Daum Scores 21 As Kimball Boys Capture Seventh Consecutive WTC Crown

Kimball’s seventh consecutive Western Trails Conference title on Saturday did not come as easy as the 42-28 score line would indicate.

Bridgeport outscored the Longhorns 14-7 in the second period of a long defensive struggle and tacked on 4 more quick points at the start of the third, closing to within one, 21-20.

But there was something intangible driving Kimball’s veterans.

“We didn’t want to be the team to end the streak,” Caleb Reuter, Austin Pile and Zack Rockhold-O’Brien said in unison.

The looming subdistricts clearly matter more in the long run than a conference tournament crown. This event, however, has become a marker—something each Longhorns’ class uses to measure itself against the past.

“I won’t lie, you think about it,” Reuter admitted.

And so, over the remaining six minutes of the third quarter, Kimball hammered the Bulldogs with blow after blow in a staggering offensive performance.

Mike Daum drilled a turn around from the low post then Reuter, left open as Bridgeport’s defense collapsed on Daum and Jake Reader, sank a three from the top of the key.

The senior forward followed up on the next possession with a short jumper, putting the Longhorns on top 28-20.

“We knew what we had to do,” Daum said. “We had to jump on them right away.”

The lightning 6-0 run would mean little if Bridgeport kept pace, however. And the Longhorns were very clear about what finally turned things in their favor.

“Defense,” Jordon Berger explained in one word.

In the second quarter, Leighton Freeze, Jason Amateis and Jaime Gonzalez chiseled at the Longhorns with accurate perimeter shots. Coming out of the break, coach Bruce Tjosvold employed an age-old scheme to plug the resulting leak.

“We switched to a 2-3,” Rockhold-O’Brien said. “That shut them down.”

The Bulldogs took possession with 4:11 left in the third. They looked for a shot for 45 seconds, but Kimball’s defense blocked every avenue. Eventually they lost control in the effort, but won possession back after corralling the loose ball.

After another 15 seconds, Quintin Baxter converted from six feet out.

But Kimball’s tenacity on defense was matched by ferocity on the other end of the floor. The Longhorns countered with a 14-2 explosion, during which Reader scored on a put back and breakaway, Rockhold-O’Brien hit on a diagonal drive and Daum netted three from the paint.

“Coach Mohr and coach Dea worked on a motion set all week,” Tjosvold pointed out. “That’s what got them.”

Reader also sank two free throws after a collision sent him skidding across the floor for the third or fourth time on the night—his usual physical performance.

When asked about the feel of WNCC’s floor, Reader just chuckled.

“It gets softer every time I hit it,” he said.

In the end, Kimball’s seniors—Pile, Reuter, Rockhold-O’Brien, Berger, Bernie Bridge and Nolan Adrian defended the team’s WTC legacy.

“It feels incredible,” Rockhold-O’Brien said, summing up the experience. “I’m glad we didn’t mess it up.”