By Todd Fertig
TopSports.news
Despite snow swirling outside the gym, senior Brennon Dodge came out of the holiday break red hot, scoring Shawnee Heights’ first 12 points. Dodge and the T-Birds ran away from Lansing 76-51 to start the new year with a home victory to improve to 4-2.
Shawnee Heights senior Brennon Dodge scored 25 points in Friday's 76-51 UKC romp past Lansing. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Dodge staked Shawnee Heights to a 12-3 lead and the T-Birds led 23-8 at the close of the first period. He tallied 19 points in the first half.
“Having him is a great luxury,” Shawnee Heights coach Ken Darting said of Dodge. “If you ask me who we need to be great, it’s (Brennon). But sometimes I don’t give him credit because I take him for granted. I’m not saying ‘(Brennon) had a great game,’ because he had it the time before, and the time before that. Sometimes I don’t give him his just due.”
“It was just a great feeling helping my team,” said Dodge, who led all scorers with 25. “I’ve been practicing getting my shot down, staying consistent, and keeping mentally prepared.”
The visiting Lions, who dropped to 1-5 on the season, rallied in the third period to cut the T-Bird lead to nine. But Shawnee Heights responded with an 11-3 run to close the period and ensure the victory.
Shawnee Heights junior Deacon Pomeroy had 12 points and 16 rebounds in Friday's 76-51 UKC win over Lansing. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Darting praised the effort of junior Deacon Pomeroy, who corralled 16 rebounds to go with 12 points. Three other T-Birds – Dylan Sanchez, Jaret Sanchez and Ja’Vean Alston – scored nine points each in a balanced effort. Darting rotated eight players liberally throughout the first half.
“It’s great knowing that we have multiple people on the bench who can come in and get us points or play defense or get assists,” Dodge said. “It doesn’t have to be just one guy. We’ve just got to keep it rolling and stay together.”
The T-Birds had not played a game since Dec. 15. Darting made sure the team didn’t get rusty over the break.
“I’ve always said ‘If I could practice every day and never play a game, I’d be happy.’ So, I had a happy Christmas,” Darting said. “We practiced long and hard and we made great strides over the Christmas break, so I couldn’t be happier.
“In streaks, we’re really good right now. But what I’m excited about is another three weeks, another month from now. I’m excited to see where this team can go.”
Leading the Lions in scoring was sophomore Cooper Crawford with 18 and freshman Mehki Stephens with 14.
SHAWNEE HEIGHTS BOYS 76, LANSING 51
Lansing 8 20 10 13 -- 51
Shawnee Heights 23 18 14 21 -- 76
Lansing (1-5, 1-5) – B. Stephens 3-8 0-0 9, Zimmerman 1-7 0-0 3, Crawford 7-10 2-4 18, Graber 1-3 0-0 3, M. Stephens 6-11 1-4 14, Butler 1-4 0-0 2, Mendez 0-1 0-0 0, Allen 0-2 0-0 0, Alvarado-Jones 1-1 0-0 2, Fullen 0-1 0-0 0, Heim 0-0 0-0 0, Reddins 0-1 0-0 0, Anderson 0-0 0-0 0. Totals: 20-49 3-8 51.
Shawnee Heights (4-2, 4-2) – Pomeroy 6-7 0-2 12, D. Sanchez 3-8 0-0 9, Dodge 10-13 2-2 25, J. Sanchez 3-12 3-5 9, Moore 1-5 0-0 3, Emmot 2-7 0-0 5, Alston 4-7 0-0 9, Ross 2-3 0-0 4, Parker 0-1 0-0 0, Cook 0-2 0-0 0, Scott 0-0 0-0 0, Delgado 0-0 0-0 0. Totals: 31-65 5-9 76.
3-point goals – Lansing 8 (B. Stephens 3, Crawford 2, Zimmerman 1, Graber 1, M. Stephens 1), Shawnee Heights 9 (D. Sanchez 3, Dodge 3, Moore 1, Emmot 1, Alston 1). Total fouls – Lansing 9, Shawnee Heights 0. Fouled out – None. Technical fouls – None.
