TACOMA – The Kamiak Knights boys basketball team intended to make a splash in the program’s inaugural trip to the state tournament.
Instead, Jacob Gonzales stole the show.
Michael V. Martina / The Herald
Gonzales, a 6-foot-1 senior guard, scored a career-high 40 points to lead the North Kitsap Vikings past Kamiak, 62-52, in a Class 4A first-round state tournament game Wednesday afternoon at Tacoma Dome.
Gonzales’ point total was just eight short of the 4A state tournament record (Walla Walla’s Bob Beckel scored 48 against Highland in 1955). The North Kitsap standout burned Kamiak (17-7 overall) with 11-for-16 field-goal shooting and an 18-for-20 effort from the free-throw-line. The all-time tourney record for made free throws in a game is 19, shared by two players.
“That’s kind of what I get going on,” Gonzales said. “If I can get to the free-throw line, then I’m pretty strong.”
Gonzales, who made 13 free throws in the fourth quarter, set his previous career high for points (39) last year. But that wasn’t at the state tournament, where North Kitsap hasn’t been since 1988.
“I think it’s a little bit bigger getting (40 points) out here,” North Kitsap coach Aaron Nations said, laughing. “He stepped up when we needed him.”
North Kitsap (18-9) built a 43-30 lead through three quarters and was never seriously threatened in the fourth quarter. The Vikings play South Kitsap (25-1), a winner over Roosevelt, in a quarterfinal game at 5 p.m. today.
North Kitsap outscored Kamiak 24-5 at the free-throw line. The Vikings also corralled Kamiak’s leading scorers, Sean Hermes and Billy Johnson. The two came in averaging a combined 28 points per game but Kitsap held the duo to 11 through three quarters.
“Things just weren’t clicking,” said Johnson, a 6-7 senior post who scored eight points. “We were trying to do stuff that we don’t normally do.”
Ben Iddins (11 points), Rahiti Marere (12) and Hermes (12) were the other top scorers for Kamiak, which plays Roosevelt (20-6) at 10:30 a.m. today in a loser-out game. Hermes had a game-high seven assists but went 3-for-10 at the free-throw line.
North Kitsap used a 12-2 run to go ahead 23-11 midway through the second quarter. Gonzales scored six of his game-high 16 first-half points during the stretch.
Hermes scored all six of his first-half points in the final 3:12 of the second quarter to help Kamiak get within nine (30-21) by halftime.
But despite playing better in the fourth quarter, the Knights couldn’t overcome a sluggish start.
“I think our kids were nervous, being here for the first time,” Kamiak coach Jeff Leary said.
They won’t be able to dwell on the loss for long.
“That’s the way you gotta do it here,” Leary said about how important it is for his team to focus. “Or you’re out real quick.”
North Kitsap11191319-62
Kamiak714922-52
North Kitsap: Gonzales 40, Zeringer 2, Tobin 1, Henry 5, Harris 2, Young 7, Prince 5. Kamiak: B. Iddins 11, Hermes 12, Carl 2, Dawson 7, Johnson 8, Marere 12. 3-point goals-B. Iddins 3, Hermes 1, Dawson 1.
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