KINGMAN - Danny Gonzalez missed a 25-foot 3-pointer at the buzzer, and Lake Havasu City survived a Kingman High rally for a 49-47 non-region win at KHS Friday. Somehow, the Bulldogs' boys basketball team was able to stay in the game on a poor shooting night.
"We work on it and work on it," KHS coach Dave Vance said about the Bulldogs' shooting. "The bottom line is they have to perform in the games."
Methodical comeback
KHS (1-1) mounted a slow and methodical fourth-quarter comeback after being down by eight at the start, 32-24. The Bulldogs' Trey Anthony rained in a 3-pointer with 3:30 left that brought KHS within five, 45-40. Anthony finished with a team-high 16.
"Trey had an outstanding game," Vance said. "He's real solid, and he can take it to the rim."
Havasu (3-0) managed to keep the lead between four and eight points until the final minute. Gonzalez hit a 3-pointer to close the lead to three with 16 seconds on the clock. He finished with 14.
After Havasu sank two free throws, Anthony made it a two-point game with another three, and G. Herrera put Havasu's Aaron Troyer on the line for two with six seconds left.
Troyer missed both, and Gonzalez' winning shot was on target, but it rimmed out and Havasu preserved the win.
Slow start for Bulldogs
KHS (1-1) started off slow with poor inside shooting, and Havasu (3-0) led 11-9 at the end of the first quarter. To make matters worse, starting point guard Herrera picked up his second foul 54 seconds into the game.
"G.'s two fouls really hurt us, both defensively and with our dribble-drive offense," Vance said.
Havasu seemed to get inside almost at will with Herrera off the floor, and the Bulldogs' defensive intensity only returned when Herrera did. The Knights led 25-16 at the half.
"We knew their offense was penetration," the coach said. "We thought we had a way to slow that down."
Kameron Comins was the next highest scorer for KHS with six, Zack Clough added four, Kenny Duford nailed a 3-pointer, and Herrera and Tyler Skubal each had two.
A learning
experience
"If only we had come out to play in the first half," Vance said. "I have to remember they're still young and chalk it up to a learning experience."
In other basketball action, the JV squad also tried to make a valiant comeback, but it too fell short when the Bulldogs were called for an intentional foul in the final seconds of Havasu's 58-50 win.
The freshman team won, 40-35.
KHS has a chance for instant revenge as the two teams meet again at 7 p.m. Tuesday in Lake Havasu City.
Reader Comments
Posted: Monday, December 07, 2009
Article comment by:
Mrs. McCoy
Keep battling Boys! It was an exciting game to watch all the way up to the end.
