Palmer j.v. boys win

The Palmer Moose boys' junior varsity basketball team displayed a run-and-gun style offense that put points on the board in a flurry against the visiting Houston Hawks Tuesday.

With an offense that quickly pushed the ball up the court to score fast-break points, the Moose outgunned the Hawks for a 73-39 victory at Palmer High School.

"We have a good group of kids," said Palmer coach Howard Tresham. "We had height and good shooters -- it's a solid j.v. team."

The Moose opened the game by immediately demonstrating its ability to run up the court, scoring 20 points in the first quarter by using the advantage of speed and height.

With the vast majority of Palmer players more than 6-feet-tall, the Moose were able to plug the inside on defense and deny penetration, forcing the Hawks to shoot from the perimeter.

The Moose also pressed hard in the first half to give the Hawks problems bringing the ball up the court. With every turnover or defensive rebound, Palmer was off to the races with a fast break to its basket.

"We wanted to come out pressing to create turnovers," Tresham said. "This gives us good opportunities to push the ball up the court and get layups."

Houston was able to get some good looks for scoring opportunities in the first quarter, but the Hawks' shooting was cold and they were unable to convert a basket.

Houston shooting warmed up in the second quarter as they were able to hit shots from the perimeter. Vincent Veit drained two three-pointers to help the Hawks to a 13-point second quarter.

Palmer continued the quick transition game in the quarter to keep the game at a fast pace. Devon Kurtis controlled the inside by scoring 10 of the 19 points for the Moose in the quarter as Palmer cruised into halftime with a 39-13 lead.

Palmer relaxed the tempo in the third quarter, dropping the press and playing a half-court game on offense.

The Moose scored 10 points in the quarter but Houston showed signs of life with solid play to score 14 points. Palmer led 49-27 at the end of the third quarter.

"We dropped the press because we didn't want to run up the score," Tresham said. "When we did that, we became lackadaisical, playing with less intensity."

Palmer increased the tempo again in the fourth quarter and blew the game open with 24 points in the quarter to take the 73-39 win. Six players scored for the Moose as the fast pace and dominate inside play overwhelmed the Hawks.

Kurtis led the Moose scoring attack with 20 points in the game. Veit led all Hawks scorers with 13 points.