Rockets pull away in 2nd half to advance
JASON LAWRENCE/DAILY FORUM
West Nodaway senior guard Ryan Evans, who scored 11 points Tuesday night, gets into the heart of the North Harrison defense for two points in the Rockets’ 54-37 win over the Shamrocks in the first round of the Class 1, District 15 Tournament.
North Harrison did everything it could to hang around with third-seeded West Nodaway (19-7) in their Class 1, District 15 first round matchup Tuesday night in Ravenwood.
The Shamrocks kept it in single-digits as long as possible, but in the second half the Rockets’ size and athleticism overwhelmed them as West Nodaway pushed its lead out to as many as 20 points, 54-34, with 1:36 to play.
A 6-0 run in the middle of the first quarter was the early difference as the Rockets got out to a quick 17-10 advantage despite senior guard Trevor Meyer being bottled up by the Shamrocks’ box-and-one approach to defending him.
Senior guard Ryan Evans and junior forward Blake Farnan took advantage off facing a little less defensive pressure and combined for 11 of the Rockets’ points in the first quarter.
“We’ve seen that (box-and-one), so we’ve practiced it lately to kind of get the kids prepped for these types of situations,” West Nodaway head coach Roger Johnson said. “They did a good job with it, getting it to those guys (Evans and Farnan) and attacking. Then they switched to their zone for the rest of the game. We were able to get the ball moving and for most of the night, Blake got some good looks and our guards were able to open things up for us.”
With North Harrison falling back into a 2-3 zone in the second quarter Meyer went to work, scoring six points while Farnan chipped in another six to give the Rockets a 33-25 at halftime Meyer got a teardrop to fall with under five seconds to play in the half.
The Rockets came out of the locker room and quickly pushed its advantage into double figures as Farnan continued to go to work on the interior, single-handedly outscoring the Shamrocks 6-5 in the third period.
“One thing I thought was key was (senior forward) Brenton (Beason). He did a nice job on the defensive glass for us and had a few points for us as well,” Johnson said. “Between him and Blake, I really thought they did a good job helping us on the interior on defensive end and the offensive end.”
West Nodaway’s defense also locked in to help it to a 43-30 advantage after three quarters of play.
“We talked about winning the quarters,” Johnson said. “We talked about that again at half to come out and try and win the third quarter, and that’s where our kids were able to separate a little.”
The Rockets kept their foot on the gas until the final minute, allowing the Shamrocks (8-16) to bring the margin back under 20 points.
Farnan finished with a game-high 20 points while Meyer added 15 and Evans finished with 11.
West Nodaway will take on second-seeded Jefferson (18-8) in the semifinals at 7:30 p.m. Thursday in Ravenwood.
“You know what you’re going to get when you play Jefferson,” Johnson said. “They’re going to play you really well defensively, play some solid man-to-man defense and be out in the face of most of your shooters. Then they move the ball well and they’re disciplined on offense, so they’re always a good opponent to play. We’ll have to have our A-game to play them and do well.”
JASON LAWRENCE/DAILY FORUM
West Nodaway junior forward Blake Farnan turns and fires a hook shot over a North Harrison defender in the first half of the Rockets’ 54-37 win Tuesday night in the first round of the Class 1, District 15 Tournament. Farnan scored 13 of his game-high 20 points in the first half.
JASON LAWRENCE/DAILY FORUM
West Nodaway senior guard Trevor Meyer rethinks his decision to shoot and fires a pass into the lane to a teammate in the Rockets’ 54-37 win over North Harrison Tuesday night in Ravenwood during the first round of the Class 1, District 15 Tournament.
