 6-7 Will Reger, and 6-4 Martin Kaupanger.

Kaupanger led the Gators with 23 points, while Harshman had 17 points,11 rebounds, and six assists, and Schow added 16 points.

“It’s not about the team we face,” said Davis. “It’s about heart and the determination at the end of the day, it’s how you approach the game.”

The defending 1A state champs have been taking on all comers this season. They opened the season with and defeated Rainier Beach 74-70, and have dominated all their Nisqually League opponents. Their only loss this season was to La Lumiere from La Porte, Indiana in the prestigious Les Schwab Invitational in Portland, Oregon over the holidays.

Gators coach Dominique Williams said, “Every day, we practice hard; just prepared for the game. We played Beach in the first game of the season, and won by four points. We’ve been playing a lot of different competitions throughout this whole season. We’re a 1A school, trying to prove ourselves.”

The Gators held Bremerton to just 14 of 45 field goals in the game, and made life hard for high scoring guard Jaled Davis. Though Davis did have 23 points in the game, he was swarmed over continuously throughout by Gator defenders.

“He still had a good game towards the end,” Williams said. “Just put a lot of pressure on him. I wasn’t expecting him not do anything, but just make it hard for him, that’s what I wanted my guys to do.”

Bremerton will try to get back on the winning track when they return to Olympic League play Friday against Olympic.

Annie Wright Gators - 14 17 14 17 - 62
Bremerton Knights - 5 10 11 17 - 43

J. Davis - 23 pts 6 reb 1 ast 6 stl 1 blk 2 to 2 chg

J. Turner - 9 pts 1 reb 1 stl 3 to 1 chg

E. Taylor - 8 pts 2 reb 2 ast 2 stl 1 to

J. McWhorter - 2 pts 1 ast

D. Anderson - 1 pt 1 reb 2 to 1 chg

George Edgar

(Sports Writer)

edgar7892@yahoo.com