Overview
The Knappa Loggers downed the Lions from Jefferson 76-52. Knappa came into Saturday’s game riding a four-game win streak with an overall record of 24-2. The Lions came in having lost three of their last four contests and an overall record of 18-6. The relentless ¾ court pressure defense from the Loggers overwhelmed Jefferson, who struggled to get clean looks at the rim. Jefferson fought relentlessly and knocked down shots whenever Knappa allowed them a clean look at the rim, but a 31-13 3rd quarter secured the win for the Loggers.
Quarter 1: 23-16 Knappa
Knappa opened the game with a quick 7-0 run. Jefferson looked uncomfortable trying to run their offense near the loud student section from Knappa. After gathering themselves, Jefferson went on an 11-7 run. Knappa’s 1-2-1-1 ¾ court press caused trouble for the Lions, but Knappa opted to go to a backyard style defense running two men in zone and three in man-to-man. Knappa ended the quarter on a 9-5 run.
Quarter 2: 32-28 Knappa
Jefferson came into the second quarter with much more confidence. Diego Rodriguez drove assertively to the hole and Romo Jr. knocked down outside shots. Knappa’s defense denied senior star DJ Krider the ball, taking him out of the Lions’ offense for most of the game. For the Loggers, Eli Takalo was making his first appearance in three weeks. The rust of not playing showed in the first half. Knappa went through a mini drought during the third quarter. The Lions managed to cut the lead to four points by the break.
Quarter 3: 63-41 Knappa
Coming out of the break, Knappa returned to their press. Turnovers mounted as the Loggers turned the basketball game into a track meet. Hoover’s length and the anticipation of Philip, Takalo, and Ramvick forced turnover after turnover leading to easy baskets. Jefferson kept fighting. The coaching staff did an excellent job of calling timeouts and the team never stopped competing, but, after each timeout, Knappa came up with defensive stops to keep their momentum going. The 31 points dropped by the Loggers (including a 10-0 run in less than 45 seconds) showed how explosive they can be in transition.
Quarter 4: 76-52 Knappa
The fourth quarter was less exciting than the up and down third. Knappa took a minor step off the offensive, opting for more deliberate offense and defense. Jefferson competed hard, but the third quarter had created too much of a gap for their exhausted starters to overcome. With 2:36 left in the game, the white flag was raised and both sides subbed in their benches.
Takeaways:
Jefferson is a very good team. They have three players that can consistently knock down outside shots. The two starters that did not knock down many outside shots were attentive and valuable release valves and components of the offense. The Jefferson coaches know what they are doing. They call good plays and kept ahold of the game in a tough atmosphere like Knappa. Had they drawn a better matchup, there is a good chance they would still be playing next week.
Jefferson was the #2 team out of the Central Valley Conference, coming in behind #5 ranked Oakland. Although they are graduating a good class of seniors, the junior class is promising to carry on the tradition set by these outgoing seniors. Also, Diego Aguilar is a quick freshman that knows how to play ball. He is going to be an explosive player to watch as he develops.
Knappa is a very tall and athletic team. Like all eight teams heading to Pendleton, they stand a good chance at winning it all. There is not one player that is “the guy” for the Loggers, making them an unusual matchup on defense for teams. While Devin Hoover has been the leading scorer many times this year, Mason Westerholm posted a 43 point game earlier this year, and Eli Takalo is also close to breaking a thousand points for a career. Not to mention that Joe Ramvick has carried the team for stretches of games and that Kanai Philip hit the game winner over #6 Columbia earlier this season.
For all their diversity and athleticism, the Loggers are streaky. When they hit their outside shots, there are few teams that stand a chance against them, however, as demonstrated by the loss at Nestucca, if they are not hitting their shots, they can lose to teams much worse than those at Pendleton. This means that the majority of Knappa’s offense comes from fast breaks and points in the paint. Tall teams, like Columbia, give Knappa trouble inside. Additionally, if teams do not give away fast break points, the Knappa offense is likely to go through slumps. Knappa is also not the most careful with the basketball and turnovers have been an issue for them throughout the year.
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