Kamiak lags behind Kentwood

Published 11:18 pm Wednesday, March 4, 2009

TACOMA — If Wednesday evening’s first-round tournament game was an auto race, the Kamiak girls basketball team would have been cruising right alongside the best … for, oh, about 12 laps.

This was not the Daytona 72 and so it was mighty Kentwood that reached the finish line without any need to look back.

Kamiak’s early burst was quickly countered by a 13-0 run that eventually resulted in another Kentwood double-digit win, 73-39 over the Knights. The Conquerors won every regular-season game by at least 12 points, so Wednesday’s one-sided affair was nothing new to the state’s No. 2-ranked team.

“They’re a very impressive team; they do everything well,” Kamiak coach Jody Schauer said of Kentwood, which faces top-ranked Pasco in a much-anticipated quarterfinal game today. “… I give them complete credit, but at the same time, I didn’t think we played like ourselves today. I wish our girls would’ve showed up.”

Kamiak (16-8) looked primed for the upset early on. Michelle Linscomb hit a free throw after back-to-back baskets by Kelsey Patrick and Georgia McClaskey, giving the Knights a 5-4 lead two minutes into the game.

But from there, Kentwood and star guard Lindsey Moore took control. The Conquerors’ fast break helped spark a run of 13 unanswered points and Kentwood’s lead swelled to 16 points midway through the second quarter. Moore, who watched the Conquerors (25-1) suffer their lone loss while sitting out last week’s District 3 title game, had 12 points as Kentwood pulled out to the 34-18 lead.

But the University of Nebraska-bound Moore was not the only star on the floor. Kamiak’s Patrick, a Pepperdine recruit, had nine first-half points as the Knights tried to stay afloat.

Kamiak’s problem was that just about every Knights basket was followed by a fast-break layup at the other end. Not once did Kamiak score back-to-back baskets without a Kentwood score in between.

The Conquerors scored 16 points on the fast break while taking a 42-24 halftime lead.

“That was uncharacteristic of our team,” Schauer said of letting Kentwood get out on the fast break time after time. “We haven’t had that happen all year. We’re a pressing team and a fast-break team, and that includes fast-break defense. We just lacked effort today.”

Kamiak failed to hit a single field goal in the third quarter, during which Kentwood pulled out to a 56-27 lead. Michelle Lipscomb’s bank 3-pointer ended that draught 48 seconds into the fourth quarter, but by that time the outcome had long been decided.

Kentwood’s Moore finished with 12 points and four assists, sitting out almost the entire second half after her return from injury. She said she felt “100 percent” healthy after sitting out Saturday’s district-final loss to Auburn-Riverside.

Patrick led the Knights with 11 points, while Samantha Sovich added nine. McClaskey had four points and what turned out to be Kamiak’s lone assist — the Knights had 19 fewer than Kentwood.

In today’s consolation game, which is scheduled to start at noon, the Knights will face a Mount Tahoma team that could be missing its leading scorer. Mount Tahoma senior Carrie Ojeda, who averaged more than 20 points per game during the regular season, sat out long stretches of Wednesday’s loss to top-ranked Pasco because she hurt her left knee.

Of course, Kamiak has heard talk about injured stars before.

After Moore and the Kentwood Conquerers stepped on the gas Wednesday night, the Knights felt like their tank had gone empty.

At the Tacoma Dome

Kamiak915312—39

Kentwood19231417—73

Kamiak—Sovich 9, Simmons 2, Barnes 1, Patrick 11, Burns 2, Kussman 0, Mahjoubian 0, Johnson 2, Stephens 0, Lipscomb 6, Larson 2, McClaskey 4. Kentwood—Genger 13, Moore 12, Wahlberg 4, Huerta 11, Rankin 4, Milovic 13, Rider 2, Johnson 6, Mills 8. 3-point goals—Sovich 1, Patrick 1, Lipscomb 1, Moore 2, Genger 1, Milovic 1.