ADNA — On the eve of Christmas Eve, the Adna Pirates celebrated the season of giving by giving their two posts an opportunity to take charge down low.
Senior Jackson Knittle and freshman James Greenwood were unstoppable against Kalama Tuesday night, combining for 25 points in Adna’s 77-54 rout. The two big men found gaps in the Chinooks’ defense under the basket for layups and cleaned up missed shots with putback buckets.
“Those guys can do that, and we’ve seen glimpses of it. This was the best 32 minutes of that we’ve seen, and we needed it,” Adna head coach Luke Salme said.
The breakout performance from Knittle and Greenwood was a welcome sight for the Pirates, who went punch for punch with the Chinooks in the first half. Kalama guards Abel Koski and Gabe Crawford hurt Adna with their drives to the basket, either finishing in the paint or kicking out to open shooters.
Kaden Richardson gave Adna a 19-17 lead at the end of the first with a buzzer-beating putback layup. But 16 seconds into the second quarter, Salme wasn’t pleased with his team after they gave up a second-chance bucket to start the period, calling a timeout.
He didn’t quite get the defensive energy he was looking for in the first half, as Koski continued to dice up the Pirates. Adna used a 10-run fueled by Grayson Humphrey and Richardson to jump in front by six at halftime.
“Our defensive intensity was really lacking tonight. I was really frustrated at halftime with the lack of toughness and discipline on the defensive end,” Salme said. “I don’t know what it is. We’re looking forward to a few days of rest.”
The Pirates eased their coach’s frustrations and locked in defensively, holding Kalama to nine points in the third. Adna opened up a double-digit lead midway through the third quarter, outscoring Kalama 21-9 in the frame.
Knittle scored nine of his 15 in the second half, and Greenwood tallied six of his 10 in the final 16 minutes.
“James has such a high basketball IQ, great hands, great feet and great patience with the ball. I wouldn’t say he’s been a surprise, but we’ve been really happy with him as a freshman being able to contribute the way he has,” Salme said.
Trevin Salme and Grayson Humphrey led the Pirates with 17 points apiece, and Richardson added a dozen points. Trevin Salme also flashed his ability to distribute to his teammates while still taking the shots that the defense gave him. He often wasn’t the one to get the ball past halfcourt and set up the offense, but when he touched the ball, it seemed the play resulted either in a bucket from his right hand or a bucket off of his pass.
Trevin’s father and head coach said that transition into playmaking has come with years of varsity experience.
“He’s always been a playmaker. He’s just been undersized for the last two years of varsity,” Luke Salme said. “People who watch him play AAU ball against other kids his size know that the can do those things and create opportunities for others. He’s definitely going to make us more dynamic with him being able to make plays for other guys.”
Adna (6-0, 4-0 Central 2B League) gets a six-day break before returning home to face Tumwater (3-1) on Monday, Dec. 29.
