Rogers boys rely on defense, free throws in opening night win over Shadle Park 51-49

At the start of a new basketball season, it might take a few games for a team’s offense to click. But defense never goes out of style.

Rogers got just enough offense, made a few stops late and hit its free throws Tuesday. It all added up to an opening night win.

Seniors Brady Krebs and Treshon Green paced the offense with 15 and 14 points, respectively, and the Pirates edged the visiting Shadle Park Highlanders 51-49 in a nonleague game between Greater Spokane League teams in which no one had more that a four-point lead.

Jacob Boston, fresh off an all-league football season, led Shadle Park with 23 points.

“I just kept shooting,” Krebs said of the slow offense on opening night. “The whole team kept shooting. Everyone kept telling each other to keep shooting because if you don’t shoot, we aren’t going to score. I believe in our team and we have confidence in each other, so I feel like no matter how much we miss, we’re gonna keep shooting.”

“We’ve got a lot of guys in new roles, and we got some things to figure out,” Rogers coach Karim Scott said. “I told these guys, ‘We didn’t win our first game last year. Bonners Ferry kicked our butts.’ I told the guys, ‘We’re not gonna go undefeated,’ and I knew (Shadle Park) was going to play hard.

“I think the biggest thing for us was to figure out what we’re made of. We’ve got seven days to get better, and I know exactly what we’ve got to work on. So, that’s good. And we pulled out a win.”

The Pirates made 7 of 8 from the line in the fourth quarter.

“Going back to the West Valley game last year, we missed game-winning free throws,” Krebs said. “That’s all I really thought about this whole offseason. I’m making sure I’m making my free throws at the end of the game.”

Down by four points late in the fourth quarter, Shadle’s Arius Esiwini (eight points) made a driving layup, but the Pirates got a stop with 30 seconds to go. Krebs made a pair at the line with 18 seconds left to get it back to four points.

Boston hit a corner 3-pointer with seven seconds left to make it 50-49. Shadle fouled, and DeRayveius Franetich made 1 of 2 free throws. The Highlanders hustled the ball to the front court, but Boston’s last-second heave bounced out.

Rogers is attempting to make the playoffs in back-to-back season just three years removed from going 1-19 and after the graduation of team leaders Aaron Kinsey, Hartman Warrick and Devin Holyfield.

“Those guys feel like they have a lot to prove, you know, because it’s easy when you lose what we lost,” Scott said. “You want to show people that, ‘We’re here, too,’ but at the same time, you just have to let the game come to you a little bit.”

Boston scored six points in the first quarter to stake the Highlanders to a 12-11 lead. Green scored seven points in the second quarter and the Pirates led 26-25 at halftime.

Rogers guard Malachi Ford drained a 3-pointer with three minutes left in the third to even the score at 31. Green made a pair at the line at the end of the quarter and Rogers led 38-36.

Boston hit a long 3-pointer to give Shadle the lead back with five minutes to go. Two minutes later, Ford drove for a layup to put Rogers up by four.

Ford had all nine of his points in the second half.

“I’ve got to get used to (Ford),” Scott said. “Malachi is a smart kid. He’s coachable. He’s gonna get better. I think I have to give him a little bit more rope to make some mistakes and to learn, because he sat and watched last year.”