Olympia vs Kitsap – player notes
On 12/1 The Olympia Bears physically took the game away from South Kitsap in their first meeting of the year winning 49-37. The Bears which are traditionally a lot more physical than most teams came out with a chip on their shoulder. I didn’t see the same intensity matched by South Kitsap. Though this was the season opener for both squads, I do anticipate the next meeting to be a little more competitive.
Olympia Bears Standouts:
Bears Freshman forward Jackson Grant is a 6’8 beast on the floor. He is a little underdeveloped but the intangibles is there. He can rebound and block shots fairly well. His skill set will increase as time goes on and he fills into his body. I think that he will be a big asset as the years go on. In this particular game he played well with limited minutes. During the game he had some key possessions where he made good solid moves around the basket and scored on a couple. I look forward to his growth and development throughout the season.
Bears Senior guard T. Effland was a instrumental in the game staying close in the first half. His ability to push the ball and change direction in the middle of traffic drove the offense for the Bears. He did a great job defensively when pressuring the ball and playing the passing lanes. coming up with some key steals and key defensive possessions which helped them take a big lead in the 3rd quarter.
South Kitsap Wolves:
Wolves Senior Post T. Schmidt was a man among boys in the post. He plays with a chip on his shoulder and plays hard. I saw some creative ways to get his shot off against a physical team. Standing 6’7 he also poses match up problems for the bears. In the 1st half he was able to get deep post position and score in the paint. In the 2nd half he didn’t get as many touches but affected the game defensively.
Wolves Junior Guard D. Grant played with a very uptempo style. He was able to get into the paint and create shots for his teammates. I was impressed with his intensity on defense. He was able to somewhat on occasion cause a turnover just off of sheer pressure. Grant looks to be a key contributor on a stacked 3pt shooting team. With his ability to penetrate and intensity on D. He should be in the mix during close games.