Tuesday, Dec. 11 2012 3:38PM
Getting back the hype
LSW refocuses, takes down Ray-Pec for third
By Stephanie Yeagle
syeagle@lsjournal.com
Print
E-Mail
AIM
ReprintIt was neck and neck in the first quarter, as Lee’s Summit West had only a 9-2 lead over Raymore-Peculiar in the third place game of the Sonic Shootout Dec. 7. But the Titans gathered their intensity and fought back to win the game 62-34.
“We played really hard,” Lee’s Summit West senior forward Trevor Gregory said. “We came out with a lot of intensity, which is really what we needed to do and we came out on top of the other team.”
Lee’s Summit West led 23-13 at halftime, but really got going in the third quarter. The Titans started out with an 8-0 run on three baskets from junior guard Monte Harrison and one shot from sophomore guard Ryan Williams to take a 31-13 advantage.
Raymore-Peculiar scored on a shot from sophomore forward Ben Harris, but Lee’s Summit West responded with a three-pointer from Williams. Later in the quarter, with Lee’s Summit West ahead at 36-20, the Panthers went on a run of their own, with a basket each from senior guard Kasan Williams and junior guard Jason Wilson and two free throws from junior guard Mario Holman to close the gap to 36-26. But the Titans retaliated with a 6-0 run with a shot apiece from Gregory and Harrison and two free throws from senior guard Kyndall Powell.
“I really think they did a nice job fighting back and got back into it,” Raymore-Peculiar head coach Scott Jermain said. “The end result was not pretty, but it was a good ball game for awhile. We will get to a point where we can play with them for 32 minutes. Twenty-four minutes we played neck and neck with them. We have to be pretty pleased with that.”
In the fourth quarter, the Titans came out swinging again, going on a 7-0 run to lead 49-28 and this time the Panthers couldn’t recover. Later in the quarter, the rolling clock started after Titan sophomore guard Gary Davis sunk a three-pointer and sophomore guard Jared Dixon hit a basket and free throw to put the Titans up 62-31.
Raymore-Peculiar was fouled and junior guard Austin Murkin put in one free throw, but missed the second. Teammate and sophomore forward Ben Brenizer was fouled on the rebound and sunk both shots to end the game.
“It was a good game for us,” Raymore-Peculiar head coach Scott Jermain said. “Lee’s Summit West is right now probably at the top of their game. They are really playing well right now. We have a lot of younger kids that are trying to learn how to play...It was good for us to learn what we have to get better at.”
But Lee’s Summit West head coach Michael Schieber disagrees, saying the Titans have lots to work on.
“Defensively, they did a good job of mixing up zone and man, I give them credit on that,” Schieber said. “Execution-wise, we are along way from being perfect. Effort-wise we are doing some very good things. We have a very long way to go.”
The Titans were led in scoring by Williams with 13 points, followed by Gregory with 12 points and Harrison with 10 points. Dixon had seven points and Powell, Davis, Deron Session and Dale Brown had five points each.
The Panthers were led in scoring by Tim Estell with seven points, followed by Harris with six points and Wilson with five points. Murkin, Holman, Williams and Brenizer had four points apiece.
Raymore-Peculiar, 2-2, lost to Olathe East 65-30 in the semifinal game Dec. 5. Lee’s Summit West, 2-1, lost to Olathe South 64-61 in overtime in the semifinal game also Dec. 5.
“It kind of made us a little more humble,” Gregory said of that loss. “We were all really hyped up about this season and we have to focus our energy. But it’s better to learn how to lose early in the season than to find out how to lose in the last part of the season.”
“The biggest thing that we challenged our kids with was just coming back with intensity and playing with pride,” Schieber added. “Although I don’t think the execution was there, I thought for the most part, we played hard and that’s all you can ask for. It’s a tough situation. I though the guys came in very focused, gave an effort and we got a win. Coming down here and getting 2-1 was not our goal, but it was the best we can do tonight.”
