Things are really looking up these days in the North End on the hardwood. With the Wilson girls checking in at number six in the state in the 3A ranks, the boys – not to be outdone – continued their early season ascent in the Narrows 3A as the league-leading Rams defeated the Timberline Blazers by a score of 61-49 on Jan. 23.
"They had glimpses of spectacular basketball on both ends of the court out of the gate tonight," said Wilson head coach Dave Alwert. "We shared the ball really well too."
With team leading scorer Kevin Johnson beginning to find his mark from the perimeter, it has opened up many scoring lanes for the Rams.
"I've put in some hard work before and after practice and as a result, I've found my stroke," said Johnson, who led Wilson with 20 points on the night. Johnson scored 11 of his points in the first quarter as the Rams sprinted to a 25-8 lead, which they would not relinquish. Another key cog for Wilson has been the play of sophomore Andraell Fountain, who would finish with nine points and three steals on the night.
"Andraell has been phenomenal, his anticipation on the defensive end has been nothing short of spectacular," said Alwert. "He's given us a lot of energy with his play."
With six games in 14 days looming because of the snow last week, a team must rely on its depth to carry it through that stretch, and Wilson has managed to find some during league play.
"We're going to have to find some fresh legs these next two weeks," said Alwert, as freshman guards Ivy Smith and Julius Yates-Brown along with forwards Morgan Harpel and Fountain will play key roles in the Wilson fortunes in the upcoming two weeks.
With the recent surge of success and the continued development of the young Rams, Johnson is not surprised by Wilson's recent run of wins. "It feels good to be where we are at in the standings, but this is something we expected to accomplish before the season started, and there is no reason that we cannot keep this thing rolling into the post-season."
With the win, the Rams remained perfect in league play at 4-0, one game ahead of both Foss and Lincoln.
