Top guards clash: Lindblom powers Olympia basketball past Jones and Puyallup
Drew Jones willed Puyallup back into the game against the host Olympia Bears on Tuesday, catching fire in the third quarter to give the Vikings a lead with one quarter to play.
But in a matchup of two of the 4A SPSL’s top programs, featuring two of the area’s best guards this winter, Olympia guard Matt Lindblom delivered the decisive blows down the stretch.
Lindblom, a senior and the heartbeat of this Olympia team, hit key shots in fourth quarter en route to a team-high 18 points, denying Puyallup’s comeback bid in a 62-53 win.
“When they came out and gave us the first punch, it was just about how we responded,” Lindblom said. “I thought we did a great job of that tonight.”
Olympia led 27-18 at half, but Olympia coach John Kiley knew Puyallup had too much talent to not make a run sooner or later.
“I love their pieces,” Kiley said. “We’ve known these guys growing up. … Kids that I’d love to coach, and I don’t say that often. And then they made a run and Jones is special.”
Jones, who has taken his game to a new level this year at Puyallup, scored a game-high 28 points. Twenty of those points came in the second half, and he dazzled especially in the third quarter, knocking down shots from 3-point range and beating Olympia defenders to the rim.
But Lindblom also saved his best for last, scoring 12 of his 18 points in the second half, including a few clutch shots in the fourth quarter to put the game out of reach. And despite persistent foul trouble at multiple points in the game, Kiley mostly kept him on the floor, trusting he wouldn’t foul out.
“I’ve been playing for him and have known him for a long time,” Lindblom said. “Just putting me in the right situations. Just trust all around.”
The image of the miniature devil and angel arguing on one’s shoulders comes to mind.
“It’s a horrible coaching dilemma,” Kiley said, laughing. “I put him in at the end of the third with his fourth (foul), and he made a bucket there which I thought was really important. It’s just hard, but I do trust him.”
Kiley was happy to see his group bounce back at home after a loss to Sumner last Saturday. He challenged them in practice to be more physical, coming off the loss.
“That’s where I thought we were better tonight,” he said.
Olympia moves to 12-3 with the win. Puyallup moves to 12-3 but has ripped through the 4A SPSL otherwise unscathed, already collecting wins over Curtis, Rogers, Sumner, South Kitsap, Emerald Ridge and others this season.
