Posted: November 25, 2009
By Peter Adelsen
At the end of the first quarter it appeared as though it may end up being a tight game to the finish.
Instead in the annual Thanksgiving Eve boys’ basketball opening game, Kokomo High School pulled away from Western High School from the second quarter on to beat the Panthers 83-61 Wednesday night.
Through one quarter at Memorial Gym, Kokomo led Western 17-13 as the lead changed hands five times with one tie at 10-10.
The second quarter, however, was not as kind to Western as Kokomo used to press to force turnovers and its depth to tire the Panthers. On top of that, Western began to struggle from the free-throw line.
“Fatigue set in a little bit for us,” Western coach Andy Weaver said. “To beat a team like this on the road, you’ve got to have a complete game.”
At halftime, the Wildkats led the Panthers 35-26.
At the beginning of the third quarter it appeared like Western may get back into the game, but Kokomo began to use the press against the Panthers to get their lead to 23 points, 65-42 at the end of the third quarter.
Kokomo dominated the rebounds at both ends of the court and shot well beyond the three-point arc, which cushioned their lead. Western also became impatient in selecting good shots, which helped Kokomo grow its lead. The Wildkat defense also stepped up the pressure on Western, which led to easier baskets for the team.
“Our press caused Western some trouble,” Kokomo coach Brian McCauley said. “Once we were able to get better ball movement on offense that led to more scoring. Therefore we could set up our press better and that led to some turnovers and some easy baskets for us and created a tempo that was advantageous for us.”
In the fourth quarter, both teams traded baskets as Kokomo went on to win 83-61.
Kokomo finished with five players in double figures in scoring. Sophomore guard D.J. Balentine led the Wildkats with 19 points on 50 percent shooting and five of eight beyond the three-point line. Senior guard T.J. Weir and sophomore guard Armon Bridgeforth each scored 13 points each. Junior forward Parker Salinas scored 11 points and senior guard Brock Barbay scored 10 points. Junior forward Huston Clark led Kokomo in rebounding with 10, including three offensive rebounds.
“We had great balance and if we can consistently do that, we could be a tough team to beat,” McCauley said.
Western had two players in double-figures scoring. Senior guard Matt Reida led the Panthers with 13 points and junior guard Drew Larrick had 12 points. The Panthers’ leading rebounder was junior forward Brandon Larrick with five, including three offensive rebounds.
Kokomo’s bench also outscored Western’s bench 27-19 on their way to a victory.
“Tonight we stepped right on into the fire, so we have to go on and learn from here,” Weaver said.
Kokomo’s next opponent is at Fishers High School on December 5. Western’s next game is December 4 when they host Northwestern.
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