Coach Wilson gets first varsity
head coach win with Coach Davis
out of town for a funeral

Matthews got the Knights rolling, with 11 points in

the 1st quarter, Taylor led them to victory with a
game-high 29 points

George Edgar

(Sports Writer)

The Bremerton Knights took to the court on Friday night against the Port Angeles Roughriders without its coach and two of their best players.

With coach Miah Davis and his son Jalen, and nephew Junior Davis-McWhorter attending a funeral for a family member in North Carolina, the Knights found themselves in a big time battle, facing a Roughriders lineup that was taller than the trees in the Olympic National Forest on the other side of the Hood Canal.

But even without them, the Knights persevered and defeated the Roughriders 66-59 in an Olympic League game that saw both sides shoot the ball well and make defensive stops that kept the contest close.

In the end, however, the Knights proved to be too much, even without their coach and his Division I caliber son.

“This was a league game,” said junior guard Enoch Taylor, “so the game plan was to step up for everyone that was gone.”

“This game was personal,” said junior guard Aaron Matthews. “We had to dig deep and play defense Our best player was sick. We really had to lock in and play defense. We never had to come together as a team like we did tonight.”

Taylor, fighting an illness, led Bremerton (6-0 league, 10-1 overall) with 29 points, slicing his way into the key for fancy layups, including some reverse shots that defied logic. Matthews added 17 points, with 11 coming in the first quarter. Kaliam Hunter had 12 points, 8 coming in the second quarter.

But all night, the Roughriders (3-2, 5-5) stayed close, managing to work free of the Knights pressure defense in the half court. They were tied 16-16 after one quarter and never truly went away.

“It wasn’t our best defensive game. We’ve been way better than that. Had we picked up on defense, the game had been a lot different, But we came out with a win.”

The Roughriders came out with a lineup that had 6-foot-10 Brock Hope in the post, and players 6-5 and 6-7 coming off the bench, and sharpshooting guards in Flores and Brody Pierce. Flores hit on four 3-pointers en route to 16 points and Pierce led PA with 18. Hope made some of the Knights think twice before penetrating the post.

“My dad always told me, heart over height. I can never judge a game based on height. At the end of the day, we’ve been playing against the tallest people all my life.”

As it was, the Knights knocked down the tallest without its best.

The Knights close out the first round of league play against Sequim on the road.

Port Angeles - 16 12 14 17 - 59

Bremerton - 16 17 19 14 - 66

E. Taylor - 29 pts 4 reb 3 stl 1 chg

A. Matthews - 17 pts 3 reb 9 ast 4 stl 3 to

K. Hunter - 12 pts 2 reb 3 ast 6 stl 1 to 1 chg

D. McKay - 5 pts 3 ast 1 to

J. Hamilton - 2 pts 1 reb

T. Medina - 1 pt 5 reb 1 stl 1 to

George Edgar

(Sports Writer)

edgar7892@yahoo.com