Life Christian 59, North Clackamas Christian 46: Five Takeaways
To accomodate a number of previously scheduled vacations by their players, Life Christian hasn’t played a lot of games so far this season. But the New Year has started off strong as the Lions have won their first three games.…
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Continue ReadingTo accomodate a number of previously scheduled vacations by their players, Life Christian hasn’t played a lot of games so far this season. But the New Year has started off strong as the Lions have won their first three games. On Tuesday night, Life Christian survived a late push by North Clackamas Christian but scored the game’s last 12 points in securing a hard-fought 59-46 win with both teams ranked in the top ten of the 1A RPI.
“We haven’t played a ton of games so we’ve been trying to get our rhythm and our flow,” said Life Christian head coach JS Nash. “It’s been hard to go 5-on-5 at times and simulate what you see in games. But now that we’ve gotten a couple of games under our belt and have had some practices back from the holidays, we’re trying to get more consistent. They kept on creeping back and credit to them, but there are some more things that we can really improve on and that’s just going to come with more games.”
Life Christian had built a halftime lead but things started changing in the third quarter. NCCS started trapping with their zone defense and Life struggled to get the open shots they had in the first half. The Saints crept back into the game and cut the lead to 47-46 with three minutes left to go. But the Lions were able to get the ball into big man Kobe Jenson for some key buckets and point guard Blake Lambert salted away the victory with free throws in the end. Lambert finished with 27 points while Jenson scored 13 points and grabbed 14 rebounds. Braden Young led NCCS with 17 points.
Lambert a Leading Man
He may only stand 5-foot-4 but Blake Lambert was the biggest player on the basketball floor on Tuesday night. The junior managed the game at the point from the start for the Lions, finding holes in the NCCS zone to dribble penetrate and kick out to open shooters or pull up for jumpers. Lambert also came off of screens to hit five threes of his own, four in the first half. He handled the ball well and did so without many turnovers. Obviously it’s at the 1A level but it would not be sacriledge to favorably compare him to former South Salem standout and state player of the year Jeremiah Dominguez in the way he’s able to control a game as a small point guard. Lambert finished the game with five assists and four rebounds to go along with his 27 points.
Jenson a Developing Post
At 6-foot-5 and solidly built, Kobe Jenson is a load to handle down low – especially at the 1A level. The NCCS zone largely neutralized him most of the game as Life decided to fire away from the perimeter, but when they really needed buckets in the second half they got the ball to Jenson and he delivered. He has a soft shot and while he missed his only three-point attempt, according to Nash he can shoot it from long range well. Jenson has decent hands and pulled down 14 boards, with some of them tough grabs in traffic. He also came over to block three shots in Life’s zone. Jenson may need to trim his body a little bit but the fact he’s only a sophomore means he’s got time to grow and develop.
Lions Have Solid Supporting Cast
Life is likely to face a lot of zone defenses this season so it’s critical that they have shooters – and the Lions do. As a team they shot 9-for-24 against NCCS’s zone, which was a decent percentage. Lambert individually hit 5-for-8 from beyond the arc and others such as Nicholas Porpora (two), John Woods (one), and Connor Kangas (one) each hit threes as well. Kangas is the team’s only senior and you can tell that he takes a leadership role seriously. A wildcard that may contribute more as the season goes along is freshman Naher Tekeste, who at 6-foot-2 is long, rangy, and athletic. There were times when some of the players passed up open shots but as they get into synch during the year they’ll be more willing to let it fly.
NCCS has a Solid Cast
The Saints may not have won the game, but especially during their comeback in the second half, it was easy to see why they are potentially one of the state’s top 1A teams. There are multiple guys who can create their own shots, namely captains Braden Young (junior) and Jake Van Lieu (senior), and they have some younger players such as Caleb Matias (sophomore) and Luke Nelson (freshman) who can stroke it from distance. Nelson himself drained three threes in the second half in helping lead the comeback by NCCS. Overall the Saints were very active on the glass – especially on the offensive end – and ended up out-rebounding the bigger Lions.
Lots of Fun at the 1A Level
We’ve gotten used to attending games at the big schools but the atmosphere at Life Christian was something special on Tuesday night – almost small school basketball in its purest form. The attendance was solid and the fans/parents were loud and passionate about supporting their players. The competition was fierce but cordial and there were some players like Blake Lambert and Kobe Jenson that could potentially play at the college level. And little things such as a group of little girls serving as the Life cheerleaders was definitely the highlight of the night. We strongly encourage you to go and attend a 1A game year you, they will appreciate having you there!
The adorable Life Christian cheerleaders!