SHORELINE — The King’s boys basketball team took what head coach Marv Morris termed “a big step” towards postseason play with a Dec. 20 win over previously undefeated Life Christian in a key Chinook League matchup.
The Knights easily downed the Eagles 61-40 in the second game of a homecoming doubleheader at Mike Martin Gym.
In a league top heavy with perennial powers in the ranks of Class A basketball and only two playoff berths available, games among leading contenders such as these two schools take on magnified stature.
“We won a big one tonight,” Morris said. “We got this one, but we still have Seattle Christian at the end of the first half of the league schedule. That will be a tough one.”
Predictions of a tough battle against Life Christian were dispatched early when the Knights went on a tear from the opening tip-off and doubled up the Eagles 22-11 in the first period, enough of a lead to assure the win that would keep the Knights at the top of the Chinook League standings.
King’s points came off the hands of just three players — Chris Faidley, Ben Pawlak and Sam Hartman — even tough Morris played all his players except Calvin Fuji, who sat out with an injury.
The trio of Faidley, Pawlak and Hartman combined for 53 of the Knights’ 60 points. Faidley led all scorers with 26, including going 4-for-9 from 3-point range.
While the Knights were overpowering Life Christian offensively, they shut down the Eagles in transition and locked off access to the basket as well.
The most telling statistics of the game may have been steals by the Knights and turnovers by the Eagles. King’s accumulated 21 steals while the Eagles handed the ball over 22 times.
It was a combination that would allow King’s to pull out a win despite shooting just 39 percent from the floor. That was marginally better than Life Christian’s 35.3 percent effort.
Morris, while believing his team put in a good effort, is confident there is more balance and depth to his squad then the trio of high scorers who were showcased against Life Christian .
“We depend on them for leadership,” Morris said. “But I think people will be surprised at the play of Calvin Fuji when he returns … and we can depend on guys like (John) Zevenbergen and Kyle Doherty.”
The 4-1 Knights take a break from league action this week by traveling to play in a holiday prep tournament in Hawaii.
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