Former standout Buccaneer player George Hill III earned his first win as Kingston High School’s new boys basketball coach with a narrow home victory over Orting 57-55 Dec. 1.

“I think, you know, first game of the season, the ball goes up, you get crazy pace and a bunch of first game jitters, and that comes with either rushed shots or bad communication,” Hill III said.

Orting jumped out to a 6-0 lead behind two three-pointers at the beginning of the first quarter, but Buccaneer Christian Vennena landed a three-pointer of his own. Aiden Heffernan later sank a three toward the end of the first, maintaining Kingston’s lead heading into the second quarter at 14-13.

The Bucs went on a scoring run in the opening of the second quarter, scoring nine points within three minutes and holding on to their lead at 19-15 with 5:19 remaining in the half.

Sylis Sullivan and Derek Bynum managed to score two layups later in the quarter, giving Kingston their largest lead of the game at 26-22. Nonetheless, Orting responded with another scoring run, taking the lead at halftime 29-28.

The Bucs took the lead quickly after halftime with Tamaleau and Heffernan both scoring driving layups, forcing another lead change at 33-29. The Buccaneer defense also significantly improved due to the initiation of a full-court press, forcing Orting turnovers and giving the Bucs their largest lead of the game at 35-29.

However, Kingston committed some turnovers on their own side of the court, warranting a Hill timeout with 4:18 left in the third quarter and the lead at 35-33.

“I asked them all, are you tired? And everyone said, ‘no, we’re not tired at all,” Hill said. “Ok, then fly around and, you know, create some chaos.”

The Bucs went on an 11-3 scoring run accompanied by an Ethan Hackett three-pointer, giving them a 46-37 lead at the end of three.

Orting battled back, drawing the deficit to four with 3:47 remaining in the game, but Bynum was able to generate a three-point play off a contested layup, keeping Kingston’s lead at multiple possessions.

Later, Orting drew the deficit to a single point with one minute remaining, but committed a turnover in Kingston territory, forcing Orting to intentionally foul. Buccaneer Henrik Goller was sent to the line, where he made one of his two free throws, giving Kingston a 57-55 lead with less than ten seconds remaining in the game.

Orting had one last shot attempt at the end of the game but couldn’t convert, sealing the win for Kingston.