Boys Basketball: Kevin Siudut shines as Taft tops Gordon Tech

Updated: December 30, 2011 10:38PM

From start to finish, the championship game of the 47th Annual Luther North Holiday Tournament doubled as the Kevin Siudut Show.

The 6-foot-6 senior center from Taft threw down a reverse alley-oop dunk on the Eagles’ first possession to bring the crowd to its feet for the first time.

It wouldn’t be the last.

“Coach says it brings momentum and we try to work off that play,” Siudut said. “We’re a defensive team and it gets our intensity going right away.”

Gordon Tech (6-6) went on an 8-0 run to take a 16-11 lead late in the first quarter, but Siudut decided to take over.

He had a steal, six quick points – including a fast break two-handed rim rocker, two blocks and three assists, an offensive rebound that led to a three, and took a charge in a five-minute spurt in which Taft when on a 24-2 run that stunned the Rams before the first half was even over.

When all was said and done, Siudut had 22 points, 10 rebounds, five blocks and five assists as Taft took the title over Gordon Tech, 74-65.

“This whole week, Tim (Reamer) was in foul trouble and he’s normally our big scorer, so I just picked up his role,” Siudut said. “I just got to do what I got to do.”

In the third quarter, Gordon Tech kept the game close but couldn’t cut the deficit under 10 in the period. Both teams were in the bonus with seven minutes remaining, and the fourth quarter was merely an exercise in free throws.

Taft (10-5) made nine of 16 free throws in the fourth to salt away the victory and begin celebrating its championship.

“To be honest, I don’t know how we win without Kevin,” Taft coach Brett Nishbayashi said. “Tim was in foul trouble and we needed the bench tonight.

“Pierre Pozzi and Isiah Love played some real quality shots for us. They came up big down the stretch when we needed something from them.

“The bench is really starting to develop, and our team is nowhere near this good if they don’t bust our starters butts in practice every day.”

Siudut did have a lot of help, as Josh Doss had 10 points and nine rebounds, Reamer added 11 points and seven boards and Pozzi finished with 11 points as well.

“We’re learning how to play with a little bit of a target on our back, you could say,” Nishbayashi said. “Gordon Tech came out ready to play a championship game and we had to answer them.”

Tech had four scorers in double figures, led by Sam Rarick and Devanchey Bell with 15. Jerry Davis and Mahlike Graham chipped in 11 points for the Rams in the losing effort.

Davis and Bell landed on the all-tournament team for Tech, while Siudut and Reamer picked up the honors for the Eagles.

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