Strength in numbers leads Cougars to victory

By MATT KING
Daily Journal Sports Writer

CALEDONIA — After finally snapping a miserable 97-game losing streak nearly one year ago, the Kingston boys basketball program team is hoping to produce several more thrilling moments this season.

Wednesday night marked a exciting start under new coach Paul Hamilton for the Cougars, who used relentless hustle to smother higher-seeded Marquand  for a 54-32 triumph at the Valley Tournament.

Sophomore Zach Holmes scored 15 points and Frankie Guenther netted 13 points with eight rebounds for Kingston (1-1), which will meet Bunker in the consolation final on Friday.

The physical first half was littered with 30 total fouls, which proved especially costly for Marquand (0-2). The fifth-seeded Tigers began the night with seven men on their roster, and battled the final 10:30 with four players.

Holmes scored a putback that gave Kingston a 15-7 advantage through one quarter of action, and collected three more field goals on extra chances in the second period.

Guenther stole the basketball and dished to Joe Sulzer for a layup that increased the margin to double figures, and the Cougars entered halftime ahead 33-20 after forcing 17 Marquand turnovers.

Kingston achieved its largest lead of 48-20 on a Guenther putback before slowing the pace down the stretch. Dusty Bay grabbed nine rebounds off the bench in the victory.

Kyle Vick netted a game-high 16 points for Marquand, which made a solid 15-of-22 from the line. Josh Garner had 10 rebounds and seven blocks.

Kingston  15  18  15   6 - 54

Marquand   7  13   3   9 - 32

SCORING:

Kingston - Holmes 15, Guenther 13, West 6, Bay 5, Merseal 4, Nunez 4, Nash 3, Sulzer 2, Hill 2. 3-point FG - None.

Marquand - Vick 16, Carey 7, Brotherton 6, Garner 2, Lening 1. 3-point FG - Vick.



Bunker 53, Bismarck 44

CALEDONIA — Bunker successfully attacked the basket for a pivotal 11-2 scoring run in the fourth quarter on Wednesday evening, and eliminated winless Bismarck from the Valley Tournament with a 53-44 victory.

Caleb Talkington scored 20 points to lead all players and Dalton Harper tallied 14 for the Eagles (1-1), who overcame 20 turnovers by knocking down 14-of-21 free throws on the night.

Bismarck (0-4) connected on just 1-of-10 field goals attempted in the first quarter, but used an 8-0 run before halftime to pull within 23-21. Trevor Wild gave the Indians two separate leads on three-point baskets during the third quarter, and finished with a team-high 14 points.

Jeff Jarvis rattled in a spinning jumper to put Bismarck ahead for the first time at 31-29, and went on to record a double-double with 11 points and 12 rebounds. Cody Goodson scored each of his eight points at the charity stripe.

Bunker was clinging to a 42-40 lead with less than four minutes left, but Talkington made a driving layup and Harper added a putback on consecutive possessions to secure the outcome.

Bunker   7  14  15   8 - 44

Bismarck  12  11  14  16 - 53

SCORING:

Bunker - Talkington 20, Harper 14, Wisdom 7, Gibson 6, Highly 4, Mohr 2. 3-point FG - None.

Bismarck - Wild 14, Jarvis 11, Goodson 8, Politte 4, Mills 3, Eichenberger 3, McLain 1. 3-point FG - Wild 2, Eichenberger.