With eye black striped along the sides of many of their faces, it was clear, these elderly folks came to see a show Friday night at Kentwood High.<\/p>\n
And to no surprise, the player of the night delivered one.<\/p>\n
Kentwood\u2019s Lindsey Moore, in front of roughly 25 senior citizens from Renton\u2019s Chateau at Valley Center retirement community, scored 17 points in leading the Conquerors past Kentlake 74-43 in a South Puget Sound League North Division game.<\/p>\n
It was a night Moore and the senior citizens had been anticipating. The Kentwood star, arguably the best player in the state, spends her weekends serving food at the retirement center. Friday night, however, she was busy serving up assists, pulling down rebounds and scoring points en route to the win.<\/p>\n
And, of course, in the midst of it all, Moore even had time for her elderly friends, who filled two rows of bleachers behind the Kentwood bench.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf anything, I was too excited, too amped up to play,\u201d said Moore, who will play on scholarship next year at the University of Nebraska. \u201cI wanted them to see how good we are, see how much of a team we are. I was really anxious, wanting to get the game started.\u201d<\/p>\n
The senior citizens were just as excited to see their 17-year-old friend play. While many sported eye black, several others had Moore\u2019s No. 5 painted in green on their foreheads.<\/p>\n
\u201cI hope it comes off because I have a funeral to go to tomorrow,\u201d said 78-year-old Chateau resident Verlee Van Hee pointing to the green No. 5 on her head. \u201cWe just love (Lindsey). We\u2019ve been looking forward to this for a long time.\u201d<\/p>\n
Nearly all of the senior citizens walked through the doors wearing green beaded necklaces as well.<\/p>\n
Moore didn\u2019t disappoint, either.<\/p>\n
Initially nervous, Moore didn\u2019t convert her first bucket until 2:50 remained in the first quarter. It gave the second-ranked Conquerors a 13-3 lead, one they would not relinquish. The Kentwood senior settled into a groove in the second quarter, scoring nine of her 17 points.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe\u2019s a very smooth player,\u201d said 80-year-old Chateau resident Les Cooper. \u201cShe missed a few shots early that I was kind of surprised about, but I think she may have felt a little pressure from us over here.\u201d<\/p>\n
Kentwood (6-0 in league, 9-0 overall) took a 40-20 lead into halftime, then put the Falcons (3-3, 5-4) away with an 18-3 run to start the third quarter.<\/p>\n
And, as always, Moore had plenty of help. Senior guard Jessie Genger and sophomore sensation Kylie Huerta each had 18 points to lead the Conquerors.<\/p>\n
But the night belonged to Moore and her friends.<\/p>\n
After the win, Moore immediately went into the bleachers to thank VanHee, Cooper and the rest of the gang for coming. She took photos, shook hands and passed out more than a few hugs.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s great. I see them at their community and it\u2019s different when you bring them outside into my environment and they see what it\u2019s like for me,\u201d said a smiling Moore. \u201cA lot of them have ties to Kentwood some how. They\u2019re related to some of the students here.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s just cool to see how small the world really is.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
KL STILL IN THE HUNT<\/p>\n
Kentlake coach Scott Simmons, who is no stranger to giving back to the community, was impressed with not only Moore\u2019s play, but also the special relationship the Kentwood standout has with the senior citizens.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was really impressive to see the community come and support her,\u201d he said. \u201cIt shows how important she is to the community. She cares for the community and is willing to work with the community and is willing to give back \u2014 and it showed tonight with how she was received tonight.\u201d<\/p>\n
One thing that didn\u2019t show up in the box score was the play of Kentlake, which didn\u2019t give in to Kentwood, which also is ranked second nationally.<\/p>\n
Morganne Comstock led the Falcons with 14 points, including three 3-pointers. Brona Nienow added 11 points for Kentlake, which remains in a battle for one of the five playoff berths from the North.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf we continue to grow, compete like we did tonight, show the heart that we did tonight, we\u2019re only going to get better,\u201d Simmons said. \u201cWith the talent that we do have … it\u2019s going to be a tough draw in the district tournament, but I don\u2019t think state is unattainable.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
K-M picks up win<\/p>\n
She\u2019s been delivering the goods all season long.<\/p>\n
Friday night, it finally paid off for Kent-Meridian guard Briana Shannon.<\/p>\n
Shannon, a junior, scored a game-high 21 points while teammate Candice Holder did the dirty work underneath the hoop by collecting 15 rebounds as the Royals upended Kentridge 45-42 in a South Puget Sound League North Division girls basketball game.<\/p>\n
It was the Royals (1-5 in league, 3-5 overall) first league win of the season.<\/p>\n
And Shannon deserves plenty of credit for the accomplishment. It was the ninth straight game to start the season that Shannon has reached double-figures scoring.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe is special,\u201d said Kent-Meridian coach Tim Riles. \u201cShe has outstanding quickness, which makes her a tough cover and has her getting 3 to 4 steals a game. Most teams try to double team her to get the ball out of her hands.<\/p>\n
And?<\/p>\n
\u201cShe can flat-out score,\u201d Riles added.<\/p>\n
The Royals trailed 22-16 at halftime before going on a 15-7 surge in the third quarter to take a 31-29 lead.<\/p>\n
Melanie Vertrees, who poured in six points, was Kent-Meridian\u2019s next highest scorer.<\/p>\n
Kelli Suguro led Kentridge with 11 points followed by the 10 points of Megan Merrill.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
ELSEWHERE:<\/p>\n
\u2022 Auburn Riverside 83, Auburn 40: The fifth-ranked Ravens (6-1, 8-3) double up on the Trojans (1-6, 3-7) in a game in which five AR players reached double figures.<\/p>\n
Nichole Jackson led the onslaught with a game-high 19 points. Jackson was assisted by Amanda Thomson (13 points), Brooklynn Hinkens (12), Mercedes Wetmore (12) and Makenna Clark (10).<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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