By ISAAC DEER
TopSports.news
Shawnee Heights' boys basketball team put on a defensive clinic against United Kansas Conference rival Lansing on Friday night, rolling to a home 56-35 win over the Lions.
The T-Birds' defensive effort held Lansing to single digits in the scoring column for three straight quarters.
“I have spent fifty years teaching defense and it was no question that we put good pressure on them (Lansing),'' Shawnee Heights coach Ken Darting said. "We really forced them to turn the ball over and that was the difference in the game for us.
“We know we aren’t great shooters. We aren’t bad shooters, but we are okay right now. We know we have to play our best defense. We have to keep the game in reach.”
Ken Darting's Shawnee Heights T-Birds improved to 5-1 with a 56-35 win over UKC foe Lansing Friday night. [File photo/TSN]
The T-Birds' shooting was cold in the first quarter. Shots were not falling for Shawnee Heights but that didn’t discourage the team after only putting up seven points in the first period of play.
Shawnee Heights' defensive and offensive output in the second quarter was the key to the game.
The T-Birds doubled their scoring from the first quarter as senior guard Jarin Sanders had some eye-opening passes to the interior that set up Jacob Malcom and Nathan Pewe to be successful.
Shawnee Heights' defensive effort in the second quarter set the tone for the night. Allowing just six points to a red-hot Lansing team was no easy feat. Brennon Dodge, Carter Olson and others displayed the physical brand of basketball that the T-Birds want to play with.
After being down in the first quarter, Shawnee Heights would regain a 21-19 lead heading into the locker room at halftime.
Pewe, a 6-foot-4 senior, took control of the game in the third quarter. His excellent shooting from the field and his unselfishness to get his teammates the ball in key situations helped Shawnee Heights put up a 20-7 run.
“I felt really confident tonight, especially after our last game,'' Pewe said. "It seemed like everything was going in the last game so I just brought all of that confidence over to this game. My 3’s weren’t really falling the way I wanted it to, so I just drove it to the hoop after that.''
Pewe also credits the third-quarter production of the bench to the victory after Shawnee Heights had early foul trouble.
“They stepped up huge for us when we needed them the most. I’m really proud of how hard our guys played off the bench, especially Jacob Malcom,” said Pewe.
Malcom led Shawnee Heights with 11 points while Pewe added nine points, Carter Olson and Brennon Dodge eight points each and Sanders seven..
Shawnee Heights will return to action Tuesday against Leavenworth at Heights.
“I think we are doing a fantastic job,'' Darting said. "We have to be who we are. I talk to our guys every day about playing as a team. We can’t win one on one games. We win games by playing five on five. It takes all of us.''
SHAWNEE HEIGHTS BOYS 56, LANSING 35
Lansing (4-2, 0-2) 13 6 7 9 – 35
Shawnee Heights (5-1, 1-0) 7 14 20 15 – 56
Lansing (4-2, 0-2) – Remington 6 1-2 14, Allen 4 0-0 8, French 1 1-2 4, Winton 1 0-1 3, Expose 1 0-0 2, Patrick 1 0-0 2, Butler 0 2-2 2.
Shawnee Heights (5-1, 1-0) – Malcolm 5 1-2 11, Pewe 3 2-2 9, Olson 4 0-0 8, Dodge 3 2-5 8, Sanders 3 1-1 7, Holly 1 2-5 4, Kendrick 1 1-2 3, Purdie 1 0-0 2, Scott 1 0-0 2, Moore 0 2-2 2.
3-point goals – Shawnee Heights 1. Total fouls – Lansing 20, Shawnee Heights 15.
