Knights slay Bulldogs

By DEAN SIEMON

            With less than two minutes left in the game, North Mason made a small comeback but could not execute on one last offensive drive, falling to Bremerton 59-56 on Tuesday.

            The Bulldogs (6-2, 3-2 Olympic) turned the ball over 22 times in the game, with what coach Larry Skogstad called bad passing.

            “Everywhere you looked, there were mistakes,” Skogstad said.

            “I don’t know if some of it was fatigue or if some of it was their quickness.”

            Skogstad also said that the Knights (6-2, 6-0 Olympic) had a relentless pressure on defense due to their speed.

            “They don’t let up for 32 minutes,” Skogstad said.

            “If you don’t take care of the basketball, you will pay for it.”

            But some of the positives came from North Mason outrebounding Bremerton 34-20.

            Senior John Fullington led the team with 16 points, while fellow senior Brett Skogstad scored 15.

            “We had a real desire to play with passion tonight,” Skogstad said.

            “I wish we didn’t make so many unforced errors.”

            The coach also noted that the team has been inconsistent when it comes to having the passion this season, with a number of “quiet guys” on the roster.

            “Yet, I thought they brought it tonight in their quiet way,” Skogstad said.

            While Skogstad said that falling to 3-2 in the league will not affect the team mentally, they know what the focus at practice needs to be.

            “We’re going to cme back and work on the passing and work on the passion, we showed tonight,” Skogstad said.

Bremerton 59, North Mason 56

Jan. 5 at North Mason

Field goals – Bremerton 19-34, North Mason 16-34; 3-point field goals – Bremerton 4-18, North Mason 5-18; Free throws – Bremerton 9-11, North Mason 9-14; Rebounds Bremerton 20, North Mason 34; Turnovers – Bremerton 22, North Mason 22; Fouls – Bremerton 17, North Mason 13.

Individual scoring:

            Bremerton – Jarel Flora 26, Charles Wilson 8, Michael Lawrence 8, Andrew Shadle 6, Terrick McGhee 4, Keegan Fein 4, Andre Coleman 3.

            North Mason – John Fullington 16, Brett Skogstad 15, Garrett Burley 10, A.J. Barker 7, Dylan Hannafious 5, Austin Casteel 3