Foss High School held a pregame pep rally Friday.
That might seem a bit odd in early January, and the Falcons just reaching the end of the first half of the Narrows League 3A boys basketball season. Those type of activities are traditionally reserved for big playoff games.
But in their minds, a showdown against Wilson is just as important.
After two seasons of frustrating losses and watching the Rams take control of the league, eighth-ranked Foss answered with a thundering 72-54 win at home to snap a four-game skid in the series.
Senior Dezmyn Trent led all scorers with 25 points. Tamariye Nelson, who just moved to the area from Georgia three months ago, added a career-high 22 off the bench for the Falcons.
When asked about holding a pep rally to get ready for the fireworks, a smile came across the face of Foss coach Mike Cocke’.
“We had lost some tough heartbreakers to them,” Cocke’ said. “There were guys in there excited to play them tonight.”
Granted, this is a completely different Wilson squad than the past few years. It is young. Better days are ahead – likely in upcoming weeks, and certainly in the next few years.
“They have the best young kids in the league,” Cocke’ said. “Everyone feels that way.”
Which is why the Falcons needed to take care of business. They scored the final six points of the first half to grab a 37-27 lead, with Trent scoring 15 points in the first 16 minutes.
But back-to-back 3-pointers by Wilson’s Ivy Smith Jr. and Keun Thompson closed that gap in a hurry, cutting the Rams’ deficit to 37-33 just 95 seconds into the third quarter.
Trent answered with a jumper from the free-throw line, but the play that seemed to get Foss rolling again came two possessions later when the 6-foot-4 forward drew the defense out, and made a nifty feed to Nelson inside for an easy basket.
And Trent kept going back to Nelson, who scored 16 of his 22 points in the second half.
“That is my dude,” Trent said. “He hasn’t really been in organized basketball … but he was going good, so I got him the ball.”
Nelson scored on three consecutive trips in the fourth quarter to give Foss a 63-47 lead with 5:55 to go, and a much-appreciated triumph over the crosstown rival Rams.
“I am not losing to them anymore,” Trent said.
Todd Milles: 253-597-8442
todd.milles@thenewstribune.com
blogs.thenewstribune.com/preps
@ManyHatsMilles
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