Downey boys basketball gives away game at free-throw line

He bumped and battled for every rebound, dominating the offensive glass, and changed shots on the defensive end.

Downey’s undersized center Xavier Lewis even knocked down his free throws, delivering a complete performance for coach Eli Bynum.

His teammates weren’t nearly as efficient from the charity stripe. The Knights struggled mightily from the free-throw line in a 61-58 loss to East Union on Thursday at the Modesto City Classic at Grace Davis High.

One night after knocking down nine three-pointers, Downey struggled with the much closer uncontested shot. The Knights (1-2) were 16 of 30 from the free-throw line.

“That’s the way it goes. Sometimes there’s a lid on the hoop,” Bynum said. “The kids fought like crazy and that’s all you can ask for. Sometimes the ball doesn’t go in, but you have to keep fighting.”

Lewis embodied that fighting spirit. The 6-foot-2 sophomore finished with a team-high 18 points and 11 rebounds. He extended possessions with nine offensive rebounds.

Lewis trimmed Downey’s deficit to 45-43 late in the third period with a pair of free throws. In the fourth, Lewis tallied six points and three offensive rebounds as the Knights nearly forced overtime.

Downey, which topped Atwater on Wednesday, misfired on the game-tying three-pointer in the final seconds. The game ended in a scrum for the rebound.

“Tonight was the first night that he actually kind of found himself,” Bynum said of Lewis, one of four sophomores on the varsity roster. “I think he needed a little kick in the butt.

“Tonight was impressive. Hopefully, we can build on that and take it higher.”

Sophomore Jariol Harris-Red scored eight of his 11 points in the first half, while sharpshooter Fabian Hernandez was limited to just seven points. The junior had 25 points on six three-pointers in Downey’s victory on Wednesday. On Thursday, East Union (2-0) limited him to just one three-pointer.

East Union was paced by Gyse Hulsebosch, who stretched the Downey defense with his marksmanship. The junior guard knocked down six three-pointers and finished with a game-high 22 points.

“He was lights-out,” Bynum said. “You have to get a hand in his face.”

Senior Austin Miller finished with 10 points, including seven in the fourth quarter as the Lancers won back-to-back games for the first time in nearly a calendar year.

Miller banked home a left-handed layup, rattled home a three-pointer with 40 seconds left and then knocked down two free throws to create the final margin.

Bynum warned his team about the Lancers’ pace and fleet of shooters – “They’re a team of Steph Currys,” he said before the game – but his instruction was lost in translation.

That’s OK, he said.

With such a young roster, Bynum doesn’t expect perfect execution this early in the season.

Instead, he focused on the positives – Lewis’ activity and the Knights’ ability to compete in spite of itself. Downey was 10 of 23 from the free-throw line in the second half. During one stretch in the third quarter, when momentum swung back and forth, the Knights missed 10 of 12 free throws.

“We talked about it before. It was going to take a lot of defensive effort and we didn’t do a good of containing (Hulsebosch),” Bynum said. “Outside of that, you have to build on the positives and work on the negatives – free-throw line, turnovers, taking quick shots and things like that.

“You know, we got four sophomores, so it’s a learning experience for everybody. We’re just learning and trying to build to where we need to be when the (Modesto Metro Conference) season starts.”

This story was originally published December 4, 2015 at 5:43 AM with the headline "Downey boys basketball gives away game at free-throw line."