Boys basketball: Federal Way conquers Kentwood in battle of top teams

Not even South Puget Sound League Northeast leading Kentwood could put a dent in Federal Way’s undefeated record as the Eagles rolled to a 78-62 victory on Tuesday night.

January 14, 2016 7:55 pm

Not even South Puget Sound League Northeast leading Kentwood could put a dent in Federal Way’s undefeated record as the Eagles rolled to a 78-62 victory on Tuesday night.

The Conquerors came into the game with an 11-2 record and a one game lead over Kent-Meridian in the SPSL Northeast.

Jalen McDaniels scored early and often for the Eagles as they built their lead. By the end of the first quarter, the senior already had 13 points as the Eagles led 20-14.

“We recognized tonight that they just couldn’t stop Jalen,” Federal Way head coach Jerome Collins said. “They had no answer for him. We ran some set plays and guys did a good job getting him the ball in the proper places and he finished.”

McDaniels had 19 points at the half and finished with 32.

Federal Way would take a 36-29 lead into the half.

Despite having a comfortable lead, not everything was going the Eagles way. They were 0-9 from 3-point range in the first half.

“We didn’t shoot particularly well,” Collins said. “Yet we were still in control.”

Federal Way pushed their lead to 13 points midway through the third quarter, but the Conquerors fought back. Kentwood went on a 14-4 run late in the third to cut the Federal Way lead to three points.

Kentwood focused on getting into the lane during the run. Darius LuBom scored nine of his 23 points during the run, which he capped off with a three-point play by converting his layup as he was fouled driving to the basket.

“I thought we did a pretty good job of executing up until that point,” Collins said. “They’re a good team and there’s going to be some runs in a game. I called timeout and settled our guys down. We clamped down and stopped the layup drills.”

The Eagles would regain momentum going into the fourth quarter with a steal by McDaniels that led to him finishing the quarter with a dunk.

Federal Way’s defense clamped down at the start of the fourth quarter and the team went on a 13-3 run.

LuBom would end the Kentwood scoring drought with another three-point play, but D’Jimon Jones responded with a three-pointer. It was the only three-pointer the Eagles made as they went 1-12 from beyond the arc.

Ferron Flavors was second in scoring for the Eagles with 13 points. Christian Jones was third with 11.

Rayvaugh Bolton and Davonte Sanchez each had 13 for Kentwood.

Federal Way (14-0, 4-0) returns to league play against Todd Beamer (11-4, 3-1) at 7 p.m. tonight at Federal Way High School. The Eagles previously defeated the Titans 72-65 on Dec. 8.

“We’ve had a tough schedule,” said Collins. “Out of our first 10 games, eight of them were on the road. We’ve prepared ourselves. We’re in conference play now and it’s always a challenge because the SPSL is what it is. We just have to stay focused, work hard and continue to improve. I’m not satisfied with where we are. I’m a perfectionist.”