Takeaways from Shawnee Heights blowout of KC-Turner

<p>Shawnee Heights coach Ken Darting knew that KC-Turner would be no match for his squad. He wanted them to focus on improvement rather than the scoreboard. As he predicted, his T-Birds rolled over the visiting team Friday. So little can be taken from the score or from individual point totals. Nonetheless, here are some takeaways, a sort of evaluation of the T-Bird team:</p> <p><strong>Elijas Watson</strong> and <strong>Isiah Johnson</strong> are a quick guard tandem:</p> <p>Both can run the point, slice through a defense, and tear up an opponent with quick hands and feet. The two are more or less interchangeable and consistently score about 8 points a game (although Johnson has games of 13 and 14 in the books this season).</p> <p>Heights makes up for height with thickness:</p> <p><strong>Harvey Davis</strong> is a thickly-muscled post presence at just 6-foot-1. He is tough and won’t get pushed around. Even more stout is 6-foot senior <strong>Marquis Barksdale</strong>, who is a master maneuverer around the bucket. <strong>Nasire Anderson</strong> is listed at 6-foot-4, but has a similar body type.</p> <p>Some talented height comes off the bench:</p> <p>6-foot-4 <strong>Carter Olson</strong> and 6-foot-3 <strong>Zander Putthoff</strong> are sophomores who have contributed a lot to the 4-3 T-Birds already this season. Olson ranks as one of the leading rebounders in the city, while Putthoff has ability to shoot from deep and handle the ball.</p> <p>Anderson has been a significant addition:</p> <p>Anderson wasn’t a contributor last year, and he didn’t play until January this year. But since joining the team on January 7, he’s tallied 14 against Bonner Springs, 6 against Basehor-Linwood, and 20 against KC-Turner.</p> <p>KC-Turner is struggling:</p> <p>The girls and boys varsity combined to score just 28 points at Shawnee Heights. The girls lost 60-7. The boys fared little better, losing 67-21. Hopefully things will get better for the Golden Bears.</p>