KINGSTON — Tonight’s game against the Port Angeles Roughriders will give the Kingston Buccaneers boys basketball team a chance to further distance itself from the competition.

The Bucs currently lead the Olympic League with an undefeated league record of 7-0 and overall record of 9-2.

The Roughriders (6-1, 9-1) will look to upset the Bucs’ record while tying for first. The game begins at 7 p.m. in the KHS Gymnasium.

Though the game tonight does not decide the 2012 Olympic League title holder, Kingston Coach Blake Conley said the Bucs know it will give them a better chance.

“We know, if they get us, we’ll both be tied and it will be a dogfight the rest of the way,” Conley said Wednesday afternoon.

The Roughriders remind Conley of his Buccaneers. The teams are physical and play man-to-man defense well. Both teams can block and shoot. Conley said the game will be a grind.

The two teams met previously during the second game of the season, Dec. 2. It was the first league game and the Bucs were coming off a 58-54 loss to Bainbridge. The Roughriders lost 52-49 due to a poor second quarter.

“It’s going to be two teams that want it,” Conley said of Kingston and Port Angeles. “They’re going to come in here wanting revenge, but I think our guys are up for it.”

As the leading team in the Olympic League, the Bucs continue to be the team to beat. Though the team remains undefeated in league play, Conley said it was the last four games that the team really began to show what it can do. Those games include two in the Crush in the Slush Tournament over winter break. The Bucs beat 4A Woodinville 57-54 on Dec. 28, and 3A Ingraham 60-49 on Dec. 29.

During the tournaments, KT Deam and Sam Byers led the team in scoring. Deam totaled 38 points and Byers had 33. Hunter Jones hit a free throw in the first game against Woodinville to bring the lead to 57-54 with 15 seconds left. Brady Sundquist accumulated 11 rebounds during the final game against Ingraham.

Deam said the 2011-12 Buccaneer team has had the best defense he’s seen; both help defense and on-ball defense.

“All the (Kingston) teams have been really good, but I think our defense is better than ever,” Deam said.

While the Bucs can score, Conley said the defense is what’s been consistent thus far. Early in the season Conley knew the team’s strength would be with the guards and recovering rebounds. However, players such as Cody Combs, who hit two 3-point shots Jan. 3 against Sequim, have stepped up. Combs also now holds the school record of charges in a season.

The Bucs are coming off a 53-45 against the Sequim Wolves Jan. 3. Richie Sander led the night with 15 points. The game against the Wolves is an example of how physical a basketball game can be, with players bleeding and a high number of fouls.

“It’s not usually like that,” Deam said Wednesday. “I got fouled a couple times … It got really physical at the end.”

However, if the game tonight is anything like the game Jan. 3 against the Wolves, the Bucs can expect a battle.