When Class 2A champion North Kitsap needed a kick, Jonas La Tour delivered the roundhouse to deter upset-minded Port Angeles: 3 takeaways

POULSBO - The target looms large on Class 2A boys basketball champion North Kitsap - especially in its own backyard.

Junior Jonas La Tour scored a game-high 29 points, with 15 coming in the final nine minutes, and the Vikings overcame a second-half deficit to rally past Port Angeles, 73-69, on Saturday afternoon in 2A Olympic League action.

Cade Orness added 14 points, and Johny Olmstead chipped in with 13. North Kitsap held the Roughriders scoreless for a span of 4 minutes, 5 seconds in the second half, turning an eight-point deficit into a lead (with 15 unanswered points) it never relinquished.

Junior Xavier Maestas scored 20 of his team-high 23 points in the second half, including five 3-pointers. John Vaara added 12 points.

"We found out a lot about each other today," North Kitsap boys coach Scott Orness said.

Here are three takeaways from the North Kitsap-Port Angeles game:

EVEN WHEN HE IS MISFIRING, JONAS LA TOUR NEEDS TO KEEP SHOOTING

Cade Orness is a nice addition, and future all-state type point guard. And Johny Olmstead is scoring more this season.

But the fuel in the North Kitsap jet is La Tour. His big-moment playmaking gives this team energy.

"It feeds us," Scott Orness said. "It feeds us, whether he is hitting, or dunking - or doing something."

Even though La Tour was the Vikings' scoring leader in the first half, he hadn't connected on any shots from long range.

"Luckily, I have the green light from Coach (Orness), so I am not going to stop shooting," La Tour said. "Plus, I find other ways to help my team."

After a Maestas' 3-pointer gave the Roughriders a 49-41 lead at the 1:17 mark of the third quarter, La Tour went on a quick 5-0 run by himself - including his first 3-pointer with 30 seconds remaining in the quarter.

A minute into the final quarter, another La Tour 3-pointer gave North Kitsap the lead for good - 50-49.

NORTH KITSAP HAS A NEW AGITATOR. HE HAPPENS TO ALSO BE THE SCHOOL'S BEST ATHLETE

So, what is all-state football player (QB/S) and future Washington State University baseball player Colton Bower up to these days?

He is causing all kind of havoc in his third sport - basketball.

Last season, Bower was a deep-bench player during the Vikings' run to the 2A crown.

This spring, he is a starter with one role in mind - instigate. He took offensive charges, and guarded not only Port Angeles' strongest guard in Chase Cobb, he took on the 6-foot-9 Vaara in the paint.

"How many charges did he take today?" Scott Orness said. "What impresses me the most, he is such a high-level football and baseball player. To be able to come in and be a role player (in basketball), and do that kind of stuff, it shows what of kid he is."

PORT ANGELES SHOULD CONTINUE TO GO TOE-TO-TOE WITH THE 2A CHAMPS

Cobb and Dru Clark are valuable senior leaders in the backcourt, and will be missed at the end of this spring.

But the Roughriders are set up nicely next season with nine players who will be returning seniors in 2021-22.

Vaara is a classic back-to-the-basket post player who presents a unique challenge in the 2A Olympic with his size and skill. He was particularly effective against the Vikings in the first half Saturday.

Maestas has a much-improved stroke built to knock down 3-pointers. Port Angeles boys coach Kasey Ulin calls it a "compact shot delivered with ultra-confidence."

But the player to really monitor is Wyatt Dunning, a 6-5 forward who has a similar skill set as La Tour.

The pieces are there. Now, Port Angeles has to continue to put it all together.

"Today, you saw a team that has won a state title - and another team that is trying to get to that level," Ulin said. "They had a little more composure than us.

"For us, we've got to learn from those mistakes. ... But these guys are ready to take on anybody."