The Kingston boys basketball team battled a beaten-down North Kitsap squad in the first half, but the Vikings recovered in the second to win easily 91-46.
NK was without Harry Davies and Noah Sorenson as they sustained injuries in a tournament in Torrey Pines, CA over the holiday break, but the rest of the Vikings ended up picking up the slack.
“We ran out of gas in the second half,” Kingston coach KT Deam said. “That’s a good team, and it’s hard to compete four quarters with those guys.”
The Bucs never led and were only tied once after the opening tip-off when Viking Preston Keehn and Buc Chayton Walker traded three-pointers.
Afterward, Logan Hudson began to dominate in his first home game as a Viking with a pair of layups.
“Every game, Logan has taken a real step for us,” NK coach Scott Orness said. “You can see what the future can look like for him. As long as he is heading toward the rim, he is in good shape.”
Although the Vikings had size and strength advantages, Kingston took them on and played more physical in the first half.
“It was part of the game plan to be physical but they are a different team without Harry,” Deam said.
Kingston remained in the game in the first half because of its ability to knock down perimeter shots. The Buccaneers made five three-pointers in the first half and only trailed by five points through most of the second quarter.
“The first half showed where we could be going forward,” Deam said. “It is where we can be down the stretch of the season.”
Orness added: “When you are contesting, that’s one thing. But, giving them open looks is a lack of good defense. We were gambling and not picking up guys. We switched things in the second half, and guys stepped up and played their roles.”
NK began to run away toward the end of the first half, leading 43-26. In the second half, NK guard Cade Orness flipped a switch and took over.
“Cade was better in the second half,” coach Orness said. “He was playing a finesse game in the first half but went for contact in the second half.”
Orness finished with 31 points. Once NK sealed the win, reserves Jonas Funston nailed a three-pointer, Aleo Toves made a basket and Spencer Gillespie scored a couple of times.
Kingston’s leading scorer was Walker with 14 points, including a couple of three-pointers.
Logan Hudson goes for a layup for NK.
Buc Rhys Hernandez sizes up Viking Jordan Williams while playing defense.
