Rockets validate No. 1 seed, throttle Tarkio

By Phil Cobb | January 12, 2015 |

JASON LAWRENCE/DAILY FORUM
West Nodaway senior guard Trevor Meyer twists away from the Tarkio defense before putting up two of his team-high 24 points in Monday night’s 67-35 win over the Indians in the first round of the 83rd annual Fairfax Tournament.

West Nodaway came into the 83rd annual Fairfax Tournament with a little uncertainty after reshuffling its roster over winter break, but made good on its top-seed billing Monday night with a 67-35 win over Tarkio in the first round.

“As the No. 1 seed, you’ve got to prove to everyone you deserve it,” West Nodaway senior guard Trevor Meyer said. “We won by (32) points tonight, so I feel like it shows people that we’re not just joking around; we’re actually playing pretty good.”

The Rockets kicked off the first quarter by jumping out to a 7-2 lead behind five quick points from junior post Blake Farnan — methodically attacking the Indians’ 3-2 zone along the baseline.

“There were some things we were specifically wanting to do offensively,” West Nodaway head coach Roger Johnson said. “We kinda knew what they were going to do on the defensive end. With that odd-front zone we had a plan and wanted to attack a certain way. They did a pretty good job moving the ball and trying to find that spot. Then we switched into our press to kind of get us going like we like to play.”

West Nodaway, which led 19-10 after the first quarter, started the second quarter in similar fashion with a 5-0 run before Tarkio got a basket in the quarter.

Meyer went to work in the second quarter, knocking down his second three-pointer of the game and scoring eight points in the quarter. As of late, Meyer had been doing a lot of his damage in the post with the new lineups in place, but did his work on the perimeter in the first half Monday.

“First half we started off scoring a lot inside, so I knew I didn’t have to post up,” Meyer said. “The posts were getting it done and we had a lot of guys driving to the bucket and scoring, so I could stay around the perimeter and knock down some shots.

“Second half, Coach wanted to work on our offense with some different guys, so he put me in the post so they could get used to playing. … I think everyone is starting to figure out their roles again with the different people. We’re starting to click a little bit better.”

The Rockets opened the second half with another scoring blitz, putting up five another five points before Tarkio junior forward Connor Shaw ended the run, much like he had the previous two. Shaw was the only Indian to find any success against the Rockets’ aggressive defense, scoring 24 of his team’s 35 points.

“He’s tall and can shoot over some of our kids,” Johnson said. “He moves pretty well with the ball, handles it pretty well, so he was able to get inside the lane. Even though we had a hand up, he hit some tough shots.”

Meyer matched him with 24 points on the night, going back to the post in the second half after the Indians started running shooters off the three-point line.

Tarkio won the fourth quarter, 12-11, but it was far too little after the Rockets had pushed out to a 56-23 advantage through three quarters.

Farnan finished with 12 points and senior guard Ryan Evans added 11 for the Rockets, who won for the eighth straight time.

West Nodaway (10-2) is back in action at 6 p.m. Wednesday against the winner of the No. 4 seed North Nodaway versus No. 5 seed Rock Port matchup, which is scheduled for 6 p.m. Tuesday. The Rockets have beaten North Nodaway twice already this season and downed the Blue Jays 54-41 in their meeting earlier this season.

“Either way the next opponent is a very capable team, and we’re going to have to play well to get on past that game,” Johnson said.

JASON LAWRENCE/DAILY FORUM
West Nodaway senior guard Ryan Evans leans into a shot during the Rockets’ 67-35 win over Tarkio Monday night in the opening round of the 83rd annual Fairfax Tournament. Evans scored 11 points to help the Rockets to their eighth straight victory.

JASON LAWRENCE/DAILY FORUM
West Nodaway senior guard Chase Barnett lays in two points in the first quarter of the Rockets’ 67-35 win over Tarkio in the first round of the 83rd annual Fairfax Tournament Monday night.

JASON LAWRENCE/DAILY FORUM
West Nodaway senior guard Ryan Evans glides across the lane as he puts up a shot. Evans scored 11 points, helping the Rockets to a 67-35 win over Tarkio in the first round of the Fairfax Tournament Monday night.

JASON LAWRENCE/DAILY FORUM
West Nodaway freshman guard David Hull gets in behind the Tarkio defense for a layup attempt in the first half of the Rockets’ 67-35 win over the Indians Monday night in the Fairfax Tournament.

JASON LAWRENCE/DAILY FORUM
West Nodaway senior guard Trevor Meyer goes in for an uncontested layup in the second half of the Rockets’ 67-35 win over Tarkio in Monday night’s first round of the 83rd annual Fairfax Tournament. Meyer scored a team-high 24 points in the contest.

JASON LAWRENCE/DAILY FORUM
West Nodaway senior guard Trevor Meyer pulls up for a jumper in the first half of the Rockets’ 67-35 win Monday night over Tarkio in the first round of the Fairfax Tournament.