Sun Kings battle through rough patch against Pittsburgh
By DAVE THOMAS
YAKIMA HERALD-REPUBLIC

Link: http://www.yakimaherald.com/page/sp/290396740999365

Moochie Norris has been around basketball long enough to know the pitfalls lurking for a team off to the stunning start of the Yakama Sun Kings.

"Absolutely. That's how you feel," he said when asked if there's the danger of complacency after winning as handily as the Sun Kings have. "You get comfortable when you're winning and undefeated. Plenty of teams do it."

And Norris said that's exactly what happened to the Sun Kings — particularly in the first half — Tuesday night in the SunDome.

The veteran guard quickly noted, however, that how the team responded to that malaise bodes well for the future.

"That's the sign of a good team," Norris said of Yakama regrouping after each letdown to eventually claim a 111-94 victory over the Pittsburgh Xplosion.

"To have an ugly game, a bad game, and still find a way to give yourself a chance to win each quarter shows a lot about this team," he continued. "A lot of things were not clicking tonight, but we kept plugging away."

Enough to churn out a seventh straight victory to open the season and also claim a fourth 7-0 quarter-points sweep in that span.

But even though the Sun Kings posted a seventh straight double-digit victory (their average winning margin was 21 in the first six games) the players all knew it wasn't their best effort.

"We just went out and tried to stay focused and keep our mental toughness," said guard Jermaine Blackburn, whose 10 rebounds helped spark a decisive 52-26 advantage, including 20-3 on the offensive boards.

"At times, we look like the best team in the world, and at times, we got careless and gave them (Pittsburgh) life," guard Jason Forte said. "Our concentration needs to be better."

Still, it was good enough when it had to be Tuesday.

After a see-saw first quarter, Yakama scored 12 of the final 15 points in the first quarter to grab a 36-29 advantage.

The second quarter was also back and forth, before Norris' driving layin with 3.6 seconds to play gave Yakama that quarter 28-26 and a 64-55 halftime lead.

Having allowed a season-high 55 points and 63-percent shooting to the Xplosion in that half, Yakama came out of the locker room knowing what it needed to do.

"We had to emphasize defense and rebounding," Blackburn said. "We just had to play harder."

Yakama did that and then some, with Tim Ellis, who had 18 points and six rebound, and Harvey Thomas (14 points, 7 rebounds) sparking a strong defensive showing early in the third quarter. Yakama forced four turnovers in the first seven minutes in bolting to a 17-7 quarter advantage and 81-62 for the game.

"Our defensive intensity picked up in the second half, that was the difference," said Norris, who contributed 11 points. "We have to let our defense dictate the tempo. That gets everyone involved in the game."

Although Yakama didn't sustain that intensity the rest off the way, it provided enough of a cushion to produce another victory, which was led by Desmond Ferguson's 20 points.

"Those spurts (like at the start of the third) gives us room for error," Norris said. "No game is going to be perfect; there'll be mistakes. But if you play hard, you can give yourself plenty of opportunities to make up for those mistakes."