It was an unfamiliar 57 degree day in January, but it was an all too familiar place for the Kentwood boys basketball team, who lost their fourth straight game and were swept in the season series Jan. 13 by Auburn, 60-54.
The team has lost five of their last six in a season that, when it started, had league title aspirations. Now, Kentwood sits with its eyes up at the standings, fearing the fallout of the playoff picture. But one thing is for certain, Kentwood and head coach Blake Solomon aren’t going down without a fight. They certainly didn’t on Tuesday night inside the Bob Jones Gymnasium.
It was a game that was there for the taking, similar to the 55-53 defeat back on Dec. 5 to the same Trojans, and it slipped through their fingers.
“We gotta execute well at the end,” Solomon said. “I felt our last four looks were the shot we wanted and we got what we wanted. I told the guys, when you play quality teams, you can do everything right and still not be able to win.”
Bryson Manaway sits in disbelief after missing a shot for Kentwood. Ben Ray / The Reporter
Kentwood’s losses this season have been by two points, three points, two points, 18 points (Redmond), one point and now four points. Against Auburn, Kentwood looked like it had the goods to upset a top three team in the state.
“Our mantra is, ‘Don’t let go of the rope.’ We have to make sure we are all staying together,” Solomon said. “We cannot be results driven, and that is hard with young athletes and human nature.”
In the first quarter, Kentwood had a 15-12 lead with the help of some great three-point shooting. Jacob Bail had a pair of three-pointers along with a Bryson Manaway triple that helped jolt some life into the Conks, who were dying for some momentum.
Kentwood exploded in the second quarter and really put Auburn on its heels. Kentwood took a 28-17 lead midway through the second quarter thanks to a huge spark from AJ Gabriel. It had been a long time for Gabriel to get back on the floor, and the senior picked up a foul in the last second of the Conks’ 57-56 loss at Issaquah.
Gabriel finished the game with 10 points and took on Montana State University commit Daniel Johnson on the defensive side of the floor. Solomon saw the effort put out by the senior guard.
“We have a lot of confidence in him. He’s put a lot of time in our program. This year he has been an integral part of everything that we do. Tonight it was good to see him have that bounce back and put us in a position to win,” Solomon said.
Kentwood took a 30-24 lead into the locker rooms at halftime, and Auburn brought the defense in the second half.
Caleb Ross drives to the basket for Kentwood. Ben Ray / The Reporter
In the third and fourth quarter, not a single Conk recorded multiple made field goals in a quarter. Brandon Tagle, Bail and Manaway both had multiple in the half. But neither really got going at all in either the third or the fourth quarter.
Auburn made their run in the third quarter, with Isaiah Englund scoring nine points, and Kentwood in total scoring just 11 in the third quarter.
The Conks trailed 43-42 heading to the fourth quarter and seemed to have weathered the worst part of the Auburn storm that was doomed to hit.
Midway through the fourth quarter, Bail hit a corner three to tie the game at 49-49. But Kentwood would never lead in the fourth quarter as Auburn just always was one step ahead. Kentwood tied the game at 54-54 on a Tagle three-pointer before Auburn took a two point lead. In the final 35 seconds, Kentwood had a pretty solid look from three by Bail and a really good chance to tie the game at 56 from Manaway, but his lay-in rolled out.
Bryson Manaway drives to the basket for Kentwood. Ben Ray / The Reporter
Kentwood now eyes Tahoma on Jan. 15 as the team to end their skid against, a team that is surging having won four out of its last five entering the game against Kentwood. “Nobody is going to get us out of this, we have to get ourselves out. We have to continue to hold onto the rope,” Solomon said.
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