KIENLEN, SCAPPOOSE FEND OFF LOGGER UPSET
Last season, Scappoose sophomore Marcus Kienlen was arguably the Cowapa League's best shooter.
This season, the 6-1 junior isn't just a shooter, or a scorer. He's a big-time player.
Kienlen, overcoming a slow start, scored 20 of his 29 points in the second half, including nine of Scappoose's final ten points to lead the Indians to a thrilling 65-63 come-from-behind win over upset-minded Knappa Saturday night.
"When he misses five or six shots, I don't really care," said Indians head coach Eric Viuhkola of Kienlen, an all-Cowapa League selection in his sophomore season, "because I know he has the potential. He is the best shooter I've ever coached. Shooters gotta shoot, so when he's open I want him taking it to the basket and shooting the ball."
Visiting the Loggers gym for the first time in recent memory, the Indians watched as another sophomore scorched the nets and emblazoned his name on the consciousness of high school basketball fans in the region as the Loggers threatened to not only beat the heavily-favored Indians, but beat them up.
Knappa sophomore Jesse Moreland, a consistent low double-figures scorer through the Loggers first four games, went off in the first quarter. Moreland knocked down four consecutive shots from downtown, going 6-for-7 from the field to ring up a career-high 16 points in the first seven minutes as Knappa closed the period with a 14-2 run to open up a 29-17 lead.
"He has a real calm exterior," said Knappa head coach Craig Cokley. "But he has a fire inside of him. He's 6-5, but I would classify him as kind of a late bloomer. He's really not a mature kid."
"In summer league, we brought him on board and he did some nice things, but to project that he would be a starter for us and give us the consistent play that he's given us is kind of a surprise to everybody. A pleasant surprise."
It wasn't just Moreland, either, as the Loggers got 3-pointers from Ryan Isom and Brian Riffe during the run that saw them score on five straight shots, including back-to-back-to-back-to-back triples.
The Loggers continued to attack, going up 35-19 with 5:45 to go in the half on Nate West's layup off a Ryan Isom assist, but things cooled considerably after that, as the Loggers missed six straight and eight of their next nine shots. Meanwhile, Scappoose used 3-pointers by Ryan Wilson and Chance Rice to narrow Knappa's lead to 37-30 at the half.
"I kind of expected that we might come out a little slow," said Scappoose head coach Eric Viuhkola, a former Astoria standout in the 80's, who cited various ailments and distractions, including a game the night before at Gladstone and recent final exams. "I was really proud how we fought back and showed some good things. I think we could be really good, but we are not playing close to how good we could be. But there's a long season."
In the second half, the Indians began to exploit their size advantage, pounding the ball inside to 6-6, all-Cowapa League senior post Justin Engstrom. The Division I football recruit scored followed a Kienlen 3-pointer with back-to-back baskets as Scappoose closed to within two at 39-37.
"Our guards do a really good job of looking for Justin," said Viuhkola, "and I love Justin to death. Justin has to fight for that position, because when he gets it he's just so efficient and he has such a good shot."
Moreland showed his inside-out versatility by scoring on three rebound putbacks inside as the Loggers converted on six straight offensive possessions to re-extend the lead to 50-39 at the midway point of the third quarter. Ryan Isom's second 3-pointer of the quarter gave Knappa a 55-45 lead with less than two minutes to go in the period, but Engstrom scored on three straight trips down the floor, two on fine feeds by point guard Wes Powers and one on a rebound putback as Scappoose cut the Knappa lead to 55-49 going into the final quarter.
"They did a great job of feeding the post," said Cokley. "I think they are going to cause teams in the Cowapa League a lot of problems with their size."
Engstrom scored ten points in the third period, while Kienlen added nine as the two Cowapa all-leaguers outscored Knappa 19-16. The fourth period would pretty much belong to Kienlen.
The junior wing opened the fourth quarter with a jump shot to cut the Knappa lead to 55-51. Ryan Isom hit a pair of free throws before Powers found Engstrom on another deep post-up with 5:45 to go in the game to make it 57-53 Loggers. A pair of Gary Aho free throws followed made it 59-53 before Daniel Craig took a Powers feed and scored in low to make it 59-55 Loggers with 3:04 left.
On Knappa's next possession, Ryan Isom drove into the paint from the left wing and got into the air, but with Craig and Engstrom in his way tried to pass back outside and threw the ball right to Indians' backup guard Cody Guillory. On the other end, Kienlen made a similar drive, but was able to hit a circus shot with a hand in his face to cut the Knappa lead to 59-57 with 2:35 left. After a Logger time out, Moreland stumbled taking a handoff on the perimeter under pressure and was called for travelling. Kienlen made the Loggers pay with another runner in the lane to tie the score at 59 with a little over two minutes remaining.
Aho went to the line again with 1:36 left, but missed the front end of one-and-one. The rebound caromed out of bounds off Scappoose, but a third consecutive Knappa turnover led to more Kienlen heroics, this time a three-ball from the corner to give the Indians their first lead since midway through the first quarter.
"He's an outstanding player," said Cokley. "He's got the whole package. He can stroke the three or put it on the floor and if you're able to cut him off, like we were able to do, he's able to elevate, stop and pull up."
"He's a shot-maker."
A Powers free throw made it 63-59 Scappoose with :42 left, before Paul Isom made it a one possession game with a pair of freebies at the :32 mark.
Needing to foul, the Loggers put Kienlen on the line with :25 seconds to go and he calmly sank two to complete a 6-for-6 performance at the line. Guillory rebounded a missed Riffe three and waws fouled with :13 left. Riffe scored the only Knappa field goal of the quarter on a rebound putback with :04 remaining, but the Loggers had squandered their final three times out in the quarter and could not stop the clock as the Indians breathed a heavy sigh of relief.
Kienlen was 3-for-12 from the field in the first half, but went 7-for-10 in the second half, also leading Scappoose in rebounds with eight and steals with four. Engstrom had 19 points for the Indians and the two players combined to score 32 of Scappoose's 35 second half points.
Moreland finished with 24 points and ten rebounds for Knappa. Ryan Isom added 16 points, hitting 4-for-8 from beyond the arc. Riffe added 11 points, but struggled to get quality shots inside against the Indians tall posts, going 3-for-16 from the field.
The Loggers went 1-3 for the week, with close losses to well-regarded 4A teams Scappoose and Astoria and 3A Clatskanie and a win over Ilwaco.
"We're coming along," said Cokley. "We're playing good teams and luckily we are able to see our weaknesses and work on them."
Knappa opens Northwest League play at home against Corbett Tuesday night, then takes part in Seaside's Tournament of Champions with an opening game against 4A Taft High School of Lincoln City on Thursday. The game will be at Broadway Middle School at 3:30 p.m. Depending on the outcome, Knappa will play either Castle Rock or Astoria, which narrowly beat the Loggers 56-55 Tuesday night.
SCAPPOOSE 17 13 19 16--65
Powers 4, Wilson 3, Kienlen 29, Nelson 1, Engstrom 19, Guillory, Craig 6, Rice 3, Finley, Baldwin.
KNAPPA 29 8 18 8--63
R. Isom 16, P. Isom 8, Moreland 24, Aho 2, Riffe 11, Bokor, West 2.
FIELD GOALS-SCA: 25-54-46%, KNA: 22-56-39%
3-PT FG'S-SCA: 6-19-32%, KNA: 9-18-50%
FREE THROWS-SCA: 9-12-75%, KNA: 12-17-71%
REBOUNDS-SCA: 29, KNA: 36
TURNOVERS-SCA: 15, KNA: 18
This season, the 6-1 junior isn't just a shooter, or a scorer. He's a big-time player.
Kienlen, overcoming a slow start, scored 20 of his 29 points in the second half, including nine of Scappoose's final ten points to lead the Indians to a thrilling 65-63 come-from-behind win over upset-minded Knappa Saturday night.
"When he misses five or six shots, I don't really care," said Indians head coach Eric Viuhkola of Kienlen, an all-Cowapa League selection in his sophomore season, "because I know he has the potential. He is the best shooter I've ever coached. Shooters gotta shoot, so when he's open I want him taking it to the basket and shooting the ball."
Visiting the Loggers gym for the first time in recent memory, the Indians watched as another sophomore scorched the nets and emblazoned his name on the consciousness of high school basketball fans in the region as the Loggers threatened to not only beat the heavily-favored Indians, but beat them up.
Knappa sophomore Jesse Moreland, a consistent low double-figures scorer through the Loggers first four games, went off in the first quarter. Moreland knocked down four consecutive shots from downtown, going 6-for-7 from the field to ring up a career-high 16 points in the first seven minutes as Knappa closed the period with a 14-2 run to open up a 29-17 lead.
"He has a real calm exterior," said Knappa head coach Craig Cokley. "But he has a fire inside of him. He's 6-5, but I would classify him as kind of a late bloomer. He's really not a mature kid."
"In summer league, we brought him on board and he did some nice things, but to project that he would be a starter for us and give us the consistent play that he's given us is kind of a surprise to everybody. A pleasant surprise."
It wasn't just Moreland, either, as the Loggers got 3-pointers from Ryan Isom and Brian Riffe during the run that saw them score on five straight shots, including back-to-back-to-back-to-back triples.
The Loggers continued to attack, going up 35-19 with 5:45 to go in the half on Nate West's layup off a Ryan Isom assist, but things cooled considerably after that, as the Loggers missed six straight and eight of their next nine shots. Meanwhile, Scappoose used 3-pointers by Ryan Wilson and Chance Rice to narrow Knappa's lead to 37-30 at the half.
"I kind of expected that we might come out a little slow," said Scappoose head coach Eric Viuhkola, a former Astoria standout in the 80's, who cited various ailments and distractions, including a game the night before at Gladstone and recent final exams. "I was really proud how we fought back and showed some good things. I think we could be really good, but we are not playing close to how good we could be. But there's a long season."
In the second half, the Indians began to exploit their size advantage, pounding the ball inside to 6-6, all-Cowapa League senior post Justin Engstrom. The Division I football recruit scored followed a Kienlen 3-pointer with back-to-back baskets as Scappoose closed to within two at 39-37.
"Our guards do a really good job of looking for Justin," said Viuhkola, "and I love Justin to death. Justin has to fight for that position, because when he gets it he's just so efficient and he has such a good shot."
Moreland showed his inside-out versatility by scoring on three rebound putbacks inside as the Loggers converted on six straight offensive possessions to re-extend the lead to 50-39 at the midway point of the third quarter. Ryan Isom's second 3-pointer of the quarter gave Knappa a 55-45 lead with less than two minutes to go in the period, but Engstrom scored on three straight trips down the floor, two on fine feeds by point guard Wes Powers and one on a rebound putback as Scappoose cut the Knappa lead to 55-49 going into the final quarter.
"They did a great job of feeding the post," said Cokley. "I think they are going to cause teams in the Cowapa League a lot of problems with their size."
Engstrom scored ten points in the third period, while Kienlen added nine as the two Cowapa all-leaguers outscored Knappa 19-16. The fourth period would pretty much belong to Kienlen.
The junior wing opened the fourth quarter with a jump shot to cut the Knappa lead to 55-51. Ryan Isom hit a pair of free throws before Powers found Engstrom on another deep post-up with 5:45 to go in the game to make it 57-53 Loggers. A pair of Gary Aho free throws followed made it 59-53 before Daniel Craig took a Powers feed and scored in low to make it 59-55 Loggers with 3:04 left.
On Knappa's next possession, Ryan Isom drove into the paint from the left wing and got into the air, but with Craig and Engstrom in his way tried to pass back outside and threw the ball right to Indians' backup guard Cody Guillory. On the other end, Kienlen made a similar drive, but was able to hit a circus shot with a hand in his face to cut the Knappa lead to 59-57 with 2:35 left. After a Logger time out, Moreland stumbled taking a handoff on the perimeter under pressure and was called for travelling. Kienlen made the Loggers pay with another runner in the lane to tie the score at 59 with a little over two minutes remaining.
Aho went to the line again with 1:36 left, but missed the front end of one-and-one. The rebound caromed out of bounds off Scappoose, but a third consecutive Knappa turnover led to more Kienlen heroics, this time a three-ball from the corner to give the Indians their first lead since midway through the first quarter.
"He's an outstanding player," said Cokley. "He's got the whole package. He can stroke the three or put it on the floor and if you're able to cut him off, like we were able to do, he's able to elevate, stop and pull up."
"He's a shot-maker."
A Powers free throw made it 63-59 Scappoose with :42 left, before Paul Isom made it a one possession game with a pair of freebies at the :32 mark.
Needing to foul, the Loggers put Kienlen on the line with :25 seconds to go and he calmly sank two to complete a 6-for-6 performance at the line. Guillory rebounded a missed Riffe three and waws fouled with :13 left. Riffe scored the only Knappa field goal of the quarter on a rebound putback with :04 remaining, but the Loggers had squandered their final three times out in the quarter and could not stop the clock as the Indians breathed a heavy sigh of relief.
Kienlen was 3-for-12 from the field in the first half, but went 7-for-10 in the second half, also leading Scappoose in rebounds with eight and steals with four. Engstrom had 19 points for the Indians and the two players combined to score 32 of Scappoose's 35 second half points.
Moreland finished with 24 points and ten rebounds for Knappa. Ryan Isom added 16 points, hitting 4-for-8 from beyond the arc. Riffe added 11 points, but struggled to get quality shots inside against the Indians tall posts, going 3-for-16 from the field.
The Loggers went 1-3 for the week, with close losses to well-regarded 4A teams Scappoose and Astoria and 3A Clatskanie and a win over Ilwaco.
"We're coming along," said Cokley. "We're playing good teams and luckily we are able to see our weaknesses and work on them."
Knappa opens Northwest League play at home against Corbett Tuesday night, then takes part in Seaside's Tournament of Champions with an opening game against 4A Taft High School of Lincoln City on Thursday. The game will be at Broadway Middle School at 3:30 p.m. Depending on the outcome, Knappa will play either Castle Rock or Astoria, which narrowly beat the Loggers 56-55 Tuesday night.
SCAPPOOSE 17 13 19 16--65
Powers 4, Wilson 3, Kienlen 29, Nelson 1, Engstrom 19, Guillory, Craig 6, Rice 3, Finley, Baldwin.
KNAPPA 29 8 18 8--63
R. Isom 16, P. Isom 8, Moreland 24, Aho 2, Riffe 11, Bokor, West 2.
FIELD GOALS-SCA: 25-54-46%, KNA: 22-56-39%
3-PT FG'S-SCA: 6-19-32%, KNA: 9-18-50%
FREE THROWS-SCA: 9-12-75%, KNA: 12-17-71%
REBOUNDS-SCA: 29, KNA: 36
TURNOVERS-SCA: 15, KNA: 18
posted by Matt Richert at 10:03 AM
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