HOWARD – When your top player is isolated and held down, someone must step up.
For the East Knox Bulldogs, that meant everyone on the floor.
Shane Knepp, the team’s most prolific scorer, was held to 12 points Friday against Northmor. But a little help from Dillon Moreland (nine points), Peyton Lester (eight points) and Ethan Rine (six points) carried the Bulldogs, after a rough start, to a decisive 40-33 home victory.
“We just had to play with a little more confidence,” East Knox coach Ryan Powell said. “Our guys sometimes get into the habit of watching Shane do it. When they’re open, they’re going to have to do it.”
With the Golden Knights leading by 10 in the second period, Rine grabbed an offensive board and scored on a putback. The rebound was one of nine for the sophomore, and the bucket sparked 26-5 run that completely flipped the narrative of the game.
Knepp scored on a three-point play with three seconds remaining in the half to narrow the gap to 16-13. Just 60 seconds into the second half, Lester passed to Rine for a score and their first lead.
Knepp is averaging more than 17 points per game this season. With his offense held in check, East Knox (11-3, 8-1 Knox-Morrow Athletic Conference) held its lead by dominating the boards in the second half. The Bulldogs outrebounded Northmor, 11-2, through the first 11 minutes of the second half. Rine and Sam Whitney led East Knox with nine rebounds each in the game.
“We thought we had a rebounding advantage,” Powell said. “But what won that game for us was our overall defense. We always say that, when our defense is on, our offense will find a way to work itself out. And that’s what they did in the third quarter.”
Northmor (7-7, 4-5 KMAC) took a 14-4 lead through the first 10 minutes of the game. Caleb Schnuerer scored five points in that span, while Graesin Cass scored four points.
Maxton Lower led the Knights with seven points, all in the second half. He also led his team with 13 rebounds.
