Five Takeaways From Kaukauna-Kimberly
KAUKAUNA — First place in the Fox Valley Association was on the line Saturday between Kimberly and Kaukauna. Getting some major help from their support staff, the Papermakers overcame a nine-point deficit in the second half to sweep the season series…
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Continue ReadingKAUKAUNA — First place in the Fox Valley Association was on the line Saturday between Kimberly and Kaukauna. Getting some major help from their support staff, the Papermakers overcame a nine-point deficit in the second half to sweep the season series with a 78-67 victory…
Unsung heroes won the game for Kimberly
Kimberly has a three-headed monster of Jake Buchanan, Levi Borchert, and Reed Miller, but they don’t win that game without Charlie Jacobson, Logan Pearson, and Braeden Thies.
All three role players scored in double figures on Friday, countering what was an effective Kaukauna zone for about 32 minutes.
The Ghosts neutralized Buchanan, who scored most of his 14 points at the free throw line to ice the game, Miller, and eliminated post touches for Borchert — although the senior forward did his usual damage on the offensive glass en route to a team-high 17 points.
In fact, Kaukauna had Kimberly rattled, leaving Pearson, Thies, and even Miller wide open for 3-point attempts, which seemed to mess with their heads as shots just would not fall…until they did.
Pearson was huge down the stretch, nailing three key triples to help the Papermakers overcome a nine-point deficit. He also dished out an assist and took a huge charge in the waning moments.
That opened up the sharpshooter Jacobson, who delivered a couple of dagger 3-pointers as Kimberly had just about all of the momentum for the final four minutes of the ball game.
The Papermakers have serious moxy
There were a lot of reasons why Kimberly should not have won that game.
– Their leading scorer, Buchanan had just two field goals.
– Borchert fouled out with just under five minutes to play
– Kaukauna had a 10-1 edge in the foul count at one point
– The Ghosts led by as many as nine in the second half
– Miller was held to just seven points
Coming off a loss to Oshkosh West on Tuesday, Kimberly had just about every reason to let their grasp in the FVA get away from them, but managed to gut out a hard-fought victory in hostile territory.
When you can beat a potential 20-win team on a night when you don’t have your best stuff, that goes a long way in March…
Ferris and Newhouse had much bigger impacts in this time around
They weren’t huge factors in the first meetings between the two teams, but Kaukauna’s Jacob Newhouse and Keaton Ferris came to play in the rematch.
Ferris had nine points at the half to send the Ghosts into the locker room with a six-point lead. He would finish with 12, but looked fantastic as a facilitator, dishing out five assists on Friday. The speedy sharpshooter is receiving some Division 1 looks and should surely be a scholarship player somewhere at the next level.
As for Newhouse, he could be a budding big man in the 2020 class. The 6-foot-5 junior finished with a game-high 20 points and killed Kimberly with his ability to move without the ball and fill the vacant space in the paint, allowing dribble penetrators to easily find him around the rim. Newhouse had a big 3-pointer during a second half surge for the Ghosts and also a putback slam late in the game.
Minnesota-Duluth may have hit the jackpot with Ivory
He’s going to have his work cut out for him at the next level as he’s still a project, but Donovan Ivory continues to show big time flashes.
Scoring a game-high 20 points, Ivory was converting from all three levels and dishing the basketball at a high level. A plus-length, athletic point forward, Ivory’s ball handling sets him apart. Even at 6-foot-5, Ivory plays very low to the ground and can blow by smaller perimeter defenders.
Defensively, Ivory can rebound with the trees and is an excellent weak-side shot blocker. His length allows him to play the passing lanes and turn defense into offense. He’s also not afraid to dog ballhandlers for 94 feet.
His finishing still needs some work, but Ivory was able to cap off some fantastic off-balance drives against contact. His mid-range and 3-point jumper continues to improve, leaving defenders caught between a rock and hard place at just how to defend him.
With the Bulldog staff in attendance on Friday, I’m sure they were quite pleased with what they saw.
Kimberly now controls their own destiny in the Fox Valley Association
They’ve dropped two conference games to teams not currently inside the top four of the FVA Standings, but Kimberly has what’s most important right now, a head-to-head tiebreaker with Kaukauna and sole possession of first place.
With an 85-65 victory over the Ghosts in December, the Papermakers swept the season series with the defending Division 2 state champions. Kimberly now essentially holds a two-game lead over Kaukauna. Wins over Appleton West and Neenah in their next two conference games would all but seal the deal.