Kentwood saw its 15-point lead get whittled to five midway through the fourth quarter against Thomas Jefferson on Friday night.
Time for Brenton Roggenbach and Garret Greene to take control for the Conquerors.
With the Raiders in possession of the ball trailing by five, Roggenbach made a crucial steal, leading to an easy transition basket for Greene.
Greene went on to score five consecutive points as Kentwood regained control for a 78-68 South Puget Sound League win over the Raiders.
“We told our guys in the huddle, if we don’t turn the ball over, we’d be fine,” first-year Kentwood coach Blake Solomon said. “We took a couple unnecessary chances that led to those buckets. Once we slowed down and steadied the ship, we were OK. We just need to make sure we make smart plays.”
Without senior starter Kendall White, Solomon, a former Kentwood player and a 2005 graduate, said he thought his team played well.
The biggest beneficiary of the extra minutes was Greene, who manned the ball-handling duties and finished with a team-high 18 points. He made four 3-pointers and sparked key runs in the second and fourth quarters. Junior forward Terrence Grady added 17 points, scoring on several second-chance baskets for the Conquerors (3-1 overall, 2-1 SPSL).
Deonte Anderson, a 6-foot-7 junior transfer from Federal Way, finished with 18 points for Jefferson (2-1, 1-1) despite often being denied an easy entry pass into the post.
Daryon James, a senior guard for the Raiders, led all scorers with 23 points.
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