Last night's matchup between Neah-Kah-Nie and Knappa was the second time this week that these two teams have clashed. On Monday, Neah-Kah-Nie beat Knappa by 9 points at home and they were looking to have a repeat performance on the road. Knappa entered the game coming off of their first league win with a 62-21 victory at Gaston Tuesday night.
Neah-Kah-Nie got out to a strong start and this proved to be the difference in the game. The lead built in the first quarter created by Neah-Kah-Nie's pass and cut offense slashed Knappa's defense leading Neah-Kah-Nie to score 18 points in the first quarter. Junior Rosie Koch led the way for the Neah-Kah-Nie with 6 points in the first quarter. On defense, Neah-Kah-Nie held Knappa to just 8 points in the first quarter.
Knappa made adjustments at the quarter, but still struggled offensively. Coming out of the break, Knappa fought hard holding Neah-Kah-Nie to only 3 field goals in the second half. Unfortunately for Knappa, their efforts were not enough to overcome the first quarter. Clutch free throw shooting by senior Jordan White ensured that Neah-Kah-Nie stayed ahead of Knappa. The final score was 44-38 in favor of Neah-Kah-Nie.
Both teams fought hard. Outside of the first four minutes of play, the teams were an excellent matchup. Sophomore Ariana Miller scored 12 points along with senior Hannah Dietrichs, who scored 10, provide an offensive spark for Knappa that teams struggle to stop. If Knappa can shore up their defense early in games then they will be in good position to win games at the district tournament. Knappa plays at Portland Christian next Tuesday.
Neah-Kah-Nie emerged from the game with a clutch victory. With their sweep of Knappa, Neah-Kah-Nie has earned themselves some separation between themselves and the next closest team in league as well as winning any potential tie-break scenarios with Knappa. Neah-Kah-Nie is a balanced team that had many different scorers against Knappa showing that they have the ability to win as a team. Koch ended the game with 8 points, Kennedy Fletcher led Neah-Kah-Nie with 12 points, and White finished with 7 points. Neah-Kah-Nie turns around and faces a stiff challenge on Saturday against a 10-2 Vernonia team.
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