BATTLE GROUND — Did the King’s Way Christian Knights, now headed for their eight consecutive trip to the Yakima Valley SunDome for the Class 1A Hardwood Classic next week, believe they would be a state-bound team at the start of the year?
It didn’t look promising initially, said Giovanny Evanson, the 1A Trico League’s three-time MVP, after the Knights’ 59-44 victory Saturday over La Salle out of Union Gap.
“We had our struggles, for sure,” the 6-foot-5 senior guard said. “We really came together and made a change and here we are.”
Here is in the Round of 12 where the Knights (16-8) now face King’s at 7:15 p.m. Wednesday in a winner-to-quarterfinal, loser-out game in Yakima.
What’s been a staple under head coach Daven Harmeling is not just reaching Yakima, but how the Knights continually do it. It starts with a beefy non-league schedule, such as this winter featuring a handful of Class 3A and 2A teams. But after that nonleague slate came some hiccups in Trico play. Plus, Evanson added, individualism became a thing of the past.
“We were all pretty selfish at the start of the year, if I’m being honest,” he said. “We all were looking for our own shots, and we weren’t really a family. Now, I can confidently say we’re unified and together. You see it on the court. We play a lot more together. “
And it was evident in a big way Saturday. A back-and-forth game with no lead greater than five the first 22 minutes turned into a 19-0 King’s Way run with multiple players finding the bottom of the net. What was a 34-29 deficit the final 2 minutes of the third quarter became a 48-34 advantage on Evanson’s 3-point play at the 5:52 mark of the fourth quarter. La Salle never got closer than 12 the rest of the way.
Fourteen of Evanson’s 18 points came in the second half, but he had plenty of help offensively, too. Jaydon Hall scored the Knights’ first nine points of the game and 14 of their first 16. He finished with a game-high 23.
About that 19-0 run, though. It started with defense, Hall said.
“That brings our energy up,” he said, “and makes us play in transition and that’s when we score most of our buckets. “
Said Evanson: “That’s a huge run in a game. We kind of rely on those, so when we get them, we usually win the game, we feel like.”
Matthew Belefski added 10 for the Knights.
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KING’S WAY CHRISTIAN 59, LA SALLE 44
LA SALLE — Gabriel Craig 4, Adan Gonzalez 6, Moses O’Connor 14, Johan Valladares 5, Jaxton Caffrey 10, Greyson Stevens 2, Oscar Sanchez 3. Totals 19 (3) 3-6 44.
KING’S WAY — Will Bump 0, Jaydon Hall 23, Giovanny Evanson 18, Isaac Pisarczyk 0, Jackson Lovato 1, Matthew Belefski 10, Jamison Duke 7, Hunter Baron 0, Dave Struthers 0. Totals 22 (5) 10-14 59.
La Salle 13 8 13 10 – 44
King’s Way 11 11 16 21 – 59
