Kamiakin boys grit their way past Rogers in district semis

It wasn’t the prettiest game, but that counts for little at this point in the season.

Champ Grayson scored 16 points and Jim Mohlman had 14 points, eight rebounds and three blocks, and the Kamiakin High School boys basketball team played one of its top defensive games of the season to beat the visiting Rogers Pirates 55-41 on Friday in a District 8 3A semifinal game in Kennewick.

While Kamiakin was able to force tough shots (Rogers shot 26.9 percent from the floor) all night, coach Brian Meneely pointed out that some issues arose when the team failed to secure the defensive boards.

“We gave up a lot of offensive rebounds, so we’ve gotta get better there,” Meneely said. “But I thought the kids had a real great mentality to start the game, we’ve just gotta keep that locked in for 32 minutes.”

When the Braves were able to control the glass, the results were undeniable. Beginning the second half with a 10-point lead, they held the Pirates without a field goal and allowed just two points in the third quarter to carry a 38-22 lead into the fourth, which turned out to be the biggest of the game.

Scoring was at a premium at times for Kamiakin (16-5), but this victory seemed emblematic of the type of gritty and defensive basketball the team wants to play in the postseason.

“We always chant ‘defense wins’ after practice, so that’s kind of our mentality is getting stops and winning games like that,” Paxton said. “Tough and scrappy games, that’s what we like.”

Paxton added 13 points, and Cole Riblet led Rogers (9-13) with 10.

WE’RE GOING TO THE ‘SHIP

The Kamiakin boys will join the girls team Thursday at Spokane Veteran’s Arena as both squads will be looking to repeat as district champions against Mt. Spokane. The girls championship is at 6 p.m., followed by the boys at 7:30 p.m.

“It’s pretty cool, that’s not really our ultimate goal though,” Grayson said of playing for the district title. “Our ultimate goal is the (Tacoma) Dome, and that’s just another step to get there.”

Added Meneely: “There’s a purpose for what they’re doin’ right now, and that’s huge at this point in the year. You’ve gotta have a team that has a bigger purpose than just trying to survive another game, because you’ve gotta get better, and get better at practice during this time of the year.”

By winning their semifinal game, the Braves need to win just one game before losing two to reach the regional round of state. Had they lost, they would’ve needed three wins in a row to accomplish that.

This story was originally published February 9, 2018 at 9:50 PM with the headline "Kamiakin boys grit their way past Rogers in district semis."