The list of things that travel effectively for the Knoch boys basketball team is a long one. The Knights’ efficient, ruthless offense is one with which all their Section 1-4A opponents will have to reckon.
Knoch made its first eight shots during a 56-32 road win over Burrell on Tuesday.
Senior forward Derek Lang scored a team-high 17 points, including eight in the first quarter.
“I think we move it really quickly,” Lang said. “We move it where anyone can score at any time. We trust each other to score. That leads us to attack. If we can dish it, we dish it.”
Knoch (14-2, 8-0) has won its last three games by at least 28 points. The Knights have shown they can be efficient on offense no matter the environment. Knoch has played 11 of its 16 games at neutral sites or away from home.
Knoch coach Joe Lafko has been insistent the defense travels. Other things have, too.
“Taking high-percentage shots travels,” Lafko said. “We were able to do that effectively at times in our offense today.”
The Knights’ efficiency on both sides of the ball early allowed them to win despite not scoring in the fourth quarter. Knoch opened the game with a layup by Lang 20 seconds in.
“We had a lot of good passes against their 2-3 zone,” Lafko said. “Derek Lang and Liam Avon were moving well inside the interior, and we had some good precision passes.”
Vinnie DeFelice (13 points) and Avon (12) also scored in double figures for the Knights.
Lang’s opening make kicked off a 12-0 run that ended when Sam Conte made a free throw with 3:37 left in the first quarter.
“They have guards who can shoot, and they have guards who can get to the hoop and they have size to throw in there with it,” Buccaneers coach Mike Fantuzzo said. “It’s a tough matchup for anyone.”
The Knights shot 75% (9 of 12) in the first quarter and 60% (26 of 43) for the game. Knoch didn’t make a 3-pointer.
The Knights defense limited Burrell to one point in the first quarter. The Buccaneers were 0 of 5 from the field.
Burrell’s offense opened up in the second quarter. Adam Wass, who scored a team-high 10 points, made two 3-pointers, and Conte added one for the Buccaneers.
Knoch took a 35-13 lead into halftime. Lang said he is proud of how Knoch has defended.
“It gives us confidence,” Lang said. “We are humble with it. We know at any time we could be upset. We come out here with our defense every day.”
Burrell had a five-game winning streak snapped. Fantuzzo said he believes the Buccaneers are still in good position for the playoff race.
“Knoch’s going to do that to a lot of different teams,” Fantuzzo said. “We control our destiny and are sitting in third place. We need to win these next few games. We think we should win, and we’ll be OK.”