Boys Hoops Insider: Cougars build momentum during break

Kenton Ridge wins two straight games after extra practice time.

Kenton Ridge High School's Aaron Davis is guarded by Northeastern's Sterling Shoemaker on Dec. 28. Staff Photo by Barbara J. Perenic

Barbara Perenic Kenton Ridge High School's Aaron Davis is guarded by Northeastern's Sterling Shoemaker on Dec. 28. Staff Photo by Barbara J. Perenic

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By Michael Cooper, Staff Writer 11:07 PM Tuesday, January 3, 2012

SPRINGFIELD — The Kenton Ridge High School boys basketball team took advantage of its extra practice time over the holiday break.

The Cougars (4-4, 0-3 Central Buckeye Conference Kenton Trail Division) won back-to-back games against county rivals Northeastern and Greenon last week for their first winning streak of the season. They beat Indian Lake 76-23 on Tuesday.

“We’re just playing a little more consistent,” said Kenton Ridge coach Kris Spriggs. “We’ve got a lot of new faces at the varsity level, and it’s just taking a little bit more time to mesh. I think we’ve done that over the Christmas break and played a little bit better.”

Guards Christian Thompson, Aaron Davis and Adam Roberson returned from last year’s squad. The team had to count on a new group of post players: Nick Lias, Warren Napper, Davante Harper and Nick Lacey. Lias missed all of last season after suffering an injury during football season.

After five games mostly coming on Tuesday and Friday nights, the Cougars had extra practice time in the last two weeks.

“We’ve been able to fine tune some things,” Spriggs said.

They’ve trailed by single digits in the second half of every loss, but haven’t been able to pull out the victories late in the game.

“We’ve been competitive,” Spriggs said. “It’s a just a matter of finishing it off late in games. It’s a matter of valuing possessions and making sure we’re getting the best out of each one.”

They finally pulled one out last week against Greenon, where they trailed by 11 in the second half, but came back for a 53-50 victory.

“The kids could’ve just packed it in, and they didn’t,” Spriggs said. “They kept fighting and cut the lead, made some plays down the stretch.”

The key, Spriggs said, was shot selection. The Cougars struggled with shooting earlier in the season, but shot 47.9 percent in the victory over Greenon.

“We weren’t taking bad shots, just a little bit quicker out of the offense,” Spriggs said. “Instead of taking the first good shot, we were taking the first shot. We’ve had a little bit more time.”

The Cougars return to Central Buckeye Conference Kenton Trail Division action on Friday against Tippecanoe.

“We’ve got to stay consistent,” Spriggs said.

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