ShawneeDispatch.com

After trailing 9-8 halfway through the first quarter, the Shawnee Mission Northwest boys basketball team ended the first half on a 25-8 run, burying visiting Leavenworth on the way to a 59-42 rout Friday at the Northwest gymnasium.

Senior post Steve Carver was the game’s high-scorer with 23 points to go with three rebounds and two steals in the Cougars’ Senior Night victory. Junior guard Trey Fruehling added 13 points, five rebounds and three assists to help lift Northwest to a 12-6 record and 6-2 mark in the Sunflower League.

“In the first half I thought we played really well,” said Northwest head coach Mike Rose outside the Cougar locker room just after the win. “We played really well defensively. We went on a stretch where we really clamped down defensively. We talked all week about our defense and we’ve got to be better on the defensive end of the floor because the defense really helps generate our offense more.”

Indeed, the Cougars scored several of their points off fastbreak opportunities created by the defense. Both Carver and junior forward A.J. Spencer treated the home crowd to thunderous dunks off the break.

In addition to Carver and Fruehling’s efforts, Northwest also received nine points, a team-high eight rebounds and three assists from junior forward Drew Goodger and eight points, two rebounds and two steals from senior guard Nick Feighner. Spencer directed the Cougar break all night and piled up a season-high 10 assists to go with his six points and five boards.

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