By Terry Mosher

Editor, Sports Paper

 

Olympic High School boy’s basketball coach Devin Huff was genuinely concerned about Tuesday night’s game at  home against one-win Klahowya, which has struggled to find its identity and has suffered some crushing defeats.

Huff’s concern was misplaced, however. Even though his team hadn’t played a game in two weeks, it played extremely well and ran all over visiting Klahowya in an Olympic League game, 71-26.

The Trojans raced to a 21-6 lead after one quarter and despite Huff liberally using his bench soared to a 43-14 lead at halftime and in the third quarter the WIAA rule that a running clock is used when one team has a 40-point lead was used.

For one, Jim (Horan, Klahowya coach) is a very good coach,” said Huff. “Always has been. I don’t know what to say beyond that. We played really well. We had two weeks off (during the Christmas break) and we really used those two weeks to make a commitment to get better.

“I was really pleased how we executed our sets. I was pleased with some of the zones we played. So there were a lot of things to feel good about. I’ve been in that lockeroom (Klahowya’s) and I know that is not a good feeling. Been there, done that, that’s for sure.”

The win was the sixth straight for the Trojans, who started the season with four consecutive losses to quality opponents – Central Kitsap, Wilson, Port Angeles and Sequim.

“Wilson is ridiculous,” Huff said. “There is no one in his area (that can play with them). They most likely will play RainierBeach in the state final. And they will be good for the next several years. In fact, their coach told me that their jayvee kids will never play varsity. And the jayvees are good.”

Senior combo guard T.J Mosley led the Trojans with 14 points. He exploded for nine second-quarter points, including seven consecutive points that ballooned the Trojans’ lead to 39-9 late in the second quarter.

This was all Olympic and there wasn’t much Horan’s team could do. The Eagles did not play the “system” Horan installed to start the season, but he later admitted maybe he should have.

He was also without the full services of several players who he said broke team rules. It’s not likely their presence would have made a large difference. Olympic just has too many good athletic players, including bookend post players in Jumier Johnson and Damarius Johnson, who both are six-foot-give. Jumier is a sophomore (he scored 12 points) and Damarius is a junior.

Mosley runs the floor well and explodes to the basket. You can tell has played competitive basketball since he was very young.

And point guard Makaleb McInnis, a junior, is also explosive to the basket.

The Trojans also were not at full strength. Kyle Setten, a 6-3 senior, who is a force inside and has a motor that won’t quit, has not played yet this season because of a hand injury playing fall select basketball.

Setten is expected to be back on the court Friday when the Trojans host Bremerton in a game that if it doesn’t draw a capacity crowd there is something wrong. Bremerton leads the OL with a 6-0 record (8-2 overall) and Olympic is third with a 4-2 record (6-4 overall).

Meanwhile, Klahowya is now 0-6 and 1-8. But Horan hasn’t given up on the season.

“I’ve got some secrets,” he said after the game. But like Harry Houdini, the long ago escape artist and magician, he’s not ready to reveal what they are.

Huff, for one, believes in Horan and thinks they can come back and be a force.

“It is what it is,” says Huff. “Klahowya is a 1A team. I would say, if anything, Jim deserves a lot of credit because those kids played hard. And that is a testimony to the kids and to coach Horan. I didn’t see any give-up in them – at all.”

Mitchell Knuckey, a six-foot-four post for the Eagles, led his team with eight points.

 

Olympic 71, Klahowya 26

Klahowya  6   8   5   7 –       26

Olympic   21 22 15 13 ‑       71

Klahowya (26) – Ryan Gotchall, Austin Wischhoefer, Jacob Gotchall 3, Ricky Holguin 6, Dustin Brewer 2, Jerry Landram, Connnor Schnuit 3, Nate Hough 2, Mitchell Knuckey 8, Michael Mosher 2.

Olympic (71) – Shane Matheny, T.J. Mosley 14, Jumier Johnson 12, Makaleb McInnis 12, Damarius Johnson 8, Tyler Yost 8, Alex Campana, Erik Turnquist 5, Marcus Harris 2, Darren Towne 2, Michael Lawver 8.