Published
January 20, 2003 |
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Any Shot Is a Perfect Shot
for Knights' Lance Den BoerWho
says Sunnyside Christian's offense isn't balanced?
The Knights get points from the under the basket and out beyond the 3-point
line -- way out, sometimes. They also get their share of medium-range hoops,
from on or around the foul line.
That most of them come from one remarkable player isn't Lance Den Boer's
fault.
The newly crowned state career scoring champion said Monday that, no, he
doesn't have a favorite shot or favorite move or even a favorite spot on the
court from which to operate.
"If a guy comes out at the 3-point line, I'll try to drive around him and
finish at the basket or pull up for a jumper if I have to," Den Boer said
after his historic 33-point performance in the first Tourneytown.com
Shootout in the Yakima Valley SunDome. "I pretty much just take what the
defense gives me."
Which, given Den Boer's 6-foot-6 stature, strength and shooting range, is
substantial. As is his scoring average -- 33.4 per game going into a weekend
that saw Den Boer post 31 against La Salle on Friday night and 47 against
Klickitat on Saturday, both in one-sided Sunnyside Christian victories.
The latter game was so out of hand in fact that Den Boer's coach, Dean
Wagenaar, chose to rest his star even though he was only 12 points from
breaking the record with plenty of time left in the game.
"I took him out with 2:30 left in the third quarter Saturday night,"
Wagenaar said. "I wasn't going to let him do it that night because we were
too far ahead. I figured he had a good chance to get 12 tonight."
In the first quarter, even.
In a Greater Columbia B League game against Riverside Christian, a team that
had used its patient, patterned offense to come within 46-37 of the Knights
in Sunnyside on Jan. 10, got the Knights started two baskets off drives,
then two free throws after being fouled on a fast break.
Later, with 2:16 left in the first quarter, came one of Den Boer's
crowd-pleasing 3-pointers. That made the totals for both Den Boer and his
team 9, opposed to Riverside Christian's 4.
A 2-pointer would tie Jeremy Groth's 2,447 points, which were scored for
Curlew High School from 1996-2000. A 3-ball would surpass them.
And a sizable crowd was buzzing with anticipation.
With 7:20 to play in the first half Den Boer scored inside, off an assist
from his younger brother, Chad. His next point, whether it came from the
foul line, under the basket or out on the perimeter, would do it.
Den Boer launched a 3 with 6:10 to play, and the crowd prepared to erupt.
But the shot rimmed out, putting history on hold. But not for long.
Inside the 5:00 mark, Den Boer took the ball far out on his right wing with
a defender in tow. Disdaining the long ball, Den Boer made a quick fake to
his right, then drove left and pulled up near the foul line.
His textbook right-handed jumper was true, and with 4:40 left in the half
the game was stopped, with those in attendance standing, so the momentous
occasion could be recognized.
Ron Deaton, who capped a 2,112-point career for Naches in 1987, or when Den
Boer was 2 and there was no 3-point shot, joined Yakima Bears' general
manager Bob Romero at center court, congratulated the new scoring king and
gave him the ball.
Being that it was league game and all, Den Boer's business remained
unfinished. He had 22 points at halftime, the same as his team's total, and
signed off with 3:37 to play, having scored 33 points and securing Sunnyside
Christian's 52-32 victory.
Den Boer has 2,469 points with six regular season games, plus district,
regional and probably state appearances left. Should the Knights go deep
into the Class B state tournament, which they won last year, Den Boer could
conceivably challenge the 3,000-point mark.
But none of that seemed to concern him Monday night.
"The nice thing is," Den Boer said, "now we can focus on all the things we
need to improve on as a group -- getting better chemistry and getting
everything clicking.
"Our goal is to get to state and play on Saturday again. We'd like to play
for the championship, of course, but that's a long way off."
Not to belabor an individual accomplishment -- albeit one this remarkable --
but would Den Boer remember his record-breaking shot?
"Yeah, I'll remember it," he said, smiling. "I'll remember that shot for the
rest of my life."
And so will most who were lucky enough to see it.
It was Den Boer at his record-breaking best -- faking, driving and shooting.
Taking what the defense was giving.
Which, for this remarkable athlete, has totaled 2,469 points and counting.
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Roger
Underwood
Yakima Herald-Republic
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