NK goes 2-2 against top teams in the West
Published 1:30 am Monday, June 19, 2023
North Kitsap boys basketball started its summer season against some of the best competition on the West Coast.
The Vikings competed in the WIBCA Division 1 Showcase with several college coaches recruiting in the stands. Teams from California, Arizona, Washington, Oregon and Idaho met at Bellevue College to compete June 17-18.
North Kitsap faced Kings High School in Shoreline. The Vikings came out with a dominant win in their first game, defeating Kings 56-40. The Vikings had some familiar faces on the court with some new additions, too. Cade Orness ran the point while Harry Davies and Mason Chmielewski started. In addition, 6-foot-7 Logan Hudson made his Viking debut in the post.
“Logan keeps getting better every week,” coach Scott Orness said. “He is eager to learn and we are developing him and pushing him hard. He loves being coached up and is going to be a real force next season on both ends of the floor.”
With the addition of Hudson, a transfer from Central Kitsap, the Viking offense and defense appeared to be different from last season.
Since Orness was the tallest player last year, he would compete for the tip-off and be forced to play down low with Chmielewski. Now, Hudson is an interior force with a handful of boards and blocks each game. Lastly, the Vikings were able to play inside out with Hudson in the key.
“With a rim protector in Logan Hudson, we can extend our defense a lot more and pressure the perimeter,” Orness said. “We have multiple scorers now. Our role players are stepping up on both ends of the floor.”
NK lost its second game against Eagle High School from Eagle, Idaho 66-57. The Vikings had several turnovers in transition, forcing errant passes everywhere. The Vikings trailed just 33-30 at halftime but failed to make a comeback.
NK returned to the court June 18 and lost to Brophy Prep from Phoenix, AZ 67-51. The Vikings held a lead through most of the first half until Brophy went up 19-18. The Vikings offense rolled much smoother on the second day but shots were not falling.
The Vikings held the final game of the tournament against Wilsonville High from Wilsonville, Ore. NK ended the tournament with a 2-2 record after winning the final contest 44-41.
The Vikings were tied 41-41 with a couple of minutes remaining. Wilsonville had a chance to take the lead after a steal but missed the breakaway layup. Davies drove to the hoop and passed to Preston Keehn in the corner. Keehn caught and shot within a second to give the Vikings the win.
Although the Vikings are 13-6 this summer, they still look to improve before the winter comes around.
“We need to continue to grow on offense, learning our reads and patterns as well as consistent play,” Orness said. “We have two players injured this summer in Noah Sorensen and Jaxon Korsak who were our 6th and 7th men off the bench this past season. We will have more depth when they return.
