Roster | Schedule

February 8, 2008

            The Knights loaded up the yellow chariot on Friday evening and headed deep into Panther territory to face their long time rival in the final game of the 2007-2008 basketball season. The Knights came in knowing that a victory would clinch a second straight FAVC Cardinal Division Championship. The Panthers entered the game with a 9-10 record knowing that a victory would allow them to escape having a losing season. Knight Fans entered with recollections of the Little Miami game at the K-House in which the Knights jumped out to a sizeable 25-8 half-time advantage, only to see the Panthers run off 21 straight points in the second half, before the Knights righted the ship and squeaked out a 34-31 victory. Both teams were asking which team would show up for them tonight. However, when all is said and done – throw out the records, tighten up the shoelaces and put in the mouth guards – it’s Kings vs. Little Miami.

Kevin Hopperton, Spencer Berlekamp, Tyler Smyth, Andrew Winebrenner and Phil Fox provided the starting line-up for the Knights this evening. Little Miami jumped right on the Knights early and scored the first 4 points of the contest. Michael Olds and Matt Rumelhart nailed field goals to knot the contest at 4. The Panthers then went on an 8-2 run to take a 12-6 lead at the completion of the first quarter. The Knights shots were just not falling and they fell behind 20-10 in a physical first half in which only 9 fouls were collectively called.

Children were kept away from the locker room area in anticipation of Coach Poggi’s half-time speech. However, unnamed sources report that Coach Poggi simply told his team that their shots were not falling, but he anticipated that they would. He noted that they needed to keep up the defensive intensity that had been so successful in the past few games. A few minor adjustments in the defensive positioning were made and the Knights were sent back onto the floor with the belief that Little Miami would not be able to handle the Knight’s defensive pressure. Those words proved to be prophetic.

The third quarter began nicely for the Knights as Tyler Smyth nailed a field goal and then a three to narrow the Panther lead to 22-15. Kevin Hopperton and Andrew Winebrenner tossed in field goals and suddenly the near capacity crowd was beginning to realize that they were going to witness another barnburner between Kings and Little Miami as the Panther lead was narrowed to three at 22-19. Biz completed an And-One at just over two minutes showing on the clock and the Knights had tied the score at 22. Andrew Winebrenner’s jumper from the baseline gave the Knights their first lead of the evening. Spencer’s two free throws would widen the Knight lead to 26-22 with just over 1:30 remaining in the quarter. A Little Miami player developed cramps in his left leg and play was stopped for several minutes while he was attended to. This allowed Coach Poggi to instruct his troops off to the side while giving them a chance to catch their breath. A Knight turnover led to a Panther score, but Brooks Gear’s field goal reclaimed the Knight’s four point advantage, at 28-24, as the third quarter clock ticked to triple zeros.

A field goal and a foul shot by the Panthers narrowed the Knight lead to one as the final quarter began. Spencer Berlekamp’s two free throws, a field goal by Michael Olds, and Tyler Smyth’s field goal and trey lifted the Knights to a 10 point lead at 37-27 as the clock ran under 2 minutes. After a Little Miami time out, Smyth would bury two free throws to expand the lead to 12. With just under a minute left, Berlekamp would nail the final nail in the Panther coffin with a free throw and provide the Knights with a 41-27 victory.

Scoring totals, provided as always by Billy “The Stat Man” Bruns, showed Tyler Smyth leading the Knight offense with 12 points. Spencer Berlekamp tossed in 9 for the visitors while Brooks Gear was throwing down 6. Michael Olds, Andrew Winebrenner and Matt Rumelhart each fired in four.  Kevin Hopperton rounded out the scoring with 2. The Knights finished 9 for 16 from the Charity Stripe for 56%, while the Panthers successfully completed 5 of 7 opportunities for 71%.

With Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believin”, the team’s adopted theme song, playing in the background, the Knights celebrated this victory over their long time rival that allowed the Knights to finish 17-4 overall with a 9-1 record in the FAVCC. The victory provided the sophomores with their first league title since 5^th grade. More importantly, it provided the Knights with their second straight league title in the Junior Varsity division. As the players gathered outside the locker room a Little Miami Co-ed, wearing a “Knight Hunter” t-shirt, was spotted in the company of Kevin Hopperton. Obviously, she had found her Knight in Shining Armor.

Spencer Berlekamp, Tyler Smyth and Andrew Winebrenner have been called up to practice and dress with the varsity as state tournament action begins on Friday night against the Anderson Redskins. The action will be at Lakota West High School with tip-off at 6 PM. With the current varsity team losing seven seniors to graduation, there will be many challenges and opportunities for the 5 returning varsity players and for this strong group from the JV Team. As these Knights had learned through this memorable season, the key is that they “Don’t Stop Believin!”

Go Knights!

- Scooter Knight

February 5, 2008

            The Knights continued accumulating Frequent Bus Rider Miles as they traveled over to Harrison on Tuesday evening to take on the Wildcats. With a Tornado Watch in effect, the real storm was taking place in Harrison’s beautiful basketball arena. Knight Fans could only hope that the watched for tornado would somehow pick up this facility and place it across from Kings High School. A beautiful walkway over Columbia Road and we’d be all set. Tornado Winds or $11.5 million dollars would make this a reality!

Harrison’s Kyle Kinnett buried two threes in the opening quarter as the Wildcats, with a season record of 6-11; sprinted out to an early 11-9 lead. It was time for the Knights to turn up the defensive intensity which resulted in an effort that even recently retired Texas Tech Coach Bobby Knight would have applauded. The Knights simply got after it in the second quarter, outscoring the Wildcats 9-3, as Spencer Berlekamp knocked down two field goals and the Knights went 5 for 8 from the Free Throw Line to take an 18-14 half time lead as the Knights and Wildcats retired to their deluxe locker rooms.

The Knights continued out hustling the stunned Wildcats in the third period, again outscoring them 12-4, and increasing their lead to 30-18 as the quarter came to an end. With all 11 players, who dressed, diving for loose balls, playing intense defense and scrapping for every rebound; Coach Poggi had the luxury of liberally subbing in order to keep fresh bodies on the floor. The Knights outscored the hosts 15-6 in the final quarter and took an impressive 45-24 victory.

Billy “The Stat Man” Bruns reported that Spencer Burlekamp and Phil Fox shared scoring honors with 10 points apiece. Michael Olds tossed in 7. Matt Rumelhart poured in 6 while Tyler Smyth fired in 5. Brian Howell chipped in 4 and Stephen Boster rounded out the scoring with 3. Brooks Gear was unable to play due to illness. The Knights were successful on 13 out of their 19 free throw attempts for 68%. The Wildcats drained 4 of 7 attempts for 57%. The Knights sank 13 field goals from inside the arc while the Wildcats were only able to connect on 7.  Both teams sank two shots from outside the arc.

Assistant Coach Terry Jenkins called this the Knights’ finest defensive effort of the season. After giving up 11 points in the opening quarter, the Knights held the Wildcats to 13 points in the final three periods. Young Mr. Kinnett was held scoreless after his two three’s in the opening quarter. The Knights, now 16-4 overall, will put their 8-1 FAVCC record on the line Friday evening as they travel up to Little Miami. Last week’s victory over the Hurricane of Wilmington clinched at least a tie for the title. However, even though the young Knights have always been taught to share, no one is really interested in sharing the league title with Walnut Hills. A victory by the Knights will secure a second straight outright conference title for the JV Knights.   Tip off is at 6 PM.  Go Knights!

- Scooter Knight

February 1, 2008

            Hurricane Warnings were out Friday evening from the National Weather Service in Wilmington as their local boys boarded the bus and journeyed to the K-House to face the Knights. The men from Kings Mills had downed the Canes by 20 in their late December meeting up there. Now it was time to see if the same result would take place at The Mill.

Coach Poggi was dressed in his finest jacket as the team prepared to tip off their last home game of the season. However, a clerical error by the Wilmington Coaching Staff, when filling out the Scorebook, allowed the Knights to shoot a couple of Technical Foul Shots to start this game. Brooks Gear calmly sank both shots and the Knights were ahead 2-0 with 7:00 still on the clock. Andrew Winebrenner made a quick return to the bench after picking up two fouls in the first two minutes of the contest.  The Knights and Hurricane battled in this opening quarter with the home team holding a slight 12-9 lead at the completion of the first period of play.  Each team rolled lucky 7-‘s in the second quarter and the Knights maintained their 3 point lead as they went into half-time. Wilmington scored the first 4 points of the 3^rd quarter and took the lead. It was time for Coach Poggi’s jacket to come off, which he calmly handed to his personal assistant, Davis Jenkins.  Nick Shackelford’s buzzer beater gave the Knights a 30-25 lead at the end of the third period of play.

The start of the fourth quarter was delayed as one of the referees injured his knee at the end of the third period. Two of the referees, who were already preparing for the varsity game, hurriedly got dressed and the fourth quarter was played with three officials. The Knights were able to outscore the Canes 12-9, including three treys from Tyler Smyth, in the final quarter and come away with a 42-34 victory.

            Tyler Smyth claimed top scoring honors with 14. Andrew Winebrenner knocked down all 7 of his points in the third quarter. Brooks Gear chipped in 6. Phil Fox drained 5. Spencer Berlekamp nailed 4. Nick Shackelford and Kevin Hopperton each netted 2. Michael Olds rounded out the scoring with 1. Wilmington finished 3 for 10 from the Charity Stripe for 30%. Kings knocked down 10 out of 16 free throw opportunities for a 63% average.  

The victory brings the Knights overall season record to 15-4 and 8-1 in the FAVCC. They begin their final week of the season by journeying out to Harrison on Tuesday evening to take on the Wildcats.    Tip off is at 6 PM.  Go Knights!

- Scooter Knight

January 29, 2008

            The Knights traveled up I-75, on Tuesday evening, to take on the 12-3 Pirates of West Carrollton in a non-league battle. The Pirates came into this game averaging 60 points per game and had scored 70 in two of those games. This game was played under tight security by the First Mates of West Carrollton. No food or drinks were allowed in the gym. A few unsuspecting Knight Fans were visited in the stands by these Defenders of the Pirate Cove and asked to hand over their bounty of food or drink.

            The Knights and Pirates both struggled offensively in the opening quarter and the score was knotted, at 7, following the first seven minutes of action. The Knights offense took hold in the second quarter and they jumped out to a nice 17-10 lead as the teams left the gym for half-time refreshments. The Pirates showed that they were not ready to abandon the ship quite yet and came out firing in the third quarter. They held a 26-23 lead as the clocked ticked towards zero, but Tyler Smyth’s three at the buzzer knotted the score at 26 as the teams returned to their respective benches for final quarter instructions. The Knights took charge in the final quarter by outscoring the Pirates 19-11 and took the victory 45-37. The Knights shot an impressive 9 for 11 in the final quarter from the Free Throw Line.

            Tyler Smyth led the Knight’s in scoring with 16. Brooks Gear knocked down 8. Andrew Winebrenner nailed 7. Spencer Berlekamp and Phil Fox each netted 6. Kevin Hopperton completed the scoring with 2. The Knights shot a very impressive 12 for 16 from the line (75%) while the Pirates walked the plank in shooting 4 for 9 (44%).  West Carrollton’s Harris had scored 32, 27 and 24 in his last three games. The Knights swarming defense held young Mr. Harris to 10 this evening.

The victory brings the Knights overall season record to 14-4. They will put their  7-1 FAVCC leading record on the line Friday night as the Hurricane of Wilmington come calling. This promises to be an exciting evening of basketball as the varsity game will,  in all likelihood, determine the league championship. Plan on getting to the K-House early for a good seat and root both Knight Teams onto victory.   Tip off is at 6 PM.  Go Knights!

- Scooter Knight

January 25, 2008

            The Knights headed down to Spartan Country on Friday night to take on a team that they had beaten by 20 earlier in the season. However, since Turpin, with a current record of 6-8, had started basketball late due to a successful football playoff run, it would remain how much the Spartans had improved.

It didn’t take long to find out as the Spartans jumped out to a quick 12-6 first quarter lead. The home team continued to have the advantage and took a 22-15 lead into half-time.  The Knights outscored Turpin in the third quarter, 10-6, and trailed by just three, 28-25, as the teams went to their respective benches. As the stands began to fill for the much anticipated Varsity Game, the fans were treated to an intense fourth quarter of JV action. Tyler Smyth’s trey with just over two minutes remaining gave the Knights a one point margin at 33-32. A Turpin free throw knotted the score just 10 seconds later. Spencer Berlekamp drained two free throws with just a minute to play to push the Knight advantage to two, but the Spartans answered with two free throws of their own to knot the score at 35 with just under a minute to play. Both teams had several changes to put points on the board in the final 53 seconds but could not capitalize and the game went to overtime.

Tyler Smyth scored a lay-up off the opening tip to put the Knights up by two. Smyth would later nail one of two chances from the free throw line followed by two more from Michael Olds. Brooks Gear drained a field goal and the Knights were up by 7. A late Turpin bucket was the only offense the Spartans could generate in the overtime period and the Knights came away with a hard fought, albeit ugly, win at 42-37.

Brooks Gear became the newest Knight to lead the team in scoring with 11. Tyler Smyth and Spencer Berlekamp both had 10. Phil Fox contributed 5 while Michael Olds was chipping in 4. Matt Rumelhart. rounded out the Knight scoring with 2. The Knights were 15 for 21 from the line for 71%, while the Spartans were 8 for 15 for 53%.

The victory brings the Knights overall season record to 13-4 and 7-1 in the FAVCC. With a Walnut Hills loss this evening, the Knights find themselves at the top of the FAVCC and in control of their own destiny as they seek their second straight FAVCC JV Crown. They will travel north on I-75 Tuesday evening to take on the Pirates of West Carrolton.  Tip off is at 6 PM.  Go Knights!

- Scooter Knight

January 22, 2008

            The Warriors of Lebanon started shooting as soon as they hit I-71 South and never stopped until they left the K-House on Tuesday evening. Some nights you just have to tip your hat to the opposing team’s shooting and this was one of those nights.  

The Warriors, with an overall record of 9-4, wasted little time in beginning their aerial assault as they drained five threes in the first quarter and jumped out to a 23-12 lead. The Knights stayed right with the visitors, who hit three more threes in the second quarter, but still trailed by 12 as they went to the locker room down, 36-24. Any hope of a comeback was quickly dashed in the third quarter as the Warriors continued to drain the three, hitting three more, and led 49-32 at the completion of the third. The Knights were held scoreless until the 3:20 mark of the final quarter and went down to defeat 61-44.

            Spencer Berlekamp led the Knight attack with 8 points. Michael Olds nailed 7. Tyler Smyth and Phil Fox each netted 6. Brian Howell and Brooks Gear tossed in 5 apiece. Matt Rumelhart banked in a three for his only points of the evening. No, he didn’t call it! Alec Sadowski and Nick Shackelford rounded out the scoring with 2 points each.

 The Warriors only shot 2 free throws the entire game, going 1 for 2, which was probably a good thing since they were going 12 for 15 from behind the three point line. They also connected on 12 Field Goals from inside the arc. Matt Allen drained 23 points for the Warriors including 7 threes.  The Knights connected on 11 Field Goals from inside the arc and nailed 5 from outside. In a highlight, perhaps the only one, of the night the Knights shot 88% from the Charity Stripe as they went 7 for 8.

The loss drops the Knights season record to 12-4. They will hit the road on Friday night and travel to Turpin for a showdown with the Spartans. Tip off is at 6 PM.  Go Knights!

- Scooter Knight

January 19, 2008

            The Knights were right back on the court Saturday afternoon as they entertained the Thunderhawks of Lakota East. The last time the Knights played in the K-House was on Tuesday evening against Mason. The atmosphere was not the same on this Saturday afternoon with parents making up most of the sparse crowd, no music, pep band, announcer, cheerleaders, etc.

The Knights came out as flat as four tires being driven over “Stop-Sticks” and found themselves behind 6-0 midway through the 1^st quarter. A bucket by Hunter Jones at the 3:25 mark gave the Knights hope, but the Thunderhawks proceeded to run off 10 unanswered points to take a 16-2 lead. The Knights were able to locate some offense in the second quarter, as they outscored the Hawks, 13-11, and narrowed the score to 27-15 as they went to the locker rooms. The Knights cut the deficit to 10 several times in the third quarter but could not quite maintain that momentum and still trailed by 12, at 35-23, at the buzzer. Two three throws by Stephen Boster, with just a little over 4 minutes remaining, brought the Knights to within 8, at 37-29. Unfortunately, the Knights were unable to climb any closer and fell to the Thunderhawks, 50-38.

            Hunter Jones led the Knight attack with 11 points. Stephen Boster and Matt Rumelhart tossed in 8 points apiece. Brian Howell knocked in 7. Phil Fox and Brooks Gear each had 2. Freshmen Jonny Brewster and Jason Crull saw their first JV action. Corey Keebler led the Thunderhawks with 24. The Knights shot 7 for 10 from the Charity Stripe (70%) while the visitors were shooting 7 for 11 for 64%. Throw out the first quarter and the Knights win 36-34. However, this isn’t hockey so you play four quarters and the Knights first quarter woes put them too far behind to catch up.

            The loss brings the Knights season record to 12-3. They will return to FAVCC action on Friday night as they travel back down I-275 to Turpin and take on the always tough Spartans. Tip off will be at 6 PM.  Go Knights!

- Scooter Knight

January 15, 2008

            Neighborhood bragging rights were on the line Tuesday evening as the Comets of Mason flew over to the K-House. Mason’s infamous student body, “The Black Hole”, was out in force to support their team and provided a large crowd to begin the contest.  The Knight Student Body was right there also and lent to a festive atmosphere.

The Knights jumped out to an early 13-8 first quarter lead. The visitors narrowed that lead slightly and the teams retired to the locker rooms with the home team holding a 19-15 lead. A near capacity crowd greeted both teams as they returned to the floor after  half-time. The vocal student bodies from both schools were in place and ready to support their chosen school. The Knights continued to score on the offensive end of the floor, but Mason was stepping up their offensive effort and narrowed the Knight lead to two, 33-31, as the third quarter ended. The fourth quarter was high school basketball at its finest as both teams battled for the lead. Coach Poggi felt the warmth of the contest and “tossed” his coat half-way through the quarter.  In the end, Mason held on to win 45-42.

Spencer Berlekamp led the Knight scoring with 12. Hunter Jones and Tyler Smyth both scored in double-figures with 10 points apiece. Matt Rumelhart knocked in 6 while Andrew Winebrenner and Brooks Gear were each dropping in 2. The Comets connected on 8 of 16 chances from the free throw line (50%) while the Knights weren’t doing any better at 7 for 16 (44%).

The loss drops the Knights season record to 11-2. They will now put their 5-1 FAVCC record on the line Friday night as they travel to Amelia.  Tip off will be at 6PM. Go Knights!

- Scooter Knight

January 11, 2008

            The conference leading Eagles of Walnut Hills flew into Kings Mills on Friday evening sporting a perfect 12-0 season record, which included a 5-0 record inside the FAVCC.  Walnut Hills had downed Kings at the Eagles Nest, by three points, earlier in the season for the Knights only loss of the year.

            The Eagles Head Coach was not pleased with the Zebras’ early whistles and earned a Technical Foul for arguing calls. He would spend the remainder of the game making those observations on the officials while seated on the bench.  Michael Olds buried both free throws, which was all the more amazing because of Michael’s new face mask he was wearing to protect a broken nose he had received in the previous day’s practice. Several of Michael’s teammates were asking where they could obtain such a fashion statement. Perhaps everyone should have worn such a mask as a sign of team unity! The Knights continued to battle and when Tyler Smyth buried a three point shot at the buzzer, the Knights lead by eight at 18-10. The Eagles clawed back in the second quarter and narrowed the Knight lead to 25-23 as the teams retired to the locker room for half-time refreshments and instructions.

            The Knights jumped out to a 32-27 lead in the third quarter, but an Eagle bucket and a quick trey off a turnover knotted the score at 32 with just over a minute remaining. The Knights were able to gather another bucket which sent them into the final frame with a 2 point advantage at 34-32. Both teams’ defenses tightened and the score was knotted at 37 with just seven ticks left on the clock. Nick Shackelford calmly buried two free throws which gave the Knights a 39-37 advantage. A Desperation Three at the buzzer went long for the Eagles and the Knights left the court tied for the FAVCC lead.

            Michael Olds and Hunter Jones shared high scoring honors with 9 points apiece. Spencer Berlekamp knocked in 6. Matt Rumelhart, Nick Shackelford and Andrew Winebrenner each contributed 4. Tyler Smyth chipped in 3 to round out the Knight scoring. Kings finished 12 for 16 from the stripe for a much improved 75% Free Throw shooting percentage. Walnut Hills completed the night at 3 for 8 for 38%.

 The victory brings the Knights season record to 11-1 and 5-1 in the FAVCC. They will now turn their attention to backyard rival Mason as the Comets come to visit the K-House on Tuesday evening. A Standing Room Only Crowd is expected with over 300 students from Mason already planning to be in the house.  It’s an evening of basketball that you won’t want to miss.  Tip off will be at 6PM. Go Knights!

- Scooter Knight