POULSBO — Start over. Clean slate.
Members of the North Kitsap boys’ basketball team weren’t thinking of themselves as a squad on a 0-2 skid when they took on Gig Harbor in the Bridge Division opener — rather, they took their game with the Tides as a fresh start.
“We lost two games that we should have won,” said senior Jacob Gonzales, speaking of North’s losses last week to Bellarmine and Foss. “We thought of this game as a new beginning.”
And was it ever.
Gonzales had the hot hand in the Vikings’ holster, shooting up the hoop for a total of 30 points, 15 of which came in a critical fourth quarter. In total, NK sank 26 points in the fourth, including 14 out of 16 free-throws to seal a 61-45 win.
Turning around for a win in the Vikings’ own Bridge Division after losing two to non-Bridge opponents was a must, commented North coach Aaron Nations.
“This is a game we had to win to show what type of team we want to be,” he said. “And we expect to be a playoff team.”
North Kitsap had amassed a 10-point lead at the half-way point, utilizing its own pressure defense to create opportunities in the first two periods. Gonzales also attributed the Vikings’ fast start to Gig Harbor’s use of the zone defense, which left NK’s perimeter threats unguarded.
“Me and (Jordan) Henry got a lot of open threes,” Gonzales said. “And we were making them today.”
But Ryan Christensen, who scored a game-high 17 for the Tides, led his team out of half-time looking to close the gap. With Vikings’ post Ryan Young in foul trouble in the third, Gig Harbor got within three points of NK.
But that was as close as the threat would get. North came out firing on all cylinders in the fourth, primarily behind Gonzales.
“We just beared down and played,” said junior guard Chris Zeringer. “We knew we needed our first win.”
Coach Nations said the third quarter lapse may be part of a larger problem — an overall change in the Viking team’s attitude from a season ago.
“We didn’t have very many leads last year,” Nations said. “We’ve got to get used to playing with the lead.”
The defense also clamped down in the fourth as Young and fellow starter Jared Prince crashed the boards to ensure second chance looks for the Tides were avoided. Young finished with 13 rebounds and Prince with 10.
Nations said his team’s winning performances this season will hinge on the scoring touch of both Gonzales and Young, and that Wednesday’s game was Gonzales’ turn. But it can go either way, he added.
“Either guy can step up for us,” Nations said. “But one of them is going to be our go-to guy each game.”
Game notes: Coach Nations admitted that NK is “thin at the post,” relying often on senior Young to get the dirty work done inside. Depending on Young’s foul situation, Nations said he’s looking for some of the other Vikings’ potential post players to step up, such as 6’3’’ senior Dan Yee (who is recovering from a broken collar bone), 6’7’’ sophomore Eric Schippers and 6’3’’ Jeff Ottele. “They’re learning on the fly,” Nations said of them. “But I want those guys in the game.” … North also continued to cut down its turnovers from its first two games, committing a season-low 16 against Gig Harbor. They had committed 27 against Bellarmine and 21 against Foss.
