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“I’m kind of a big believer in routine and I felt like [playing at Glendale] knocked us off our routine a little bit,” said Kickapoo coach Dick Rippee. “I won’t take anything away from Camdenton though – they came to play.”
The Lakers kept up with the Chiefs in a low-scoring yet briskly played opening 16 minutes where Kickapoo never led by more than four points and ended the half only three points ahead of the Lakers.
“We wanted to come down and play ball – whether it was at Kickapoo or Glendale, we were ready,” said Camdenton coach Kenny Ash. “I thought our kids played a pretty doggone good game but credit Kickapoo, they stepped up their defensive pressure and made big shots when they had to.”
Senior post Chris Ward and sophomore point guard Jack Simpson embodied both of Ash’s compliments.
Ward stepped up in the first quarter with two big blocks and led the Chiefs in scoring at the half en route to an eight-point, 10 rebound and two assist night.
“I realized with [Camdenton] triple teaming, I had to be the one watching our guys cut and wait for open passes,” Ward said of his night on the court.
Simpson led the Chiefs in scoring with 15 points, making two well-covered 3-point baskets in the first and third quarters in spite of obvious frustration early on.
“Whenever you struggle, they say ‘Shooters have to keep shooting.’ So I kept up my rhythm and put up shots to stay warm before the half started.”
“Jack’s just getting better and better – he’s only a sophomore,” said Rippee. “He’s given us another threat on offense … and his defense is always great.”
“We appreciate Glendale’s hospitality tonight,” Rippee added. Tuesday's rain caused a leaky roof at the KHS gym. “They weren’t expecting this and they did a great job hosting us, though we’d rather play at Kickapoo, we’re glad we got the game in.”
Box Score: Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4
Camdenton 7 8 7 6
Kickapoo 9 9 17 13
Player scoring:
Camdenton: Kullen Carlock 11, John Hyde 5, Zach Brown 4, Michael Hake 4, Ryan Elliott 2, Jordan Knight 2
Kickapoo: J. Simpson 15, C. Ward 8, Ryan Burland 7, Tyler Bussell 5, Matt Ridder 5, Tyson Batiste 4, Anthony Cooper 2, Luke Thomas 2
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