By JOSH FARLEY
Staff Writer
KINGSTON — If the proverbial expression, “they’ve been eating their Wheaties,” holds true, then the Lady Cavaliers of Kingston have been getting their fill each morning.
For the first time in Coach Tony Chisholm’s 12 years at KJH, the Cavaliers toppled the Central Kitsap Junior High Cougar Cubs 35-28 Tuesday, putting them at a 5-0 record — also a first for Chisholm in a dozen seasons.
“(Central Kitsap) is always a powerhouse,” Chisholm said. “But we won today with our confidence and our defense.”
That defense, led by Cavalier Jade Niemeyer’s 11 rebounds along with Erin Nicol’s and Lindsay Sprague’s six steals each, brought the Cavs back from 6-point deficits — twice — and gave Kingston a chance to win.
“It was our defense and hustle that won the game for us,” Niemeyer said. “All of us played the best game we’ve ever played.”
“We all played awesome defense and communicated in this game better than we have before,” added Cavalier Natalie Warford.
Leading the Cavs in scoring was Nicol, with 15. Sprague put up 6 points and Niemeyer added 5.
Chishom and Cougar Cubs’ coach Bruce Larson have been facing off for years — this time, Kingston had the upper hand, Larson said.
“(Coach Chisholm) knows what I’m going to do and I know what he’s going to do,” commented Larson, whose team is 3-1 on the season. “But that’s the first win he’s had against us that I can remember.”
Central Kitsap led the Cavs at the half by a 17-12 margin. The third period saw both teams combine for only 13 points but off Nicol’s back-to-back steals, Kingston pulled within 2 going into the fourth.
From there, the Cavs caught fire. Kingston’s Brenna Lander forced a steal as the Cubs inbounded the ball and Sprague scored and with 6 minutes left and the game was knotted at 22 apiece.
After a missed CK shot, Niemeyer pulled down a rebound and the Cavs had a chance to take the lead. Focused, with coach Tony Chisholm shouting “easy!” to keep his team from rushing, Kingston’s Riley Watts pulled up for a jumper.
Swish. The crowd responded with a roar of an ovation.
“I was so pumped up,” Watts said. “The whole bench was cheering for us.”
Chisholm also changed the offense in the fourth to counter the Cougar Cubs’ tight-to-the-key zone defense. The formation placed two guards up top, a post in the center and two down low.
“We made the adjustment and it worked,” Chisholm commented.
With two minutes to go, Lander made another steal for a lay-in and Watts found a lane on the next possession, driving to the hoop for a score. Nicol sealed the fate of Central with a score and a pair of free throws.
“We had only 3 points in six minutes,” Cubs’ coach Larson said. “You can’t do that and expect to win.”
Kingston will travel to Ridgetop next Tuesday and Chisholm said he wants to make sure that his girls take the season one game at a time.
“The season’s still long,” Chisholm said. “Ridgetop is gonna be tough.”
Kingston 35, Central Kitsap 28
1 2 3 4 Total
KJH 6 6 8 15 35
CKJH 10 7 5 6 28
Kingston — Erin Nicol 15, Brenna Lander 2, Hannah Stevens 2, Jade Niemeyer 5, Lindsay Sprague 6, Riley Watts 4, Aubin Duncan 1.
Central Kitsap — Kim Kummer 4, Melissa Liechty 6, Lauren Forney 7, Nolan Winger 2, Amy Renfrow 2, Melinda Pfaff 7.
