POULSBO — The North Kitsap boys basketball team pulled away from Kingston in the second half Tuesday for a 61-45 win at home on senior night.

Senior guard Kyle Erickson led the Vikings with 24 points, while Taylor Hoffer put in 19, despite being faced with a scrappy Kingston defense.

“I’ve got to tip my hat,” said NK coach Tony Chisholm. “Kingston played a very good 2-3 zone.”

North had a dismal start on the offensive side of the court, but shots began to fall after halftime.

“We came out a little slow,” said Erickson. “We missed some shots early that we usually make. We had to fight through some stuff, but it was a good win.”

After being outscored by the Vikings 17-7 in the first quarter, the Bucs staged a comeback in the second, pulling to within three on their way to the locker room.

Kingston continued to show heart after the intermission, but the Viking offense regrouped and finished strong.

“We didn’t push the panic button,” Chisholm said. “As a basketball team, you just need to keep your composure and fight through adversity.”

As North began to put the game away, tensions heated up on the court. With just under a minute to go in the fourth quarter, Hoffer came down with a defensive board and was grabbed by Kingston’s Tucker Bowman. Hoffer elbowed Bowman. This brought over Kingston’s Lou Hecker, who pushed Hoffer, prompting the officials to get involved.

“I think that was the result of emotions,” Kingston coach Tim Olson said of the tussle. “It was an intense game.”

Hecker was called for a personal foul as well as a technical, and ejected from the game. Hoffer was also called for a technical foul, but remained on the court.

“It’s unfortunate the Kingston kid got ejected,” Chisholm said. “I’m very lucky that our star, Taylor Hoffer, didn’t get ejected.”

North Kitsap travels to Port Angeles to take on the Roughriders tonight.