North Kitsap placed third at state, beating Olympic League foe Bremerton 71-48 at the Sun Dome in Yakima March 2.

NK had the advantage in experience with a senior-led team, while six freshmen led the Knights to their first state placing in 25 years.

“This game to me was more than just third place, it was a sign of the character of the players. It’s hard to turn around after a heartbreaking loss and put your best foot forward,” NK coach Scott Orness said, referring to the loss the night before that kept them out of the 2A title game.

Orness said the Knights have improved throughout the year. NK beat them twice during the regular season.

Bremerton coach Miah Davis also talked about his team’s character. “The buzz they had in the Bremerton community speaks value to their character. People always look over Bremerton but we brought that back that we are important. They will always be remembered and sketched their name in Bremerton history.”

Logan Hudson gave the Vikings an early lead with a couple of rebounds and six points in the first quarter. Cade Orness added six points while Jalen Davis led the Knights with seven.

Davis “has the same work ethic as me but he is different,” coach Davis said. “I am always preaching to him it is good to be different. You don’t look like nobody, you don’t talk like nobody, you don’t walk like nobody, so do it your way.”

The teams were tied at 15-15 after the first quarter, but Harry Davies scored five points while Hudson and senior guard Orness both added four as the Vikings led 32-18 at halftime.

Davis scored 11 points in the third, but Davies had 13 to extend the Viking lead to 53-38. Coach Davis said the Knights were tired after playing the night before, then playing an early game the next day. “Being so close to that championship game and lose and come back and play North, they were on a mission,” Davis said. “If it was maybe five o’clock, we could have performed better. It played a toll because you want your best every time.”

Davies led the team with 22 points and Orness scored 20 to become third on the all-time scoring list in the West Sound with 1,821 points.

The two coaches talked about a possible passing of the torch next year.

“There is a massive void but we have young talent who will have to work harder than any other group if they want to continue this legacy,” coach Orness said.

Coach Davis added: “It sucks that the season is over but we learned a lot from each other, and the freshman learned how to play the right way. They have been doing this since the second grade and have been grinding eleven months out of the year. We are going to be scary the next few years.”

Semifinals

NK and Bremerton both fell short of the state 2A boys basketball championship game.

The Vikings, seeded No. 3, were beaten by No. 2 seed Grandview 71-64 March 1, while the No. 11 Knights lost by the closest of margins to two-time defending state champs and No. 1 seed Lynden 53-52.

North Kitsap took an early 18-9 lead with Orness scoring 10 points. The Vikings continued to roll in the second quarter as Davies scored nine points.

But that’s when NK’s offense fell stagnant and the defense fell apart.

Grandview climbed back into the game in the second half. Jordan Williams scored six points for NK but Grandview scored 19 to cut the lead to 50-44.

Orness scored 10 more points in the fourth quarter for the Vikings, but Grandview’s three-point play gave it the lead. Grandview nailed all its free throws at the end of the game to seal its berth in the state title game.

Meanwhile, Bremerton’s Cinderella story ended at the front of the rim as the Lions won 53-52.

The Knights had two opportunities to capture the upset but failed. With eight seconds left, freshman standout Jalen Davis passed to Enoch Taylor in the corner but it went through his hands and out of bounds for a turnover. Lynden’s Anthony Canales was immediately fouled but missed both free throws. With six seconds left, Trenton Bulmer ran across the court and heaved a floater as time expired, bouncing off the front of the rim.

The two teams were tied 19-19 after the first quarter, with Davis scoring 15 of the Knights points.

Lynden took the lead and extended it to double digits. But Frank Allen made his presence known against the larger Lion squad scoring a basket and ending the night with three blocks. Bulmer made a three-pointer to slim the deficit to 35-28 at halftime.

After a quiet second quarter, Davis found his rhythm again, scoring another eight points in the third. Bulmer added five points and a few assists to cut the lead to 44-41 after three quarters.

Bulmer had three trips to the free-throw line in the fourth, making three of six free throws, while Davis scored six points, finishing with 33.

In the state quarterfinal games, the Vikings defeated Anacortes 66-54, while the 11th-seeded Knights beat Renton 65-60 Feb. 29.

North Kitsap

Against the Seahawks, the teams were tied 15-15 after one quarter, but the Vikings took a 10-point lead in the middle of the second period. Davies led with six points and had an alley-oop pass to Orness.

On defense, the Vikings tried to shut down Anacortes’ Davis Fogle, a top 100 junior in the country, by double-teaming him. But Fogle nailed a few late baskets to finish with 18 in the first half and cut the Viking lead to 30-25.

Orness took over in the second half, scoring eight points in the third quarter. He expanded the lead in the fourth with 12 of the team’s 16 points. The Vikings sealed the game with another Davies alley-oop pass to Orness, who finished with 24 points. Fogle scored 34 points for Anacortes. Mason Chmielewski led the winners with nine rebounds.

Bremerton

In the quarterfinal matchup, Bremerton played Renton, which beat the Knights in overtime at the district tourney.

Renton had the upper hand in this game, too, taking a 26-17 after one period, despite Bulmer’s three points and Davis’ five. But the Knights took a 35-34 halftime lead after Bulmer nailed a couple of late baskets.

Bremerton took over in the third quarter with some help from role players. Dyon Sellers scored three points, Oliver Christian earned a few baskets and Taylor had a few layups, giving Bremerton a 51-44 lead.

Renton began to fight back with some late steals and three-pointers. But Dallin Anderson stepped up with six rebounds in the game, including a few in the final minute, and six points. Davis sealed the game with a pair of late free throws and finished with 23 points.

Bremerton began its state run by defeating Mark Morris 51-47 Feb. 28. The Knights trailed against last year’s runner-up until the game’s final two minutes.

Mark Morris led 14-10 after one and 27-23 at halftime. Monarch Braydon Olson, who ended with 26 points, helped keep his team in front 38-28 after three quarters.

In the fourth quarter, Bremerton’s Isaiah Cadengo stepped up defensively, locking down Olson to a handful of points in the final eight minutes.

With less than two minutes remaining, Davis nailed a three-pointer to give Bremerton its first lead of the game 48-47. Bulmer secured the Knights win making seven free throws in the game, three in the final 30 seconds.

Davis finished with 28 points.