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Koski, McCullough help Trojans march to 2-0 start

Bruce Bourquin | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 11 years, 1 month AGO
by Bruce Bourquin
| December 8, 2013 8:00 PM

POST FALLS - There is a large sign behind the south side of the basket in The Arena at Post Falls that says "Orange Army."

While the Trojans boys basketball team is not literally an army, they still fought hard and won the nonleague battle Saturday over Kamiakin High of Kennewick, Wash., 58-49.

While it was a complete team effort for Post Falls, it was primarily the Corey Koski and Max McCullough Show in a game before a school dance was planned for the students, including a fired-up student section which gave the game a college-style atmosphere. Koski scored a team-high 22 points and added 11 rebounds and three assists.

Post Falls (2-0) took a comfortable 41-28 lead after the third quarter, after a hounding defense allowed just 11 points scored by the Braves, who lost their season opener and turned the ball over 17 times in the game, compared to the Trojans' 12.

"We are a work in progress and we're getting better," seventh-year Post Falls coach Mike McLean said. "We want to be a team that can be fluid in transition and score the ball, or at least get shots in places where we want to get our shots. As long as I've been here, defense has been our staple. The defense can still be what we do, but I was happy with our effort ... I thought our press and our ball pressure weared them down. We're not necessarily looking to steal the ball, we're looking to force turnovers. Tonight, turnovers came in bunches for them."

Koski, a 6-foot-7 senior post, was a force inside, shooting 8 for 15 from the field - many on layups and once on a crowd-pleasing dunk - while drilling 6 of 8 free throws. Post Falls was solid at the free throw line, making 19 of 25. Kamiakin was the No. 1 seed out of the Mid Columbia Conference last season, but the Braves lost to Rogers High of Spokane in the first round of the Washington 3A state boys basketball playoffs.

"We took advantage of what they gave us ," said Koski, who said he has drawn interest from George Fox University, a Christian school in Portland. "In the second half, we ran our zone offense really well. I got to freelance in the middle. (In the dunk), I was open and it's my first one of the year."

Koski said the Trojans are senior-laden - they have nine seniors on their roster - and are looking to contend with Lake City, Coeur d'Alene and Lewiston for the 5A Inland Empire League title. On Jan. 14, Post Falls will host Coeur d'Alene in the Trojans' league opener.

"We're expecting to contend for a league title," Koski said. "We're usually a team that likes to get to the rim," Koski said. "We've got some shooters this year, too, they like to hit open shots."

While McCullough, a sophomore guard, made some wild forays for layups and baskets inside the paint to score several of his points - he shot 5 for 10 from the field and was 7 for 9 from the free-throw line - it was backup guard Luke Anderson who hit one of the most crucial shots of the game.

Anderson, who scored six points, sank a 3-pointer from the corner to give the Trojans more breathing room for a 48-41 lead with 4:03 left in the game. Koski hit a reverse layup for a 53-44 lead with 2:13 left, which helped put the game on ice.

"They hit that shot in the corner after we trailed 45-41," Kamiakin coach Brian Meneely said. "That was a big swing. You have to have too many things go right when you're down like that."

Braves guard Kylle Robertson led all scorers with 25 points and he grabbed eight rebounds and John Petsch added 10 points.

"It was a frustrating loss after we made a big push there at the end," Robertson said.

Dalton Thompson scored six points and grabbed six rebounds, and Joey Pfennigs hauled in seven rebounds for Post Falls, which next plays Tuesday at Kennewick.

Kamiakin 7 10 11 21 - 49

Post Falls 9 14 18 17 - 58

KAMIAKIN - Robertson 25, Petsch 10, Joseph 5, Fowler 1, Bayles 3, Wagar 0, Nelson 0, Holle 3, Gurney 2.

POST FALLS - Koski 22, McCullough 18, Thompson 6, Pfennigs 4, McKeown 0, Anderson 6, Gondo 2, Bowers 0, Franklin 0, Hillman 0.

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