White River basketball sinks Foss, 66-55: Three takeaways
The White River High School boys basketball team defeated Foss on Friday night in Tacoma, 66-55. Here are three takeaways from the Hornets’ win.
Free-throws the difference
In total, 28 of White River’s 66 points came from the free-throw line in Friday night’s win, particularly in clutch situations in the second half. The most significant free throws came with about five minutes to go in the fourth quarter, when senior Mason Donovan was fouled and sent to the line for a 1-and-1. That’s the same time that Foss coach Josh Barsh picked up a technical foul, giving Donovan four free-throw attempts, assuming he made the 1-and-1. He did, and converted all four free throws.
The technical foul also gave White River (17-3 overall, 12-0 SPSL 2A East) the ball back, and on the subsequent possession, Caleb McCorry was fouled in the act of shooting and converted both of his free-throw attempts.
In total, it essentially worked out to be a six-point possession, giving White River a 48-41 lead, which the Hornets were able to hold onto and close the game.
“It’s just our composure,” Donovan said. “We know we don’t have to flip out if things don’t go our way. It was a close game and we had to keep our heads in it.”
White River hasn’t been a great free-throw shooting team this year, according to coach Zach Johnson, but the Hornets certainly were on Friday night.
“We work on free throws a lot, but usually we don’t shoot free-throws like that,” Johnson said. “Mason was really clutch. We were just really confident and composed. They really believe in themselves. In a hostile environment, to step up and make free throws is huge.”
Alex Glenn continues to be a strong scorer for the Falcons
He was the lone senior on Foss’ senior night, and the guard delivered another strong performance, scoring a game-high 25 points and leading the Falcons. If Foss (6-12 overall, 6-5 SPSL 2A West) is going to make a run in the postseason, Glenn will need to be the focal point of the offense.
McCorry scored nine for the Falcons, Jazuan King scored seven, De’Shonne Royster and Yusuf Kibira scored six apiece and Keshawn Lewis scored two for Foss.
Tanner Wallen’s return will make a strong team even stronger
White River did just fine without their leading scorer on Friday night, but the Hornets will be happy to have Wallen (26 points per game) back soon with the playoffs just around the corner. Wallen is recovering from an ankle injury and expects to make a return to the Hornets’ lineup within the next week or so.
“I think he’s the best shooter in the state,” Johnson said. “I’m surprised when he misses a three. He probably shoots ten per game and is still over 50 percent. He just stretches the floor and gives us that much room to attack with all these other guys. When he gets hot, he gets hot. It’s a 9-0 run before you know it.”
This story was originally published January 31, 2020 at 10:21 PM.
