It was a night full of frustration for Kentwood High School basketball as both the boys and girls teams fell to Auburn on opening night of league play on Dec. 4 at Auburn High School.
Both Kentwood programs were looking in a mirror at themselves in the Trojans. Both teams and both schools made the state tournament a year ago. Both schools have young talent that is looking to take the next step.
As far as early season matchups go, this was something both sides had marked on the calendar and were preparing for.
On the girls side, Head Coach Jordan Nero’s squad was coming off a staggering 91-3 win over Kent-Meridian in their first game of the season. But Auburn, the 4th seed in the state tournament last year, was going to be much more of a problem.
The Conks fell 68-25 to the Trojans.
On the boys side, the Conks took fourth in state last season, a finish that was earned for Head Coach Blake Solomon’s side.
Against Auburn Head Coach Ryan Hansen’s side, there was an immediate intensity. There always is an intense atmosphere when games are played inside the Bob Jones Gymnasium.
“First time out, probably our execution should have been a little better… I thought we couldn’t rebound the ball and lose two (Hansen) and three (Johnson) way too many times. Then they shot the ball really, really well,” Solomon said.
Kentwood hasn’t beaten the Trojans since 2014, and the win streak is now six straight for Auburn after the Conks fell 69-56.
“We always want to come to win. Everyone knows we are a good team. We are the team to beat,” Junior Brandon Tagle said.
The Conks just couldn’t slow down Daniel Johnson and Carter Hansen, who both finished with over 20 points and made some big shots for the Trojans. In the opening quarter, Johnson went on a 8-0 run all on his own to give Auburn an 18-14 lead early.
“Johnson just moves really well without the ball. Even when we think we have him, (we don’t),” Solomon said.
In the second, Corey Tita had his best frame of the game. Tita scored eight points on four field goals, partnered with Brandon Tagle, who had six points to get the Conks got right back in the game.
Tagle made a one-footed three-pointer as time expired at the end of the first half, which cut the Trojan lead to one, 33-32.
Come third quarter, the Trojans just made too many three-pointers and Kentwood just couldn’t keep up. Hansen made three on his own, compared to two total from beyond the arc for Kentwood.
Although in the third quarter, Mason St. Louis did start finding his way onto the scorer’s sheet. He finished with seven of his nine points in the quarter with one made three-pointer.
But the fourth quarter was the demise of the Kentwood as the Trojans put a stranglehold on the ballgame. Just two minutes in, Johnson hit a three-point shot. On the ensuing inbound pass, Hansen intercepted the pass and made a three of his own.
“It kind of killed us,” said Solomon.
“It’s hard to win when their guys get that many open looks,” Solomon said.
Kentwood went from being down five, to being down 11 in the blink of an eye. From there, the Conks faltered and their only points came from free throws.
“We just didn’t execute very well. We didn’t make shots either. Our three guys who came back, they’ll be better and that’ll help. Auburn played really well defensively,” Solomon said.
Tita, St. Louis and Tagle are the Conks’ big three. They have played together since all of them were underclassmen and now they are the veterans of this Kentwood team. “They’re gonna be better. When they start to play together that will help us out,” Solomon said.
With the new NPSL schedule format, the Conks will get a second shot at the Trojans on Jan. 14, with another doubleheader.
“We’ll be back, we’ll have our fans back there. We’re not losing that game,” Tagle said.
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Kentwood senior Jessica Ajayi dribbles past an Auburn defender. Ben Ray / The Reporter
Kentwood senior Corey Tita makes a pass against Auburn. Ben Ray / The Reporter
Senior Corey Tita rises above the Auburn defense. Ben Ray / The Reporter
