- video by Jim P.

WA Boys AA Gold squeak by Silverdale 2 to advance to playoff semi-finals

 

BREMERTON, Wash. – Warren Ave (WA) Boys AA Gold Knights small forward Hunter Tipler scored two points in the Knights 52-to-48 win over Silverdale Boys AA 2 Spartans at Mountain View Middle School Tuesday night (Mar. 20) and was proud of it. He went around telling anyone who would listen.

 

Although he had missed both of his field goal attempts, his lone three-point shot, and three earlier shots from the charity strip, Tipler’s two successful free throws, with thirty seconds remaining in the game, secured the win for Warren Ave.

 

One other small detail. The Silverdale coach tried to freeze-out Tipler - basketball slang for distracting an opposing player - by calling a time-out in between his two free throws, an old basketball trick. It didn’t work.

 

For the Knights, this Kitsap Co. Pee Wee Boys Quarterfinal Playoff game was a challenge for the entire forty-four minutes.

 

Having lost to Warren Ave, 39-to-37, on Feb. 21^st, the Spartans came to the loser-out game with a plan and it was a good plan. The objective being to keep the ball out of Knights’ leading scorer Miles Gurske’s hands, who averages 16.8 points per game, and don’t let him score from long-range. Forty percent of Gurske’s shots come from beyond the three-point arc and he converts 34% (15/44) of them.

 

Silverdale’s plan worked, propelling them to a 27-to-25 halftime lead.

 

Under intense defensive pressure throughout the duration, Gurske took a season-low two three-point shots, missing both of them. His field goal attempts dropped from an season average of eight shots per game to just four. But, all four field goals scored. Two of the baskets put three points on the scoreboard vice two, as Gurske’s defenders were called for a foul in the act of scoring.

 

Basically, Gurske adapted to what the Spartans thrown at him by driving to the basket. Six times he was fouled and got nine of his team-high 17 points from the charity strip. He also led the team with 9 rebounds, all defensive boards.

 

But Gurske’s 17 points account for less than a third of the Warren Ave’s game-winning 52 points.

 

The second third of the team points came from: Lamere Davis (7), Dayton Moore (7), Amondre Knight (4), and, yes, Mr. Tipler (2).

 

That leaves Kayne Taylor with the remaining 15 points, as well as 3 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 blocked shot, and a team-high 3 forced steals.

 

In Knights like standards, at least for this game, Taylor was perfect from the line (4-for-4). As a collective, Warren Ave made a season-high 20 free throws on 28 attempts (71%).

 

Taylor’s athleticism also shone in the closing minute of the game.

 

With the score tied at 46 all and 1:50 left in the game, Taylor drove from top of the key, down the right side, sliced between two orange and black defenders to put up a right-handed shovel shot, that careened off the glass and went through the hoop.

 

The spectacular basket gave the Knights a 48-to-46 lead and they would never trail again. Because, not long thereafter,Tipler did his thing at the free throw line and Warren Ave had the margin it needed to win its seventh game of the season.

 

How far can the WA Boys AA Gold Knights go in the post-season tournament? They are the defending Kitsap Co. Pee Wee Boys A champions.

 

That question will be answered Thursday night (Mar. 22) when they take the floor against club rival WA Boys AA Blue at 6:00 p.m. in the Ridgetop Middle School gym.

 

The game is important. Not simply because the 'Golds' would advance to the championship game with a win. It is important because the 'Blues' beat them 62-to-55 Mar. 7^th.

 

 

- video by Jim P.