What a difference a week makes.
Roughly 10 days ago, the Kentwood High boys basketball team sat desperately on the fringe of qualifying for the South Puget Sound League North Division playoffs.
Tied at 6-5 in league with Auburn Riverside and Thomas Jefferson and a half-game back of Auburn, Kentwood braced for its most pivotal three-game stretch of the season – a series of games that would make or break the Conquerors.
“We had dug ourselves a hole,” said Kentwood coach Michael Angelidis.
Thanks to a perfect week that included wins over Thomas Jefferson (60-44), Kentridge (74-56) and Auburn (85-67), the Conquerors now have sufficiently dug themselves right out of that hole. The three-consecutive wins helped Kentwood (9-5 in league, 9-8 overall) go from the fringe of the postseason to a playoff berth thanks to the victory over Auburn on Saturday.
The top five teams from the SPSL North advance to the postseason tournament.
It is the first three-game winning streak of the season for Kentwood, which entered the season ranked among the state’s top five teams.
“It was a very good week, that’s for sure,” Angelidis noted. “After we loss to Auburn Riverside (72-56 on Jan. 19), we really got in the middle of (the playoff race). We knew going into the week that it would be big. That it would determine our playoff fate.”
The week marked a return to full strength for Kentwood star Josh Smith, who missed six weeks with a knee injury. Smith, who will play at UCLA next season, had seen limited duty until Friday’s game at the ShoWare Center against Kentridge in the highlighted matchup of the Kent Shootout.
Smith scored a team-high 22 points against the Chargers while grabbing 17 rebounds, dishing out four assists and blocking three shots.
Interestingly, the turning point for the Conquerors came after the 72-56 loss to Auburn Riverside on Jan. 19, Smith said.
“We just came together and said, ‘Hey, we’re going to work as a team, we’re going to work hard at practice and we’re going to work hard at games,” said Smith, who scored 22 points on Saturday in the win over Auburn. “We’re just going to leave it all out on the court.”
As for the knee, Smith said it’s feeling better every day.
“I’d say I’m 100 percent,” he said. “Honestly, I am working on my conditioning a little bit because I get tired pretty easily.”
Smith’s presence in the paint made a bit difference on Friday night, Kentridge’s Gary Bell said.
“He changes them a lot,” said Bell, who scored a game-high 25 points in the loss to the Conquerors. “They can throw it inside to him a lot and he can get those easy points. If he misses it, he can get it right back and go back up. On defense, he changes a lot of shots, he makes it harder to get to the basket. He’ll block (your shot) if you don’t get up high enough.”
But Smith wasn’t the only difference maker Friday night at the ShoWare Center against the Chargers (9-5, 12-6).
In a game in which Kentwood led from start to finish, the Conquerors received at least a little something from everyone on their roster. Isaiah Malvar came off of the bench to score a season-high 12 points while guard Mikell Everette, who came into the night averaging 5.7 points per game, delivered nine.
Outside of Smith, however, Kentwood’s biggest spark came from point guard Tre Tyler, who scored 14 points.
Kentridge’s Brendan Westendorf cut Kentwood’s lead to 52-41 with 30 seconds remaining in the third quarter with a steal and layup. Tyler responded with consecutive 3-pointers, the last of which came at the buzzer to end the third quarter giving the Conquerors a commanding 58-41 advantage.
Kentridge didn’t get any closer than 14 points the rest of the night.
“I don’t think we were hungry enough,” said Bell. “Before the game, I thought we were, then we got out there and we started out sluggish.”
Despite the loss, Kentridge entered this week with a playoff berth in hand. Auburn Riverside, Auburn, Thomas Jefferson and Kentlake still remained mathematically alive for a berth as of Monday afternoon.
A playoff berth, however, isn’t something Kentwood has to worry about thanks to its big week.
“Our team is meshing really well right now,” Angelidis said. “Josh can really elevate us to a different level.”
ELSEWHERE:
• Kentlake 68, Kent-Meridian 61 (Friday): Jaron Heck delivered big for the Falcons for the second straight game, scoring a game-high 19 points in a win over the Royals. Heck scored a season-high 20 points in Kentlake’s win over Tahoma Tuesday night.
With the win, the Falcons (6-7 in league, 8-8 overall) remained on the fringe of the playoff hunt. The top five teams from the SPSL North advance to the postseason.
Heck delivered a solid all around game, collecting six rebounds and dishing our four assists to go with the 19 points.
Kentlake clung to a 20-16 lead after the first quarter, but Kent-Meridian wouldn’t back down. The Falcons went into the halftime break with a 35-33 lead.
Sergio Arroyo led the Royals (1-12, 3-14) with 16 points. Barenton Ahmed and Greg Bailey added 12 points apiece for the Royals, who lost their eighth-straight game. Ahmed also pulled down a game-high 13 rebounds in the loss.
• Federal Way 70, Kentlake 43 (Saturday): The Falcons’ playoff hopes took a serious hit in a loss to the top-ranked Eagles. Daniel Landram led Kentlake’s offense, delivering nine points while Jaron Heck added eight. Kentlake wraps up the regular season on Friday at home against Kentwood.
• Kent-Meridian 55, Tahoma 44: Jordan Thompson Walker and Greg Bailey scored 11 points apiece, lifting the Royals (2-12, 4-14) past the Bears (2-12, 5-13). The win helped Kent-Meridian end an 8-game losing streak. Martel Taylor Barone chipped in nine points for the Royals.
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