They say home is where the heart is.
That’s certainly the case for the North Kitsap boys basketball team, which won its 60th straight home game Jan. 9.
“Getting that win early on at home was huge and we wanted to make a statement,” NK coach Scott Orness said.
Making it even better is the Vikings beat another Top 10-ranked team in the state, the Bremerton Knights, 70-44.
“You got to take it from us. We are not going to just give it to you,” NK standout shooting guard Harry Davies said.
The Vikings and Knights used similar playing styles in the first quarter. Both tried to push the tempo and force their opponent into making mistakes.
But NK added a wrinkle to its defense. Davies said, “We knew they were a young team so we wanted to be physical on defense.”
They especially played tight defense on Jalen Davis, the Knights’ standout freshman, and double-teamed him on screens.
Orness added: “This is the best defensive team I ever had. Cade [Orness] has stepped up, Harry returns as Defensive Player of the Year, Jordan [Williams] may be our best defender, and Logan [Hudson] and Mason [Chmielewski] are great rim protectors.”
The Vikings held an 11-6 lead after the first period. NK’s offense began to click in the second quarter when Davies and Williams scored often. Davies led the team in the first half with 12 points while Williams nailed a three-pointer and a contested layup.
The Vikings went into halftime with a huge 31-14 lead. Davis scored nine points with two three-pointers and three free throws for the Knights.
“He is a real special player and has a lot of options when he is done” playing in high school, coach Orness said.
The Vikings extended the lead in the third quarter when Davies and Orness scored a combined 10 points. NK’s crowd erupted during the final minute of the period when Davies set up Orness for an alley-oop. On the next possession, Davies stole the ball and found Williams in the corner for a three-pointer.
In the final period, several players headed to the bench, and the reserves battled to the final buzzer.
Davies led the Vikings with 20 points, while Davis had 20 for the Knights.
“We have got a lot of tools,” coach Orness said. “All of our guys are playing with confidence.”
Jalen Davis drives to the hoop for the layup.
