There’s still plenty of basketball left to play.
But even Kentwood boys basketball coach Michael Angelidis had trouble keeping his excitement in check Saturday night after his third-ranked Conquerors knocked off second-ranked Federal Way 52-50 in a pivotal South Puget Sound League North Division matchup.
“It’s a good win,” Angelidis said. “It allows us to control our own destiny. (But) there are a lot of teams left on the schedule.”
Maybe so.
That said, mid-season wins don’t come much bigger. The victory helped the Conquerors (8-1 in league, 9-3 overall) vault over the high-flying Eagles (8-2, 11-2) and take over first place in the North Division standings. Before the season began, Federal Way was the unanimous choice among coaches to win the division.
Of course, the North is loaded with ranked teams this year and virtually every game is big.
Joshua Smith, the North’s leading scorer at 24.9 per game, was right on par, leading Kentwood with a game-high 25 points.
“Josh is maturing,” Angelidis said. “He’s still a young junior. He’s almost a year behind his class. (But) he’s coming into his own physically.”
Smith has averaged 28.5 points over the last four games, all victories. The win over Federal Way was Kentwood’s sixth straight and helped the Conquerors avenge their only loss in league this season. The Conks dropped a 61-53 decision to Federal Way on Dec. 9.
As good as Smith was on Saturday, however, the biggest difference for the Conquerors may have been their defense. After being outscored 23-15 in the first quarter, Kentwood clamped down on Federal Way, holding the run-and-gun Eagles to 27 points the rest of the game.
“Our defense held us throughout,” Angelidis said.
The 50 points were a season-low for Federal Way, which averages nearly 72 points per contest. The Eagles came into the night riding a nine-game winning streak.
Tre Tyler, who scored 14 points, was the only other Kentwood player to reach double figures scoring.
ELSEWHERE:
• Auburn Riverside 69, Tahoma 55: Ryan Rogers continued to fill up the hoop for the Ravens (5-5, 8-6), pouring in a game-high 21 points in a win over the Bears. Rogers came into the night averaging 17.2 points per game.
Sophomore sensation Christian Behrens led Tahoma (0-9, 0-13) with 16 points while Taylor Summerhays added 12.
• Kentlake 77, Kent-Meridian 57: Jeff Budinich continued to be the hot hand for the Falcons (2-7, 4-8), scoring a game-high 23 points in a win over the Royals (1-9, 1-11). It’s the third time in four games Budinich has scored more than 20 points.
The win helped the Falcons end a five-game slide.
Barento Ahmed led the Royals with 13 points followed by Marlowe Brim and Brandon Harris, both of whom scored 12 points.
GIRLS BASKETBALL: Comstock does it again
Morganne Comstock picked up Friday night where she left off a day earlier.
Comstock delivered a game-high 26 points on Friday, lifting Kentlake past Kent-Meridian 75-62 in a South Puget Sound League North Division girls basketball game.
A day earlier, Comstock poured in 23 points in a win over Kentridge.
The two wins helped the Falcons (5-4 in league, 7-5 overall) take over sole possession of fifth place in the North Division standings, two games ahead of Auburn (3-7, 5-9) in the win column. Kent-Meridian dropped to 1-8 in league and 3-8 overall.
Kentlake jumped out to a quick lead over the Royals, outscoring Kent-Meridian 32-18 in the first half.
Brona Nienow added 12 points for the Falcons while Riley Butler chipped in 10.
Despite the loss, Kent-Meridian’s Briana Shannon continued to sparkle, scoring a season-high 29 points. Shannon, who’s averaging 16.1 points per game, had been kept in check in previous losses to Kentwood and Federal Way. Friday night’s outburst was eight points higher than Shannon’s previous season-best of 21, which she has accomplished three times.
• Auburn 64, Kentridge 41: Heather Restrepo delivered again for the Trojans (3-7, 5-9), scoring a game-high 17 points in a win over the Chargers (1-8, 2-11).
Restrepo has averaged 20 points per contest over her last four games.
In the win over Kentridge, Auburn bolted out to a 41-21 halftime lead and never looked back.
Kelli Seguro and Danyell Wilson led the Chargers with 15 points apiece.
• Kentwood 76, Federal Way 64: The second-ranked Conquerors (9-0, 12-0) avoided the upset, rallying from behind to knock off the Eagles (7-3, 10-4).
Federal Way led 23-16 after the first quarter. Kentwood kicked things into gear in the second quarter, outscoring the Eagles 28-9 to take control of the game.
Lindsey Moore led Kentwood with 24 points while Jessie Genger chipped in 17.
Brittany Barrington paced the Eagles with 15 points.
• Auburn Riverside 93, Tahoma 42: The Ravens (8-2, 10-4) bounced back from an upset to Federal Way by throttling the Bears (2-7, 4-9).
Kara Jenkins led four Ravens in double-figures scoring with 19 points. Mercedes Wetmore added 16, Brooklyn Hinkens chipped in 15 while Amanda Thomson added 10.
Brittani Reiterman led the Bears with 12 points while Lauren Hamberg and Sierra Haverfield chipped in 10 apiece.
