King's boys finish second

Underdog Knights exceed expectations, but can't stop Gage, No. 1 Vashon



By Tony Dondero

Enterprise reporter

King's entered the state 1A boys basketball tournament in Yakima without a superstar or much fanfare.

But thanks to teamwork and thorough preparation by coach Bill Liley and his staff, the Knights ended their run one step away from a title, losing to No.-1 ranked Vashon, 49-24, in the championship Saturday, March 7.

"We went into the tournament as underdogs," said senior point guard and co-captain Alex Mar. "I'm really proud of the team. They worked really hard. Our coaching staff prepared us extremely well for every team and we exceeded all our expectations."

Mar and Ryan Hoff, who led the Knights in scoring, made the all-tournament second team, but everyone on the team stepped up.

"We didn't have to rely on one person," senior guard and co-captain Nick Hardy said. "We had five guys that played together. That had a lot to do with our success."

King's earned a trip to the title game with a 48-31 win Friday, March 6 over second-ranked Port Townsend.

Liley's mentor, Shorewood coach Marv Morris, who previously coached Shorecrest and King's, was in Yakima for the game.

Morris took Shorecrest to the 3A state final in 1992 but lost to Mount Vernon. It wasn't until he coached King's to a title in 2001 that he made it to the top.

"He said that making it to the finals is great but sometimes losing that game hurts more than if you lose in the semis or in a placing game," Liley said. "The kids are bouncing back faster than the coaches."

King's was on a surprising roll through the state 1A boys basketball tournament until it ran into a team of destiny.

"I think we ran out of gas and ran into a buzz saw all at the same time," Liley said. "The Vashon kids played lights out. It all came together for them at the right time in that game."

Vashon opened the 2008-09 basketball season with the biggest of targets on their back: the de facto No. 1 ranking even before the first poll came out.

And they didn't mind a bit.

"We thrived with it," said tournament MVP John Gage. "We loved being No.1, coming out every night and playing as hard as we could."

And nothing changed in the championship game as the Pirates held the Knights scoreless for just over 12 minutes over the second and third periods -- including the entire third -- and routed the Knights by 25.

The 24 points were the lowest points ever scored in a championship game, and the 25-margin was the third widest in tournament history.

The game was actually close 2 1/2 minutes into the second quarter, with the Knights trailing only 14-13, and going into the final 2 1/2 minutes of the first half, Vashon still led just 18-15.

And then, for the Knights (20-8), the roof caved in.

They didn't score again until the first minute of the final period, and over that 12-minute, four-second drought Vashon (26-1) ran off 22 unanswered points. Gage scored 10 of his game-high 20 points during the run, and guard Thomas Timm-Skove put in six of his 13 over that span.

"We did a really good job of rebounding in that stretch," said Vashon coach Andy Sears, whose Pirates' only loss this season came to Roosevelt of Portland, Ore., a state-ranked Class 5A team in Oregon. "In the first half, we weren't rebounding very well and (during the 22-0 run) we had more of a hunger for the ball, getting a body on people. And we also forced them into some tough shots, which is a good recipe for us."

Over that run, the 6-foot-9 Gage ripped down one defensive rebound after another, en route to his game-high 15 rebounds.

"I think we made him angry," Liley said. "We played them in Tri-District and we held him to two points in the second half. I think he came out determined to make up for that. He had something to prove.

"He is going to be a tremendous D-1 basketball player," Liley said. "I hope he ends up in the Pac-10 wearing purple and gold (for the Washington Huskies)."

Nor could the Knights do anything against the Pirates' long-armed, quick-footed, active defenders. They were 9-for-48 (18.8 percent) from the field, and even the sharpshooting Hoff, who had riddled three previous defenses from long range, finished 0-for-9. Mar led the Knights with just seven points.

"That's our defensive focus," Gage said. "If we run our defensive system to perfection, it's almost impossible to score."

King's did not win the Cascade Conference championship this season breaking a string of four straight titles since its inception. The Knights had only lost one league game ever coming into the season. League champ Archbishop Murphy beat them twice and Coupeville and Sultan each got King's once this year.

"A lot of people thought we were down," Liley said. "Our conference is getting better and it's made us better. Without those teams pushing us and getting better we probably don't make the run we made. Our program is better because they're getting better."





King's 48, Port Townsend 31



Ryan Hoff scored 16 points leading King's to a 48-31 semifinal victory over Port Townsend on Friday in the Class 1A boys basketball state tournament.

The win sent King's into the state title game against Vashon.

Leading 25-15 at halftime, King's reeled off the first seven points of the third quarter and Port Townsend never got within 10 points the rest of the way.

Hoff and Karl Clocksin each pulled down eight rebounds, while Alex Mar dished out five assists.



King's 69, Chelan 66 OT



King's won an overtime thriller over Chelan, Thursday, March 5, despite giving up 38 points to Chelan star Joe Harris.

Nick Hardy opened overtime with a 3-pointer, his only basket, and it pushed King's ahead to stay as the Knights upset the Goats 69-66.

Ryan Hoff, who led King's with a career-high 28 points, followed with a 3-pointer, and the Knights held off the Goats with free throws to advance. Sean Brugger, who ramped up his offensive output at state, added 15 points and Zack Berg added 10 for King's (19-7).

Harris sent the game into overtime with a 3-pointer with 14 seconds in regulation that knotted the score at 58. A last-second King's shot at the buzzer missed.

Harris scored 38 points on 13-of-17 shooting, including four 3-pointers. But he picked up his fifth foul on a charge with 25 seconds left in overtime and the Goats (23-5) trailing 66-64.

"We played against Superman last night," King's coach Bill Liley said of the 6-5 Harris. "We had enough Kryptonite to keep him from getting 40. He's the best player we've played against."

Hoff nearly matched Harris, however, matching a state 1A tournament record with eight 3-pointers. Hoff made six-of-six 3-pointers in the second half and 8-of-12 in the game. King's grad Chris Faidley, a senior at Whitman College in Walla Walla, also made eight as did Bellevue Christian grad Jeffrey Downs.

Liley said the game was like a heavyweight fight with each team matching each other punch for punch. But King's ability to score against Chelan's zone helped give it an edge.

"We shot a lot of layins," Liley said. "We moved the ball really well. It's the best job we've done against the zone all year."



King's 42, Kalama 23



Ryan Hoff scored 13 points and Karl Clocksin added 10 as King's raced past Kalama 42-23.

The Knights (18-7) led the entire game, building a 23-point lead, 40-17, late in the contest. Nick Hardy grabbed five of the Knights' 13 steals.

King's shot 40 percent, compared to just 28 percent for the Chinooks (16-9).

Robby Sanders led Kalama with 11 points and seven rebounds, and teammate Ryan Chiodo also pulled down seven rebounds.