In a battle of the ridge lines, Kentridge emerged victorious Dec. 22 over Emerald Ridge, claiming ridge supremacy in boys basketball. The Chargers won by a score of 68-49, their second largest victory of the season.
Kentridge is now 6-2 with the most wins in the NPSL this season. As winners of five of their last six, the Chargers have their best start of the season since 2020.
It was very clear that KR was ready to play from the tip off.
“I thought we came out with some energy. We hit a few shots and got in our rhythm,” said KR head coach David Jamison.
By the end of the first quarter, Kentridge had built a 21-6 lead. Quality play from senior guard Jalon Blackwell helped bolster the Chargers over the Jaguars.
“I just focus on making an impact, not necessarily scoring, but just helping my team,” said Blackwell.
Emerald Ridge slowed down the Chargers during the second quarter, holding KR to its lowest scoring quarter of the night at 9 points. At half, the score was 30-14.
The second half was all Kentridge, from start to finish. In the third quarter, KR extended the lead to at one point 41-19.
“This group has a strong core of seniors. They want to get to the dome,” said Jamison of the Tacoma Dome, site of the state championships. It is actually a roster full of seniors. The only non-seniors are two juniors Braxton Gruenich and Jamari Harris.
By the fourth quarter, the game had been decided. The Chargers got many players valuable minutes who might not have gotten the opportunity to play if the game got close. The final 19-point lead was due in part to the hard work that the Chargers put in from the beginning.
“We were conditioned really well and were able to push the tempo of the game,” said Blackwell.
Coming out of the break, the Chargers take on Camas High School, a team that finished one game short of the state tournament.
“We try to schedule as good of a non-league schedule as we can,” Jamison said. The Chargers take on the Papermakers on Dec. 29.
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