Kingston comes back to post victory over Troy
Tigers overcome second-half deficit en route to non-league triumph
Down 11 points in the third quarter, the Kingston High boys team rallies for a 78-70 win over visiting Troy.
After a slow start Saturday, Kingston High’s boys basketball team produced something the Tigers are getting used to doing this season: another exciting, close victory.
Kingston rallied from 11 down midway through the third quarter to pull out a 78-70 non-league triumph over Troy. It completed a home-and-away sweep for the (9-2) Tigers, who beat the Flying Horses in overtime last month.
Chris Wright had 27 points, six assists and three steals, Brian Moore scored 23 points and Damani Thomas hit for 15 points and grabbed eight rebounds to lead (92) Kingston.
Alonzo Alexander had 21 points, Lateef Johnson 19 and Joe Casale 12 for Troy.
“It was a good win. It’s a big win,” Wright said. “All game we knew we could win this. In the fourth quarter, we turned it up.”
Added Moore, “We want to be undefeated the whole season at home.”
The Tigers are 4-0 at Kate Walton Field House and have five home regular season games coming up in February.
Despite getting beat off the boards and seeing their shots fail to connect, the Tigers battled (8-5) Troy throughout a wild first quarter that had seven lead changes.
“We started off we didn’t make a lot of threes, we weren’t attacking the basket and we weren’t getting many fouls,” Wright said. “I started off slow. Brian was heating up and he got me into the game.”
Said Kingston coach Ron Kelder, “For a little while there, we weren’t taking good shots. We started to do a little better job of getting good shots and being aggressive.”
A 10-2 run to end the quarter put Troy in charge and Kingston was playing catch-up for the next two periods, trailing by as much as 12 in the second quarter.
A switch to a zone defense, stronger play on the boards and fresher legs enabled the Tigers to come back. They kept the deficit in single digits and finally got to within 55-53 to close out the third.
“We weren’t playing aggressive,” Wright said about the Tigers’ rebounding. “We were letting them push us around. In the second half, we started bullying them.”
Added Kelder, “We started to fight on the backboard. We started to compete and get nasty on the backboard. That’s what it took. I think we found a way to match their physicality, which is what we needed to do.
“I think the zone made a difference. It kept them trying to be a little more perimeter oriented,”
Tiger forward Jimmy Moot stopped Casale on three consecutive drives up the middle, and
Kingston was contesting shots under the board.
Daivel Jackson had a big night with six points and 10 rebounds off the bench. Jackson, Moot, Thomas and Garrett Warnecke fought for rebounds and Kingston also started winning the loose balls.
Thomas, who set up baskets by Jackson and Warnecke and hit a 3-point field goal, scored off a Wright pass to finally put Kingston ahead at 62-61 with 4:26 remaining.
Jawara Pompey’s medium runner put the Horses back ahead, but Wright countered with consecutive fast break buckets.
“During practice, he (Kelder) always wants us to run out the court, because we are a fast-break team,” Moore said. “We’re wellconditioned, so, on this big court, it’s easy to run out. They got exhausted in the fourth quarter.”
“When you go to zone and you’re losing, it’s risky because, all of a sudden, they bury two or three threes and now the game goes from nine to 16 or 17,” Kelder remarked. “I thought we also did a tremendous job of running out of our zone. We got out into transition really well, which was a plus for us.”
“I thought we were still fresh late and they weren’t,” Kelder added. “We beat them down the floor multiple times late in the game, and that’s a tribute to number one: being in shape, and number two: having that desire to continue to compete and push yourself.”
Alexander’s baseline drive and a tip-in by Casale had Troy back up 67-66 with 2:01 left, but Kingston answered with a 12-3 run to close out the win.
Moore scored seven consecutive points, hitting a big 3-pointer from the near corner to put the Tigers ahead for good and following with a 17-foot jumper and a drive.
Troy was forced to foul and Wright made three foul shots and Moore two in the final minute.
“We were not playing as a team, but, once we got together, that’s what happens. The lead came back,” Moore said.
“Once we get it going, it’s hard to stop us,” Wright added.
Said Kelder, “We found a way and that’s what good teams do. From the middle of the third quarter on, we were sharp.”
The play of Jackson, Thomas Huleatt, Fritz Genther and Tyquan Watson off the bench aided in the comeback.
“His minutes and Thomas’ and Fritz’s and TQ’s gave Garrett and Jimmy a lot of fresh legs late,” Kelder explained. “They played pretty much the whole fourth quarter. They were a very big part of what we did.
“Sometimes it’s not who finishes. Sometimes it’s who got you in a position to finish like you did. My rotation has gotten bigger since the beginning of the year, especially Daivel playing more minutes. He’s a pleasant surprise, and it keeps Jimmy a little fresher.”
Kingston is back on the road next Friday for another tough game, playing at (10-3) Byram Hills.