Blue true for Ike: Second wave saves the day for Cadets

YAKIMA — For the record, it’s called the blue team. Not the second team.

And Tuesday night in a hot and hostile Davis Gym, Eisenhower’s blue team came to the rescue.

With the Cadets’ five starters out of sorts and buried in an early 10-point deficit, the blue crew came off the bench to steady the nerves, restore intensity and send the Cadets on their way to a 59-44 victory that extended the best start in school history to 9-0.

Eisenhower's James Lopez drives to the hoop against Davis in the second half at the Pirate gym Tuesday, January 6, 2009. (Kris Holland/Yakima Herald-Republic)

Against a revved up bunch of Pirates determined to atone for a 36-point loss at Ike Gym last month, the Cadets committed eight turnovers in the opening period and fell behind 16-6.

Ike’s starters sat out the first three minutes of the second quarter and when they returned the margin was 16-12 and the home-court frenzy had eased back.

“I was real pleased with that blue team. We sure needed their intensity early on,” said Eisenhower coach Pat Fitterer, noting the efforts of Ryan Watson, Nathan Mount, Josh Fowler, Seth Kline and Jordan Bradford. “We weren’t as mentally sharp as we should’ve been to start and credit Davis. They did a great job pressuring us and getting the crowd behind them.”

Davis was still within rally range early in the final period, trailing 44-39 after back-to-back baskets by Les Henderson and Noel Lopez. But Ike broke away with a 9-0 run that included two putbacks by Robert Bonser.

Ike’s 6-foot-5 junior turned in his most well-rounded game of the season. With Taylor Elmo held to nine points overall and no field goals in the second half, Bonser contributed 15 points and 10 rebounds.

“The blue team brought our intensity back and gave us a chance to sit and get refocused,” said Bonser, who made five of his last seven shots. “They got some momentum for us and we finally got control of the game.

“I give Davis a lot of respect for that effort,” he added. “This was a way tougher game than the first one.”

The Cadets gained control by attacking the basket more aggressively and drawing fouls. By the end of the game the foul differential led to a dramatic scoring advantage in free throws — Ike 20, Davis 2.

“Davis kept fighting hard and our turnovers were killing us,” Fitterer said. “But we started getting the ball inside and that got us to the foul line.”

“Those free throws — that was big,” acknowledged Davis coach Eli Juarez. “But our kids didn’t let that get to them. They fought and scraped all the way. That’s a very good team we played and we played at their level for a lot of game. That’s something positive we can take away from this.”

Two of Davis’ three double-digit scorers were freshmen — Davonte Luckett (11 points, six rebounds) and David Trimble (10 points, seven rebounds). Henderson, who fouled out, scored six of his 10 points during the Pirates’ opening 16-6 run.

“We had a great atmosphere here tonight and it really energized our kids,” Juarez said. “It’s nice to see our freshmen use that energy. It’s also nice to know we’ve got them for a lot more years.”

Eisenhower junior James Lopez scored 13 points and led the march to the foul line, making seven in a row after missing a pair in the first quarter.

Both teams return to their respective CBBN divisions this weekend. In the Cascade, Eisenhower (1-0, 9-0) travels to Walla Walla on Friday and hosts West Valley on Saturday. In the Columbia, Davis (0-1, 3-6) visits Wenatchee on Friday and hosts Pasco on Saturday.

Click here for the box score.