CHICKAMAUGA -- King’s Ridge advanced to the finals of the Gordon Lee Christmas Tournament with a 61-32 win over Silverdale Tuesday evening. .
Following a fiery outburst by the King’s Ridge head coach that earned him a warning from the referees, and a Seahawks lead, the Tigers displayed a hardnosed, disciplined style of basketball that any coach would be proud of.
“I will take the first quarter woes and put them on me. I got caught up with the physicality. I probably should have remained quiet, and I should have let our guys just fight through it,” said King’s Ridge head coach Bob Martin. “In terms of being tough, we pride ourselves on that, daily. We are not where we need to be, but we are getting closer every game.”
“So, the fact that they had the mental toughness to withstand some physicality and get through that first quarter was key. That was key for me to see moving forward. I am really proud of them for that,” added Martin.
In that second quarter, King’s Ridge would play a perfect quarter. The off-ball movement, defensive adjustments, and playmaking were impeccable. Any defensive look presented by Silverdale would be answered by a play-call by Martin and the Tigers.
Rebounding from a one-point deficit, Knight’s Ridge would spark an electrifying 23-6 run. Tiger point guard Isaac Martin ran the offensive smoothly as the pass-and-go kept the ball moving to each player. King’s Ridge center Micah Hoover was a menace in the paint as he kept Silverdale from getting to the basket and picked up eight points along with multiple rebounds in the second quarter.
The duo’s effort was exemplified late in the second quarter when Martin’s no-look bounce pass fooled Seahawks and landed in the hands of Hoover. With the no-look leading Silverdale out of the paint, Hoover performed a standing dunk to quickly punch-home the two points. The Tigers were rolling, 32-18, and it appeared that they had punched their ticket to the championship with more than a half left to play.
But when it rains, it pours, as was the case for Silverdale. As the Seahawks looked to get a defensive stop to go into the half, King’s Ridge ran another play to a tee as Tigers’ guard Caelan Wright came off a screen to an open look. With his shooting hand reaching the follow-through, and the ball back-spinning to the basket, the buzzer sounded. Wright’s shot hit nothing but net, and the Tigers jogged to the locker room with a smothering 36-18 lead.
The second half saw a competitive fight out of Silverdale, but the lead was too much to overcome. The shots were falling, and the ball was bouncing in the right direction for King’s Ridge. Rebound after rebound, shot after shot, had the Tigers’ lead growing. Only this time, Hoover would miss a two-handed slam. Maybe not as perfect as the second quarter performance, but still dominant. King’s Ridge slowed the pace a bit and would cruise through the semifinal, 62-31, and awaits their opponent for the final round.
“The same thing every game,” repeated head coach Martin about if he would make any changes for the championship game. “We want to run our offense the way we run our offense. We want to play our style of gritty defense. If we have to make any adjustments, then we will during the game to put us in a better spot.”
The confidence is on display, but Martin is now in his 25th season as a coach. It seems like he follows the philosophy: If it’s not broke, don’t fix it. King’s Ridge system is not broken, it is near perfection.
SUMMARY
KING’S RIDGE 12 24 15 10 – 61
SILVERDALE 15 3 6 8 – 32
KING’S RIDGE (61) – Micah Hoover 24, Isaac Martin 12, Thomas 9, Cole 9, Wright 5, Kittredge 2
SILVERDALE (32) – Holland 6, Judah Richardson 5, Elyjah Richardson 5, Bowman 5, McGraw 4, Haile 3, Walker 2, Gibson 2
3-point goals: King's Ridge 8 (Martin 3, Cole 3, Thomas, Wright); Silverdale 3 (Bowman, Judah Richardson, Elyjah Richardson).