Brady Metz has found his shot.
The King’s Way Christian boys basketball team has found its joy.
And the Knights find themselves in the thick of the 1A Trico League title chase.
Metz hit six 3-pointers and scored 20 points as King’s Way Christian beat Seton Catholic 75-66 on Friday.
With two games remaining, the Knights (12-6, 7-1) are tied with La Center atop the Trico League while Seton (13-5, 5-3) is in third place.
After starting the season 2-5, King’s Way has won 10 of its last 11 games. Friday’s home win avenged the Knights’ only league loss, a 73-65 defeat at Seton Catholic on Jan. 8.
For King’s Way, Friday had that big-game feel.
“This week in practice we worked really hard to mentally prepare ourselves because we knew this was a big game,” Metz said.
“It was intense,” added Kobi Cason, who scored 14 points. “We came to battle and got the W. We pushed each other in practice. No laziness, no nothing.”
Practice wasn’t always so fun. The Knights weren’t always on the same page during their early-season struggles.
“We like each other now,” coach Daven Harmeling said. “Early on, guys weren’t sure how to act around each other. In practice, even when they did something good, guys weren’t finding a lot of joy in it. We had to teach them ‘hey, this is a moment to celebrate. This is fun.’”
King’s Way had plenty to celebrate early in Friday’s game. The Knights started five for seven from the field, including four 3-pointers.
Metz kept shooting and kept hitting. His fourth 3-pointer gave the Knights a 37-15 lead two minutes into the second quarter.
After hitting a school-record nine 3-pointers against Stevenson on Wednesday, Metz again found himself in a groove.
“Credit to all my teammates,” the junior guard said. “They’ve been setting me up great. I’ve been setting my feet and getting ready to shoot, but all credit to them.”
Metz’s shot wasn’t as hot earlier in the season. But shooters like Metz keep shooting.
Hitting 15 3-pointers over his last two games are a reward for that patience and persistence.
“It’s not like he’s getting better looks now than he did early in the year,” Harmeling said. “He just wasn’t hitting. Anyone who is a shooter knows you’re going to go through stretches where you miss shots.”
With its up-tempo style, Seton Catholic wasn’t out of the game. The Cougars ended the second quarter on an 18-5 run and trailed 42-33 at halftime. Xavian Rushing scored 11 of his game-high 22 points over that stretch.
“Our guys had so much emotion heading into the game that it all just exploded in the first quarter,” Harmeling said. “Once that adrenaline hit was over, we struggled a bit. But Seton is a very talented team. They were going to keep coming at us.”
Metz’s sixth 3-pointer pushed the lead to 52-37 midway through the third quarter. Seton clawed within 68-61 inside the final two minutes, but baskets by Cason on back-to-back possessions kept the Cougars at bay.
King’s Way is headed toward a season-ending clash with La Center on Feb. 1 that will likely decide the league title.
“We can’t get big-headed,” Cason said. “We need to stay humble and keep playing how we’re playing.”
KING’S WAY CHRISTIAN 75, SETON CATHOLIC 66
SETON CATHOLIC — Isaiah Parker 13, Kellen Ball 2, Luke Pitzer 0, Hayden Miller 2, Malik Williams 0, Gabe Anderson 21, Delano Morgan 2, Xavian Rushing 22, Andrew Olson 4. Totals 24 (5) 13-15 66.
KING’S WAY CHRISTIAN — Khal Cason 10, Kobi Cason 14, Gage Koenders 8, Kefentse Cason 0, Bryce Dodge 9, Justin Frahm 0, Brady Metz 20, Bryson Metz 14. Totals 28 (14) 5-9 75.
Seton 12 21 11 22—66
King’s Way 27 15 17 16—75
JV — Seton Catholic 59-56
