Kane-Johnson’s 46 powers Niles

December 16, 2015 at 12:05a.m.

NILES

To suggest that Tuesday night belonged to the Kane-Johnson brothers at Niles’ Veterans Memorial Gymnasium would be an understatement.

Freshman Cyler Kane-Johnson started the fun in the junior varsity game when he connected on a game-winning shot with three seconds remaining to give the Red Dragons a 50-48 victory.

Big brother Cameron Kane-Johnson then put on a show for the ages in the varsity affair. Kane-Johnson outscored Lakeview by himself as the Red Dragons lifted their record to 4-1 with a 61-45 home win over the Bulldogs. Kane-Johnson finished with 46 points — a single-game school record.

After scoring a school record 40 points last Friday in a win over Edgewood, Kane-Johnson topped his own mark on a night in which he nailed eight three-pointers. He scored just six points in the first quarter, and went into the locker room with 16. However, he scored 15 points in both the third and fourth quarters.

“After coming off that first half when I struggled, it felt good to come out in the second half and hit a couple of quick shots,” Kane-Johnson said. “Sometimes if I’m off, I can hit a couple of shots in a row and get myself back into a rhythm.”

Carlos Sturgiss was the Dragons’ next leading scorer with six points.

Lakeview (3-2) was paced by Chris Muir and Jatise Garrison, who each scored 14.

Niles and Lakeview both struggled offensively early on, as Lakeview led 7-6 at the end of the first quarter and 20-19 at the break.

Kane-Johnson led a 21-point Niles surge in the third quarter to help the Red Dragons build a 40-35 lead. The Red Dragons duplicated their 21-point quarter in the final stanza to pull away.

“We were in a little bit of a funk tonight early on, and we told Cameron that sometimes he needs to go off and do his thing, and boy did he go off in the second half,” Niles coach Ron Price said. “That was impressive.”

“The thing is, everyone sees what kind of player Cam is, but he’s not just a special player. He’s a special kid and a really tremendous teammate. He’s the complete package.”

Niles scored the opening basket of the third period — a three-pointer by Sturgiss — to take a 22-20 lead.

Lakeview responded with a T.J. Lynch shot from beyond the arc to regain the advantage. However, Niles answered with another long-range basket by Cyler Kane-Johnson.

Cameron Kane-Johnson then scored Niles’ next 20 points to help the Red Dragons build a double-digit advantage.

“My teammates did a good job of screening to get me open because [Lakeview] was trying to face guard me,” Kane-Johnson said. “Coach had the confidence in me to keep shooting, so it all worked out.”

Kane-Johnson said he was unaware of his scoring total until looking up at the scoreboard midway through the fourth quarter.

“I didn’t even think about it, but then I looked up and seen my total and was like, ‘wow.’ That was a surprise,” Kane-Johnson said.

Niles, which lost its opener to Jefferson, has won four straight — all league wins. Last year, the Red Dragons started out 1-4 in the All American Conference.

“Our schedule is kind of strange in that we start out with five AAC games, now we don’t play another league game for quite awhile,” Price said. “So, to start out strong like this is a big boost, and it will make for an exciting season in terms of the conference race.

“This is big, because we are a relatively young team.”