POULSBO — It was all Kingston Buccaneer basketball in the first half of the Jan. 28 game against the North Kitsap Vikings.

The Bucs varsity team scored 43 points to the Vikings’ 16 points in the first.

“It was a tale of two halves,” Kingston coach Blake Conley said after the game. The Vikings came back in the second half, scoring 37 to the Bucs’ 29. But it wasn’t enough for an upset victory.

The Bucs started the game aggressively, but became complacent as the game went on, Conley said. The Kingston team is still working to play all four quarters, an issue that has seen the team lose numerous games in the last minute this season.

Though they gave up the second half, the Bucs had a handful of players that shined, including: KT Deam (19 points, 6 assists, 4 steals), Connor Wall (17 points), Hans Schippers (12 points, 7 rebounds), and Kyle Hamal (9 points, 7 rebounds). Wall was able to sink five, three-pointers.

North Kitsap players who rivaled Kingston on the scoreboard included: Michael Urquhart (16 points) and Adam Lemmon (15 points).

The Bucs (6-5) are one game behing the Vikings (7-4) in league play. Olympic (11-1), Sequim(11-1) and Bremerton (10-2) are the top three teams in the Olympic League.

The Bucs play North Mason at home Jan. 29. Junior Varsity starts at 5:15 p.m., Varsity at 7 p.m.

The Vikings travel to Sequim Jan. 29. Junior Varsity starts at 5:15 p.m., Varsity at 7 p.m.

The two teams will once again face each other on the court Friday, Feb. 1 in the Kingston High School Gymnasium. Starting times are the same as above.

Kingston against North Kitsap Jan. 28

Final: KHS 72, NK 53

KHS 16 27 11 18 — 72

NK 4 12 17 20 — 53

KHS scorers: KT Deam 19, Connor Wall 17, Henry English 13, Hans Schippers 12, Kyle Hamal 9, Beau Rabedeaux 2.

NK scorers: Michael Urquhart 16, Adam Lemmon 15, Kendal Gill 7, Riley Lindsey 7, Jarrod Felix 6, Jacob Hill 2