MILL CREEK — The Kamiak boys basketball team has reached a certain point in its development as a quality program under coach Cory West.
West was hoping that his team could advance past that point this season, but that won’t be happening. The Knights lost a 4A state regional contest for the second straight season Saturday, falling to Bellarmine Prep 79-68 at Jackson High School.
“We’ve set the bar, but we want to raise the bar higher,” said West, who led Kamiak to a 15-6 regular-season record and a second-place finish at the 4A District 1 tournament. “I’m proud that we were able to get back to this position, and the seniors had a lot to do with that, because when they came into the program, the bar wasn’t set.
“Now we have to figure out how to surpass (the level that we’re at) and take the next step. We’ve got six juniors coming back, and the talent is there, but they have to put in the offseason work.”
The fact that Carson Tuttle returns next season will definitely help the Knights’ chances. The all-Wesco 4A first-team selection was his usual sharp-shooting self Saturday, finishing with 29 points.
Kamiak played three quarters of pretty good basketball, but in the fourth quarter things fell apart. After taking a 55-54 lead with 5 minutes, 50 seconds left in the game, the Lions went on a game-ending 25-13 run. In total, Bellarmine Prep tallied 29 points in the final period.
“Our team doesn’t give up,” said Lions forward Joey Bodoia, who finished with a team-high 21 points. “We were going to do whatever it took to get the job done. Everyone was working together.”
“In a shootout like that, you have to put up a lot of points. Things escalated so fast,” West said. “It was due to second-chance buckets. We just couldn’t get stops. We were putting up points, but we couldn’t get any stops. They were getting a lot of offensive rebounds, and some of their role players came up huge and hit some big shots. Both teams played like they didn’t want their season to end.”
Entering the game, Bellarmine Prep coach Bernie Salazar was concerned that the Knights’ outside shooting could present his team with some problems. Tuttle and teammate Christian Clausen (15 points) hit a number of key 3-pointers to keep Kamiak in the game, but their efforts fell short.
“They’re a good, solid, strong team. They’ve got two guys that can really shoot the ball,” Salazar said. “They’re worthy of being here.”
Clausen, an all-Wesco 4A second-team pick, will be missed, West said.
“He’s meant so much to the program during the last four years,” West said. “He came in as a freshman and could shoot, but couldn’t defend a single thing. Now in his senior year, he’s playing like he doesn’t want his season to be over. He hit some huge shots and came up with a big steal. He’s hurting right now because he’s put in so much work. The harder you work, the more it hurts to surrender.”
Even though the Knights fell short of their ultimate goal, West said he’ll be proud when he reflects back on this season.
“I’m extremely proud of the guys,” he said. “Every season, to me, is about the seniors when it’s all said and done. These kids have trusted the process and trusted the coaches to do what’s best. Tomorrow I’ll wake up disappointed that our season’s over, but not in our effort.”
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
