2/8/2010
Knights use outside shooting to cut Aces
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| Kirk Dougal/Times Bulletin
Crestview’s Evan Vining fires a three-pointer during the Knights’ win over Hicksville on Saturday, February 6, in Hicksville. |
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BY KIRK DOUGAL
Times Bulletin Editor
kdougal@timesbulletin.com
HICKSVILLE - Crestview used what was working - lights-out shooting from outside the arc while their shooting touch was ice-cold on the inside - to defeat Hicksville on Saturday night, 43-42.
Crestview was 10 of 21 for 48 percent from the three-point line while they shot 27 percent from two-point land. It made for an odd looking game book but Crestview coach Jeremy Best was happy with the win.
"Basketball can be funny," he said after the game. "Sometimes we get too enthralled with the numbers. The score that counts is the one on the board and tonight we found a way to have it on our side. And for that, we're happy."
The game started off like the hometown Aces were going to run away and hide. Sophomore guard Justin Miller made two straight three-pointers for Hicksville while Crestview struggled to get going offensively. The Knights' Steven Rickard finally got open on the outside at the 3:23 mark of the first quarter and drained a three for their first score. But it was two free throws from Hicksville's Seth Klepper that gave the home team the lead at the end of one period, 10-8.
Crestview finally made a two pointer when Dallis Gibson hit a face-up ten-footer in the second quarter. But Rickard picked up his third foul at the 5:19 mark and he would sit on the pine most of the way until halftime. To hurt even more, Crestview's leading rebounder, Rob Cook was sitting with two fouls of his own. Best was forced to go to his bench early and often but the team pulled together and responded. Conley Zaleski played well, hitting one beyond the line in the corner and then taking a steal at the top for a runout and five points. Brad Miller and Evan Vining also hit threes in the period and Crestview not only weathered the storm but picked up a point on Hicksville, trailing only 22-21 at the half.
More bad news happened for Crestview as they opened the third period with Cook picking up his third foul only seconds into the quarter. Jared Hallfeldt helped out off the bench on the inside with Gibson, picking up four rebounds in limited duty and hitting a ten-foot jumper of his own.
But again it was the three-point shot that led the Knights. Rickard had two more deep ones before picking up his fourth foul at the 1:44 mark and Zaleski, Miller, and Evan Vining all hit one a piece as Crestview scored 20 points in the quarter to put some distance between them and Hicksville. When Crestview ran off the final 44 seconds and Miller nailed his three from the top of the key at the buzzer, they led 41-32.
The fourth quarter started in Crestview's favor. They ran off the first 1:28 on offense and, even though they missed a shot and failed to score, it appeared they would be able to shorten the game and come away with a well-deserved victory. But the Aces' Miller got loose for another three and post player Tyler Monroe made a spin move on the right block for a bucket followed the next trip down the court by Klepper driving in for a floater on the baseline. Suddenly the score was only 42-40 in favor of Crestview with 1:13 left to go in the contest and Hicksville had the ball off a timeout.
On the set play an outside jumper from senior Dustin Yoder clanged off the iron but Miller crashed the boards from the weakside for the rebound, put back, and a chance for an old-fashioned three-point play with the foul. He missed the charity toss, however, and Crestview's Rickard was fouled on the ensuing offensive set. He made one of two - Crestview was only two for seven on free throws in the fourth quarter including misses on the front end of three one-and-ones - but that was enough as Hicksville immediately turned the ball back over and the Knights had their win.
Best believed that the win on a night when a lot of things did not go their way showed another step of improvement for his team.
"We knew we made mistakes and we've got some things we've got to continue to get better at. But these are situations in the past, the last year, that we weren't able to overcome. So you look at that, you grow with it and our kids know the mistakes they made but the bottom line is we came out of with a double win weekend and sets us up for a great weekend for us next week."
Best attributed part of the growth of the team to the contributions that players coming off the bench - like Zaleski and Hallfeldt on Saturday night and Nick Adam before his injury - have provided with depth.
"That's something that's continuing to grow, those guys continuing to give us minutes off the bench. Nick Adam is down with an injury and he had been that guy to give us great minutes but those other guys continue to grow and develop."
Crestview was led by Rickard's 12 points and eight by Miller. Boding well for their future, a trio of sophomores scored 39 of Hicksville's 42 points, including 18 from Miller, 11 by Klepper and ten from Monroe.
Unofficially, Hicksville was 16 of 39 from the field for 41 percent, including four of ten from beyond the arc. They were only 6 of 14 (43%) from the free throw line. Crestview was 14 of 36 from the field for 39 percent field goal shooting but a smoking 10 of 21 from long distance, a 48 percent mark. They were five of 11 (45%) from the free throw line.
Hicksville won battle of the boards, 24-20, but Crestview came away with the turnover contest, turning the ball over only 13 times to Hicksville's 15.
Crestview's record goes to 8-7 on the year while Hicksville falls to 3-12.
Crestview's junior varsity moved to 12-3 on the season with a 42-24 victory.
1 2 3 4 Totals
Crestview 8 13 20 2 43
Hicksville 10 12 10 10 42
Crestview - Torrey 0-0-0, Zaleski 3-0-8, Rager 0-0-0, Miller 3-1-10, Rickard 3-3-12, Gibson 2-0-4, Vining 2-1-7, Cook 0-0-0, Hallfeldt 1-0-2 Totals 14-5-43
Hicksville - Yoder 0-2-2, Slattery 0-0-0, Burlingame 0-1-1, Michael 0-0-0, Klepper 4-3-11, Monroe 5-0-10, Miller 7-0-18 Totals 16-6-42
3 Pts. - Crestview (10) - Zaleski (2), Miller (3), Rickard (3), Vining (2); Hicksville (4) - Miller (4)
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