MUKILTEO – When the Jackson Timberwolves needed a big basket, Jamie Eisinger made it. When they needed a steal on the defensive end, Eisinger did that, too.
And when Jackson needed someone to take control in the fourth quarter to stop a late run by Kamiak, guess who responded?
Eisinger, a senior guard who energizes his team both offensively and defensively, scored seven of his game-high 23 points in the fourth quarter as Jackson beat Kamiak 60-47 Friday night.
It kept Jackson undefeated and atop the Western Conference South Division at 6-0 (8-2 overall) and left Timberwolves coach Steve Johnson with a huge sense of relief after a rare victory at Kamiak.
“This is my fifth year at Jackson and we won here my first year and lost three straight years,” Johnson said. “I had no doubt this would be a dangerous game and a tough one to get. Any win on the road in this league is tough, and this team in particular is tough.”
Kamiak, 3-2 in the conference and 4-5 overall, took an early 5-2 lead on two baskets and a free throw by senior Blake Engelbert, who led the Knights with 16 points.
Eisinger and his partner atop Jackson’s scoring charts, Brian Rucker, combined for 13 of the Timberwolves’ next 17 points as Jackson surged to a 19-16 first-quarter lead. Jackson had opened a seven-point lead before Kamiak scored six straight points late in the period, two of the baskets by guard Ben Iddins.
Iddins, a senior guard, was a key factor throughout the game for Kamiak as Jackson would stretch its lead before the Knights came back. He finished with 14 points, six rebounds, six assists and just two turnovers against intense defensive pressure by Jackson’s Eisinger.
“You just can’t play better than that,” Kamiak coach Greg Turcott said. “He’s a winner. That was a good match-up; two great point guards going after each other.”
Jackson led by 10 midway through the second quarter before Kamiak cut the lead to five, 32-27, by halftime.
Jackson built its biggest lead of the game in the third quarter, outscoring Kamiak 13-2 during a stretch that included back-to-back 3-pointers by Eisinger to put the Timberwolves ahead by 14. Kamiak came back from that as well, scoring eight of the final 10 points to trail by eight – 47-39 – entering the fourth quarter.
Iddins drove the length of the floor for a lay-up that pulled Kamiak within six early in the final quarter, but Eisinger made sure the Knights didn’t get any closer.
He hit a 3-pointer from the left wing and stole the ball three times, one of those leading to a fast-break lay-up by Jackson’s Chris Reimer. Eisinger then hit a 15-foot pull-up jump shot and a driving lay-up, and Jackson scored the final six points of the game.
“When you need a basket, he’s there for you,” Johnson said of Eisinger. “His partner, Rucker, had some foul trouble and he couldn’t be out there, but Jamie made some shots when we really needed them. They got it to six points and he would hit a shot for us. He was huge in the fourth quarter.”
Kamiak played without guard Ryan Bullock, who is out until next week because of a broken nose. Turcott said that especially hampered the Knights defensively against a Jackson team that thrives on its precise ball movement.
“I was worried about our match-ups and being able to defend them, especially with Ryan out,” Turcott said. “They’re a really, really, really tough team to guard. They’re so smart, they move the ball so well and pass so well and have so many guys who can shoot.”
Kamiak kept the game close by switching up its defenses and rebounding well, led by Engelbert, who had five offensive rebounds, and Skylar Stormo, who finished with seven rebounds.
In the end, though, Jackson withstood the pressure of a tough game on the road.
“They’re such a veteran team,” Turcott said. “They’ve been in big games before, they don’t panic and they don’t take bad shots.”
At Kamiak High School
Jackson19131513-60
Kamiak1611128-47
Jackson-Ozuna 6, Reimer 2, Eisinger 23, Wishko 9, Rucker 14, Koch 2, Belair 4. Kamiak-Iddins 14, Stormo 9, Swarthout 4, Engelbert 16, Tarver 2, Patrick 2. 3-point goals-Eisinger 3, Rucker 1, Iddins 1, Swarthout 1. JV score-Jackson 61, Kamiak 55.
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