NEAH BAY — Two midseason defeats weighed heavily on the mind of Neah Bay boys basketball player Abraham Venske.
Venske, last year’s Peninsula Daily News All-Peninsula MVP, didn’t like what he saw from himself and his team after nonleague losses in January to Sequim and Lummi.
Sequim’s Alex Barry took the Red Devils to school on their home court, exploding for 37 points in a 84-64 win.
Against Lummi, Neah Bay trailed just 44-42 in the second half before being run over by a 31-7 Blackhawks run to close the game.
Venske put up 10 points in that game, his lowest scoring output of the season.
In a span of little more than a week, the Red Devils had lost their No. 1 ranking and, more importantly, their long-held identity as a high-scoring team with intense defensive effort leading to easy transition baskets.
“We weren’t hustling as much as we were last year,” Venske said.
“And just not getting after it like we needed to.
“We had to commit to playing harder.”
Beyond the player-identified issues with effort, Neah Bay coach Stan Claplanhoo decided to rethink his team’s personnel and make a move.
With a roster packed with capable ball-handlers but short on height, Claplanhoo sent Venske, a gifted dribbler, shot-creator and scorer, into the post on offense to scrap for interior baskets and rebounds.
On the defensive end, Venske’s height, long arms and leaping ability help protect the rim and start the break with rebounds and outlet passes.
“You look at the roster, and we have a lot of guards,” Venske said.
“I’ve learned how to play as a guard and a big so I don’t mind [the move] much at all. It really helps with our rebounding.”
With the 6-foot-3 Venske down low, the Red Devils have run off a 12-1 record, their only loss coming in a 58-56 defeat to No. 1-ranked Lummi on the last possession of last Saturday’s Tri-District championship beauty contest.
“Moving Abe from the point to the post helped a lot,” Claplanhoo said.
“He’s tough to stop anywhere on the court.
“Abraham and John [Reamer] are our biggest, strongest fellas inside so that helps.
“Reggie [Buttram] getting healthy after his football injury and coming off the bench has helped us a lot, too.
“And we’ve got guys that can dribble the ball on top. We have three or four guys that can run point for us.”
Claplanhoo listed sophomore guard Kenrick Doherty Jr., junior Ryan Moss and freshman Rweha Munyagi Jr. as capable ball-handlers and distributors.
Standing in the way of Neah Bay’s fifth straight trip to the Class 1B state tournament is Saturday’s regional matchup with Three Rivers Christian (18-3) at 4 p.m. at Mount Tahoma High School.
Three Rivers Christian is a team known for mixing and matching zone defenses to stop opponents.
That should invite opportunities for Venske to use his facilitation and scoring skills in the high post.
“And if they are going to zone us, we can go to the high post with Abe,” Claplanhoo said.
“Once he pivots and turns and makes a move, everything opens up.
“He can take it to the hole on the dribble, he can force the double team and pass to a shooter, or we can send cutters to the rim and he can see over the top to feed them.”
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Sports reporter Michael Carman can be contacted at 360-452-2345, ext. 5250 or at mcarman@peninsualdailynews.com.
