Boys basketball: Knappa pounds Heppner, 70-32
Jun. 23—The Knappa boys basketball team sent the strongest statement Monday night to the rest of the 2A finalists — the Loggers are on a roll.
It wasn't even close, as Knappa jumped out to a 15-0 lead over Heppner, on its way to a 70-32 win, in a game played at Rockwood Commons in Portland. It was the most lopsided win of the first round.
The Loggers advanced to the final eight, where they were scheduled to play Wednesday at Salem Academy.
After losing the season opener to 4A power Seaside, Knappa has won 11 of its last 12, including the last seven straight.
Tanner Jackson and Shane McMahan scored 18 points apiece for the Loggers, but "the story was our defense," said Knappa coach Paul Isom. "We were about to jump on them early, starting the game on a 15-0 run fueled by our defense and creating turnovers.
"Tanner particularly was just a monster tonight," he said. "He was flying around making plays all over the court. And everyone fed off that. Every guy who played came in with a ton of energy and we were able to pressure basically the whole game and make everything difficult for Heppner."
Still, Isom said, "Credit to Heppner. They came out in the third and made a run like we knew they would. They are a well-coached team with a bunch of great athletes. But it seemed like every time they went on a four- or six-point run we would come down and hit a big shot or create a turnover and get an easy bucket. Just a great team win."
