Kreager catches fire as Priest River rolls past Grizzlies
Senior Trentyn Kreager hits a 3-pointer against Newport at PRLHS.
(Photo courtesy of JASON DUCHOW PHOTOGRAPHY)
Jace Yount (left) elevates to attempt to block a shot during Saturday's game.
(Photo courtesy of JASON DUCHOW PHOTOGRAPHY)
Teigan Marinello rises up to attempt a shot over a handful of Newport defenders Saturday.
(Photo courtesy of JASON DUCHOW PHOTOGRAPHY)
Students cheer on the Spartans on Saturday.
(Photo courtesy of JASON DUCHOW PHOTOGRAPHY)
Blake Barrett (right) looks to make a move and attack the basket during Saturday's game.
(Photo courtesy of JASON DUCHOW PHOTOGRAPHY)
PRIEST RIVER — It was the Trentyn Kreager show Saturday at PRLHS.
The senior scored 32 points and hit six 3-pointers to lead Priest River boys basketball to a 65-47 victory over nearby rival Newport.
"He's an unbelievable player," head coach Jaden Barrett said about Kreager. "Half the shots he made tonight I'm just shaking my head at, that's just pure skill. I thank God that I have him, I'd hate to play him."
The Spartans got off to an extremely slow start and only led the Grizzlies 17-15 after eight minutes of play.
"I told them right off the rip, 'You can't take this Newport team lightly, they are going to come jump on your necks if you come out flat,' and that's exactly what they did," Barrett said.
But Kreager hit back-to-back 3-pointers to end the first quarter and the Spartans carried that momentum into the second quarter and turned things around, outscoring Newport 24-8 to take an 18-point advantage into the locker room.
Kreager scored 22 of his points in the first half and that boost was key, Barrett said.
"Trentyn going off in the first half definitely gave us a kick start," he said. "I thought we picked up our defense, and our rebounding and just our overall pressure on them was a lot better in the second quarter and on."
The Spartans were in control the entire second half, but the Grizzlies found some life early in the fourth quarter. Newport went on a 12-0 run to open the final quarter, nearly cutting Priest River's 26-point lead in half.
But Travis Mathews ended a roughly five-minute scoring drought for the Spartans with his only basket of the night to help seal the win.
"Overall, I was super happy with the last three quarters," Barrett said.
Blake Barrett, who played at Newport High as a freshman and sophomore, finished with 15 points against his former team. Jace Yount grabbed 8 points and six rebounds and Luke Butler tallied 5 points, four rebounds and two assists.
Mathews added 2 points, five rebounds and five assists. Kreager, who scored 26 points and hit the game-winner in last Tuesday's victory over Riverside, also had four rebounds and two assists.
"We're going to keep the ball in his hands and keep him going," Barrett said about Kreager.
In his first action of the season, Coner Berns came off the bench and made quite the impact in his limited time on the court. He converted a basket and dished out three assists.
"He played very solid minutes off the bench for me," Barrett said.
Priest River (2-1) hosts Lakeland at 7 p.m. Tuesday.
Newport 15 8 8 16 — 47
Priest River 17 24 16 8 — 65
NEWPORT — Smith 4, C. Loosier 5, Ross 1, Balazs 13, N. Loosier 4, Becker 7, Sherman 10, Pierson 3.
PRIEST RIVER — Mathews 2, Butler 5, Kreager 32, Marinello 0, Gleason 0, T. Engelson 0, Barrett 15, Z. Engelson 0, Berns 2, Thompson 1, Gamber 0, Yount 8.
