North Thurston vs. Yelm – player notes
Yesterday North Thurston and Yelm faced off in a lopsided battle. This game was decided earlier on in the first half with the intensity the rams came out with. I can definitely say that there will be some good battles to come. With Spencer and Christian leading the charge and some other notables pitching in. North Thurston was able to blow the doors off with a convincing 80-46 win over the tornadoes.
North Thurston Rams Jeremy Spencer was all over the place on the offensive end. He did a great job of mixing up his dribble drives and distributing the ball to his shooters. He ended with 17 points. This was a quiet night for Jeremy compared to some of his other games where he posted over 25+ in 3 games in a row. His pressure defense took the wind out of the Yelm guards and where they couldn’t recover psychologically. He had a mixture of 3 point shots and some transition baskets. If there is any guard on the floor that deserves praise for playing hard on both ends. It would be this kid.
North Thurston Rams Clayton Christian managed to sky over any and everyone looking to snag a board over him. He kept his elbows high to establish his position after the rebound, didn’t let people get a hand in to try and swipe the ball away. His timing on the hop was impeccable. Clayton was one who had a nose to pursue the basketball at any costs. HIs shot looked good early on. Offensively along with Jeremy he was able to find his spots easy without any pressure and make things happen. He plays a combination of post and wing so he gets a chance to show how strong he is on the block and how good of a shooter he is beyond the arc.
Yelm Tornadoes Gabe Cruz simply put, he’s a battler! If this senior penetrated the paint, but missed the lay-in, he stayed in the trenches with the bigs to lunge for put-backs and tip-ins. Gabe Cruz understands that it is now HIS turn to lead the tornadoes by example. With play like this, it won’t be hard to get his squad behind him if the effort continues. I look forward to watching him grow as the season goes on. He has the intangibles to be a consistent scorer for this team.
North Thurston Rams Tim Tenkley is just cracking the floor of his ceiling. Tim Tenkley made a strong statement to the competition letting them know that he’ll be a hard cover, this season. Especially on the defensive end, where he shows heart and grit. This is what you want out of your guard play: someone who can rise above the masses, snag the rock, and push the break. Tenkley does that very well. This was a game where he showed versatility on both ends of the floor. On the offensive side he can shoot and he make a move off the catch. On the defensive side he can guards all positons because of how physical prowess.
Yelm Tornadoes Jordan Koenning gave his squad a ton of hustle off the free throw miss to snag rebounds on both sides of the court. This is a guy you want on the floor if you’re down and you have to put your “energy” lineup in. He’s going to the glass with 100% effort. Loved watching him work! His attitude is contagious and he is a guy you need in the locker room. Regardless of the score he got his team ready to play each quarter. He possess qualities you need in a captain. I would like to see his offensive game develop a little more and become more of a inside out type of player. He has some good size.