It had been a long time since South Kitsap and Bremerton had crossed paths on the basketball court—since the early stages of the COVID pandemic.
The two matchups since then had been called off, so to say fans were enthusiastic about the game’s return Dec. 29 in Port Orchard was an understatement.
“Wherever we go, we represent. Everybody knows that,” Knights coach Jeremiah Davis said. “This atmosphere, game on the holidays. I think I’ve seen a lot of people I haven’t seen in years come out and support. They were ready for this.”
There was plenty of blue inside the packed Wolf Den, and it was the “B-Town” crowd that would see its team prevail on the backs of young talent in a physical 69-62 loss for the Wolves.
“We fought. We competed the whole time, but…” Anthony Lewis started to say, but the first year South Kitsap head coach found himself at a loss for words.
The game was lost on the physical side of the game, especially when it came to second-chance points. “For some reason, we just could not rebound the ball. It was an issue throughout practice this week, and it carried over tonight,” Lewis said after finding his voice again.
The lack of hands on the ball cost the Wolves , especially in an explosive 16-point first quarter for the Knights’ star freshman. By the time the first eight minutes were up, Jalen Davis had outscored both the Wolves and his own teammates’ point totals combined.
The game remained out of reach after the 21-9 first quarter, the Wolves never leading and unable to rely on a consistent presence in the paint as they had in weeks past. They did manage to close in to single digits at times and limit Davis for the rest of the night, but the damage had already been done.
“We ran a little bit to try to get out in transition and get buckets that way, but they had a great zone,” Lewis said. “They did a great job slowing down Josaiah (Asuega).”
Davis finished with a double-double recording 25 points and 13 rebounds.
The junior Asuega still finished as one of the Wolves’ top scorers with 12, tied with junior teammate Anthony Flashy. Senior Kenny Miller would lead his team with 20, and four other Wolves contributed points.
The loss pushes the Wolves back to an even .500 record, while the Knights remain undefeated. Even with the future schedule heavily set on in-league matchups, Lewis said he is already looking forward to next year’s contest. “It was fun. I love it this way; this is how rivalries should be,” he said.
