Smothering defense lifts Knoch boys past Valley in section opener

By: Josh Rizzo
Friday, December 13, 2024 | 9:52 PM

Teegan Finucan couldn’t help but feel confident after the Knoch boys basketball team opened Section 1-4A play Friday night at home with a dominant defensive performance.

The Knights kept Valley off the scoreboard for the first 3 1/2 minutes before coasting to a 74-39 win.

Knoch (4-1, 1-0) has established itself as an excellent defensive team. When the Knights hold teams under 50 points, they have won every game. Knoch allows 46.6 points per game.

“This is a great confidence boost as a team,” said Finucan, who finished with 14 points. “Everything we have going is going so well. Way to start a section game, right?”

Knoch wore down Valley during the first quarter with its full-court defensive approach. The Vikings (3-2, 0-1) struggled to get the ball up the floor.

Jackson Bauman opened the scoring for Knoch by knocking down a 3-pointer 34 seconds into the game. It was the start of a 9-0 run.

“I thought we did a great job of coming out and attacking,” Knoch coach Alan Bauman said. “We want to be active. We want to be aggressive. When you are at home and it’s the section opener, you want to set the tone.”

Valley didn’t get on the scoreboard until Tayshaun Hawkins made a layup with 4:36 left in the quarter.

“We had to swing the ball,” Valley coach Brice Flenory said. “We had to keep our eyes up and look for their cross-court man. They baited you into the trap. My kids have to understand they need to swing the ball.”

Knoch stretched the lead to 22-8 by the end of the first quarter. Alan Bauman said the team has worked extensively on moving the ball during games after the Knights create turnovers.

“We do a lot of spacing stuff to look ahead and ensure we are stretching the defense,” he said. “Any time we move the ball twice, we were 100 percent on makes. It’s all rhythm.”

The Knights held a 28-point advantage at halftime. Hawkins led Valley with 15 points.

Jackson Bauman led Knoch with 15 points, and Roman DeFelice added 10 points. While Knoch’s defensive pressure was stout throughout the game, the Knights would like to be more efficient from the field.

“We were saying we could have had 60 points at halftime if we made half of our missed layups and foul shots,” Bauman said.

Knoch built its lead to more than 30 early in the second half, enacting a running clock. Finucan said the Knights wanted to make sure they kept their energy up.

“We have to keep going,” Finucan said. “Even if we get up big, we have to keep our foot on their necks and keep going.”

Tags: Knoch, Valley