Viont’e Daniels Drops 31 in Federal Way Win Over Kentwood
By Steven Dion
| Friday- January 16 | 2015 | Boys | 4A | SPSL | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kentwood High School | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | Final | |
| Federal Way | 16 | 16 | 17 | 28 | 77 | |
| Kentwood | 7 | 17 | 20 | 20 | 64 | |
Federal Way Senior Viont’e Daniels
Friday night’s slate of high school hoops featured a matchup of division leaders in the South Puget Sound League as the high-fliers of the Northwest in Federal Way would make a visit to powerhouse Kentwood of the Northeast. The anticipation for this game was evident from the packed gym and a tangible buzz in the building felt from the opening tip to the final whistle. This proved to be an interesting matchup as the Eagles’ roster loaded with athletic combo guards would square off with what is essentially Kentwood’s football team on the hardwood.
The first few minutes of the game set the tone when Federal Way rolled out to a 9-0 lead. Kentwood quickly found themselves playing catch-up and would continue to do so for the entirety of the ballgame. Eagle perimeter defense forced several turnovers and prevented entry passes for Conks’ offensive sets. Federal Way junior Ferron Flavors notched 15 of his 20 points in the first two quarters. Malik Sanchez rallied KW by throwing down a pair of highlight dunks in the second quarter. However, Federal Way capitalized on Conqueror mistakes and were able to retain and eight point lead heading into the second half.
The Conks returned to the floor with renewed energy to climb back into the contest. The guard duo of Darius LuBom and Preston White who finished with 16 and 11 points respectively hit the deck for 50/50 balls and the forwards Josiah Bronson and Marcus LuBom were rebounding machines on both ends of the court. KHS rallied several times to tighten up the ballgame, but Federal Way always knocked down a big bucket when needed. Viont’e Daniels drained a triple at 3:28 in the third to keep a double digit lead. The scoreboard read 49-44 heading into the fourth with FW still out front.
By the five minute mark in the final frame, Federal Way put the game on ice. Daniels scored three quick buckets, two of which were and-ones. Then, D’Jimon Jones scored 3 of his 10 points when he was able to get an up and under to fall after being fouled in the process. The 13-5 run to start the final quarter propelled the Eagles to a big league win for Coach Jerome Collins’ blue and white.
The Final Score: Federal Way 77 Kentwood 64
Top Performers:
Federal Way
Viont’e Daniels-31 points (8/12 FTs)
Kentwood
Darius Lubom-16 points