Independence upset by Kingsburg in D-III boys basketball playoffs
Feb. 22—Long before the late-game frenzy of turnovers and fouls that sank Independence, the Falcons' section semifinal against Kingsburg turned on a pivotal timeout in the first quarter.
Division III No. 3 seed Independence had used crisp passing by Prince Ellis and a pair of Amarius Rowel 3-pointers to take a 14-4 lead early Wednesday night. But when the Vikings emerged from their timeout, they came out totally rejuvenated on defense, using a tenacious 2-3 zone to slow the Falcons' pace to a crawl.
The Kingsburg offense, naturally, began to flow better from there, using a swift 10-0 run to tie the game and turn it into a back-and-forth contest from then on. By the time the fourth quarter rolled around, the 11th-seeded Vikings were able to use consistent free-throw shooting to score 13 of their final 17 points, outpacing an erratic Falcons offense on their way to a 59-52 victory and championship berth.
Ellis scored all 17 of his points in the second half as he attempted to will the Falcons to the victory, but his teammates were unable to pick up the slack down the stretch, combining for just 12 after the break. Still, Rowel finished with a team-high 18 following his dominant first half.
Senior guard Conner McFall led Kingsburg with a game-high 21, although the Vikings were somewhat more balanced thanks to 11-point showings from outside shooter Noah Brown and bruising forward James M. Cranford.
Independence took a 38-36 lead with seven minutes to go thanks to a three-point play on a putback by Davian Leon, but Kingsburg caught fire yet again, pushing through a Falcon timeout on their way to an 11-0 run. The highlight was a three-point play of their own on a spinning layup by a fired-up Cranford.
Facing a nine-point deficit with under four minutes remaining, Independence started trading Ellis 3-pointers for sets of two Kingsburg free throws, eating away at its deficit but not doing so particularly quickly. Rowel made three free throws late after a foul and cut the deficit to 53-49, but the Vikings had little trouble slicing through the Falcons' press, and a quick coast-to-coast layup from McFall effectively cemented the result.
It was a stark contrast from earlier in the game, when Independence's pressure had eaten away at Kingsburg's shot clock and limited good opportunities.
When the Vikings' defense helped them close the gap, the Falcons weren't initially rattled. After a deep 3-pointer by McFall gave Kingsburg its first lead at 17-16 in the second quarter, Rowel sank one immediately to respond on the following possession, then, on Kingsburg's seventh foul of the game already, added two more free throws. Independence took a four-point lead into halftime when Kingsburg missed a quick 3 and a possible put back on its final possession.
The Falcons looked set to extend that advantage until a pair of pull-up 3s by Brown, followed by one from the corner from McFall, killed their momentum. The Vikings took their biggest lead of the game thus far at a whopping three points in the final moments of the third quarter. By the end of the night, they had nearly pushed it to double digits.
Independence closed its season at 15-15, with its momentum halted after a 6-1 stretch entering Wednesday. Kingsburg will play Tollhouse-Sierra in the Division III section championship at Selland Arena in Fresno Saturday.
The Chieftains routed West 74-33 to put an exclamation point on a tough night for Kern County boys basketball, as the top four remaining local teams all lost.
Lower-division teams, however, had much greater success, with McFarland upsetting Mendota in D-V and Taft and Highland winning close games to set up an all-local D-VI final on Friday. Desert and Madera South will play their D-V semifinal Thursday afternoon to decide McFarland's opponent.
Reporter Henry Greenstein can be reached at 661-395-7374. Follow him on Twitter: @HenryGreenstein.
