By SCOTT SPRUILL
YAKIMA HERALD-REPUBLIC

Close, but not too close.

Touch, but don't grab.

Direct, but don't force.

Harass, but don't foul.

Davis' Curtis Gomez-Trimble, left, hand checks Kamiakin's Travis Wingfield during a Jan. 8 game.   GORDON KING/Yakima Herald-Republic View all photos for this story.

Those are some of fine-line aspects of open-court defense and there isn't anyone in the Big Nine Conference that applies them better than Davis' Curtis Gomez-Trimble and Eisenhower's Alex Johnson.

The pressure defense of these two floor leaders, who are both point guards on offense, is a big reason the Yakima teams sit atop the conference as they head into Monday's Tourneytown.com Shootout showdown in the SunDome.

And, not surprisingly, it's the blue-collar pride of their game.

"I'd like to think that's one of my strengths, most definitely," Johnson said. "I like that challenge, one-on-one. If you get the best of me, I'll get the best of you."

Gomez-Trimble, a four-year varsity player, is the latest lightning rod in the Pirates' trademark line-to-line defense. Before the game settles into a half-court set, his goal is simple -- wear his counterpart down.

"I'm trying to bring as much pressure on the point guard as possible and then maintain that," he said. "Hopefully that wears them down a little more each time down the court."

The desire to make life generally miserable for the other team's ball-handler has obviously benefits. The trick is not succumbing to the risks.

There's a reason coaches and fans often yell, "Come on ref, get his hands off him!"

In the strict technical sense of hand checking, the buzz phrase of open-court defense, contact is not allowed. But, of course, it is to a certain extent or we'd be playing three-hour games with a ton of free throws.

Knowing how much you can push the edge and test a referee's tolerance is all part of the game. And it can vary greatly, especially in a conference that covers five different officials' associations.

"That's something that takes a while to learn," said Gomez-Trimble, who has played in all the Big Nine's gyms a number of times. "Some places you know it's going to be called tight, like Walla Walla or Richland. You just have to see what's going on, what's being called, and adjust to it. I've got my team to think about, and I don't want to get in foul trouble all the time."

While bringing the ball upcourt, a player clearly is entitled to freedom of movement. A hand-check or any contact, while technically a no-no, won't likely result in a whistle if that freedom doesn't appear to be impeded.

Eisenhower's Alex Johnson chases the ball upcourt during the Cadets' game against Davis on Feb. 10, 2004.   JEFF HALLER/Yakima Herald-Republic View all photos for this story.

A word frequently used by officials is displacement. If a defensive player is making contact but the offensive player is not displaced, then a call may not be warranted. Some might argue that hand checking of any kind is an unfair advantage for the defense and should be called whether there's displacement or not.

There are other considerations, such as whether the contact is incidental, reactionary or continuous.

So, insofar as interpretations of contact and its effect can vary, there exists a gray area. But one thing is clear -- get an early call and you better back off.

"I get greedy like any one else," Johnson admitted. "Sometimes refs will allow you to use your hands and arms a little more, but you have to watch how they're calling it. I learn quick because I don't want to sit on the bench with a bunch of reach fouls."

Coaches stress the one unavoidable truth of open-court defense: The hands aren't the key, it's the feet. You may not be able to impede a player with your hands and arms, but you can with your quickness.

In this regard, Gomez-Trimble and Johnson are well equipped and last fall their skills translated to football quite well. Gomez-Trimble led the Big Nine in receiving yardage (777) and started in the defensive secondary, and Johnson passed for over 1,100 yards, rushed for nine touchdowns and was an all-conference defensive back.

To hone his court speed, Johnson spends a part of every practice session running coach Pat Fitterer's "UCLA slide drill," where he mirrors a ball-handler up and down the floor.

"It's fun but it's work. It's all in the feet," said Johnson, who has regained his full lateral speed following a knee injury last season. "On every possession I want to make their guy work hard, and the most important thing I can do is move my feet and stay right with him."

Gomez-Trimble and the Pirates (6-0) will have to deal with Southridge (5-3) and Pasco (7-1) this weekend before they meet Eisenhower (7-1) in the SunDome for Monday's nightcap at 8:30.

The Cadets play only Kennewick (1-7) tonight before Monday's rivalry renewal.

So Davis' defensive spark knows it will be a long four days with his energy reserves being taxed to the max.

"But that's what's fun about it," he said. "I want my best games to be these two coming up."