Eagles showing runs of resiliency against tough foes

By SETH LAMAR
Gold Standard Sports Editor
seth.c.lamar.ctr@mail.mil
As the long and winding 2011-2012 season nears its end for Fort Knox, the Eagles continue to find themselves being tested night in, night out.
Knox head coach Kip Rambo’s team recently played three games in four nights with next week’s 17th District Tournament looming.
“We have been much more competitive the past three games,” he said. “Collegiate is a good ball club. They made it to the semi-finals of the All A State Tournament. We played right with them most of the game. We had a chance to beat North Bullitt – a team that has a quality win against a state top ten team. We didn’t play particularly well against Hart County. At any rate, all three of those teams are in the double digit win figures. It’s great to see us begin to give ourselves more chances to win.”
Rambo hasn’t been gun-shy about going deep into his bench by playing eight to 10 players on a given night to bolster his young team’s chances at pulling off a victory.
“Every kid who tries out for a basketball team wants to improve their game,” he said. “We have a bunch of young kids who have worked hard to make improvement a reality. I am glad we will have players with game experience available in the post-season.”
The Eagles didn’t pick up a victory in matchups against Hart County, North Bullitt or Louisville Collegiate, but the team was able to put together runs of resiliency in a murderer’s row of games over the course of the weekend into Monday night.
The action kicked off on Friday night against the visiting Hart County Raiders as Game 1 of a doubleheader with the Lady Eagles. The game started off with a barrage of three-pointers from both teams, but it would be the Raiders with back-to-back threes from guards Jacob Walker and Chris Bradley to take an early 6-0 lead. Knox’s Chris Jackson answered with three of his own from the corner to get the Eagles on the board with little more than a minute gone by. Moments later, Jackson drove into the teeth of the Hart County defense for another basket and drawing a foul in the process. The Knox guard couldn’t convert the play into an old-fashioned three-pointer, but brought the Eagles within a point before Bradley hit another three to extend the Raiders’ lead to 9-5.
Knox eventually found its footing with a 6-0 run to put the Raider lead in jeopardy at 15-13, but Knox forward Rashaan Allen muscled in his second basket of the night to tie the game at 15 with less than a minute remaining. With 14 seconds remaining, it appeared the Eagles had fought the Raiders to a draw after nearly eight minutes of play, but a late bucket by Bradley put Knox at a 17-15 deficit heading into the second quarter.
The Raiders held the Eagles scoreless for the first four minutes of the next period until Knox’s Allen made one of two at the free throw line. The Eagles’ first basket wouldn’t occur until the 2:25 mark before halftime with a turnaround jumper in the paint by Rashaud Orange. Jackson added another basket off a steal before halftime to cut the Raiders’ advantage to 28-20.
Jackson led Knox with nine points in the first half, but the Eagles only scored five points in the second quarter.
The Raiders added on to their lead to start the second half, eventually building a 39-22 advantage before a three-point play by Knox’s Powell driving to the basket while drawing a foul near the 3:45 mark.
The bulk of the Eagles’ second-half offense came from Orange, who had a relatively quiet first half with only two points and two rebounds. The Knox sophomore responded by adding 14 points and seven rebounds in the final 16 minutes of play.
The frontcourt play of Allen and Orange combined for 30 of the Eagles’ eventual 55 points and enabled Knox to whittle Hart County’s lead down to 12 in the 67-55 loss.
The Knox boys returned to action the following night against the Eagles of North Bullitt. The visiting Eagles defeated Knox 71-61 in a much closer game than the score indicates.
Allen posted 21 points while Orange added 18, which enabled the Eagles to stay within three to five points until the final minute of play.
The opening quarter of Knox’s matchup with Louisville Collegiate was defined by turnovers for both teams, but only one team could capitalize off the other’s mistakes in the Eagles’ 87-67 loss.
Both the Titans and the Eagles were tested by themselves early on as both teams struggled to get a handle on the ball. A back-and-forth of five consecutive turnovers between both teams occurred before the game’s first basket by Louisville Collegiate’s David Keyer with more than two minutes gone by in the first quarter.
Knox’s Powell tied the game with Knox’s first basket seconds later, but a 10-0 run by the Titans in a two-minute span would be the difference by the end of a first half ending in a 32-22 deficit for the Eagles.
Knox did manage to outscore Louisville Collegiate 16-13 in the second quarter, but the Eagles’ frontcourt play struggled as Allen and Orange combined for only three of the team’s 22-first half points.
Allen and Orange would rebound from their slow start in the first half with a strong showing in the second half, but it would be Powell leading the way for the Eagles with seven points in the third quarter. Amid Powell’s scoring flurry, Louisville Collegiate’s Will McAnulty paced the Titans with eight of his team’s 29 third-quarter points.
As the Eagles faded, Powell’s performance would only get stronger as the game progressed. The Knox sophomore finished with only four points in the first half, but would finish with 12 of his team-high 23 points in the fourth quarter. Knox’s Orange also finished strong with 10 of his 13 total points in the final period, including a rim-rattling dunk that elicited a response from the Louisville Collegiate contingent in the gym.
The Knox head coach said the leadership and production from the trio of Allen, Orange and Powell has been valuable for the Eagles this season.
“Most fans and the media don’t see a lot of what goes on in a basketball program on a daily basis – game night is the focus,” he said. “But, all three of those guys worked through the year leading up to this season and it wasn’t just about the physical skills associated with the game. We spent two full days this summer and lots of sessions during practice working with the Army Center for Enhanced Performance.
“They have been with us every week through the regular season. I believe the things you are seeing are a direct result of those efforts and the guys’ efforts to implement the mental skills they are learning. They are becoming resilient, dependable performers.”
While younger players such as the aforementioned trio have led in the stat column, seniors Jesse Stewart and Andrew Ramos lead in a way that goes beyond points scored.
“Jessie and Andrew have been great this season. They have been a driving force in practice – constantly pushing the youth to get better. They have been totally team oriented and have shown great maturity in their assessment of this team. Andrew would be one of the first to tell you that it isn’t just about this season. I think it is incredible that two seniors can recognize the potential in the underclassmen and be willing to set a standard that very well may lead to them leaving the program in a much improved state. That is a great legacy for those two guys and is a testament to their maturity.
The Eagles will travel to Portland Christian tonight as part of a doubleheader with the Lady Eagles. Tip-off is set for 7:30 p.m. Friday’s doubleheader against Whitefield Academy will serve as Senior Night for Jesse Stewart and Andrew Ramos. Game time is slated for 6 p.m., but Senior Night festivities will begin at 5:45 p.m.

Staff photo by Seth Lamar

KNOX SENIOR POINT GUARD DROVE TO THE BASKET AGAINST HART COUNTY Friday night. The Eagles fell 67-55 to the Raiders.