Team seeks to improve record

By Dean Wong

With the season half over, the Ballard Beavers boys basketball team is looking to improve on it's fifth place standing in KingCo's Mountain Division.

Ballard is 1 and 6 in league play and 7-6 overall, after losing to Franklin 58-42 last Friday. The Beavers hosted South West Roos, a team from Australia on Jan. 8 and beat the visiting team 63-37.

Under the bright lights of Key Arena on Dec. 27, the Ballard Beavers defeated their old 3A rival Chief Sealth 47-33 in a non-league game.

"The kids played real hard today in a tough environment (Key Arena). This place is not easy to play in. They played unselfish and beat a real good team, so we're real happy," said head coach Billy Rodgers.

The Beavers victory is more satisfying a year after losing to Chief Sealth by one point in the championship game of the Bellevue Community College Holiday Tournament.

Consistency is lacking this season. Ballard has won four in a row, followed by four losses, then two wins. "We're hoping to get the good streaks and eliminate the bad streaks," said Rodgers.

Ballard is a young team that has so far handled the schedule fairly well. "For the most part they have weathered it. They have done a nice job," said Rodgers.

The Beavers have stressed defense in recent years and this season is no exception. They are holding opponents to 47.8 points a game to rank fifth best in that category in KingCo.

Although game statistics were not available, Ballard kept Chief Sealth star Jordan Kidd in check. He had been averaging 24.5 points to lead Metro 3A.

The team has room to improve on offense where they are averaging 44.6 points for ninth best in KingCo. Junior Berhanu Merkonnen was key to the Chief Sealth win with his scoring under the basket. He led the team in the Liberty win with 17 points.

Last season's freshman star John Barnes is continuing to get better. He is scoring 11.5 points a game with 7.6 rebounds. Guard Eric Taylor is contributing 10.6 points, 3.5 assists and 1.9 steals per game.

Other players have been stepping up with strong performances. Jimmy Mirante added 11 points, Barnes 9 and Ben Wilson 7 in the Liberty win.

The Seattle Sonics allow six high school teams a year to play an afternoon game in the arena if the school purchases 250 tickets for that evening's Sonics game. Fans who bought tickets were then allowed into the Seattle and Boston game hours later.

"It's a great opportunity for the kids to play on an NBA (National Basketball Association) floor. It is something they will always remember," said Rodgers.

Prior the start of the game, guard Eric Taylor was finding his shooting touch on the Key Arena rims. "It's a huge place. It will be fun to play the court," he said.