BVNW upsets No. 14 team in the country, St. Louis Vashon, 60-56, in Ozark Shootout
The boys varsity basketball team defeated St. Louis Vashon, 60-56, in the Ozark Shootout at Glendale High Dec. 10. Senior Darien Jackson dropped 18 points for the Huskies.
December 10, 2016
The boys varsity basketball team took down the No. 14 ranked team in the country according to USA Today High School Sports, St. Louis Vashon, 60-56. The game was a part of the Ozark Shootout at Glendale High School.
Senior guard Darien Jackson opened the game with a quick spurt, scoring the first seven points for the Huskies. Jackson, who scored 18 points for the second straight game, said despite Vashon being highly ranked coming into the game, it did not affect the team’s confidence.
“We just had to play how we play, because we knew that we were a really good team [coming into the game],” Jackson said.
Despite leading Vashon 15-10 at the end of the first quarter, the Huskies found themselves in another close game at halftime, when they trailed, 27-28.
Head coach Ed Fritz said because they were playing a highly ranked opponent, the team increased its focus for the entirety of the week. Fritz said because of some of their matchups the team had to go to a zone on defense, something they rarely opt to do.
“We usually don’t play zone but they had a little trouble figuring it out, so we stayed in it,” Fritz said.
Early in the third quarter, senior guard Jamicheal Morgan received a pass from Jackson and threw down a vicious one-handed slam over a Vashon defender, extending the Huskies lead to 34-30. Morgan said that dunk exhibited what the team was looking for offensively throughout the night.
“We had to attack the rim, to get them in foul trouble to shoot free throws at the end of the game,” Morgan said. “Overall it was a pretty good offensive game.”
For the second straight game, BVNW struggled from the free throw line, shooting 9-21 at the line. Those missed free throws were a large part of Fritz’s disappointment in the team.
“I’m really disappointed we didn’t execute better down the stretch,” Fritz said. “We missed a bunch of foul shots.”
Jackson said despite the huge win for the team, they must stay focused on the task at hand.
“[We can’t] let this game come to us and this be our milestone or peak,” Jackson said.
Blue Valley Northwest next game is Tuesday night at Bishop Miege. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:45 p.m.
