| 28 December 2009
Vinnie Johnson earned the nickname “Microwave” for his ability to come off the bench and provide an immediate hot shooting hand while starring for the Seattle SuperSonics and Detroit Pistons during the 1980s and early 90s.
Rocky Mountain has its own version of the “Microwave” in senior guard Jeff Gillespie.
Gillespie came off the bench and torched Meridian for 10 points in just 9 minutes and 22 seconds of playing time, sparking the Grizzlies to a 73-63 victory over the Warriors on Dec. 18 at Meridian High.
One day later, Rocky Mountain rolled to a 69-51 victory over Mountain View.
“I’ve been a spark plug off the bench my entire career,” said Gillespie, who swished two 3-point baskets early in the second quarter when the Grizzlies were mired in a scoring drought. “It’s who I am as a basketball player.
“Some guys struggle to get things done when they’re out there in limited minutes,” added the 5-foot-8, 140-pound Gillespie, who was born in California and spent time in Oregon and eastern Idaho before moving to Meridian. “But I’ve been doing that since middle school. I’m used to it.”
Gillespie’s second-period scoring spree fueled Rocky Mountain, which had trailed 15-13 after the opening quarter, to a 36-32 halftime lead.
The stubborn Warriors hung tough throughout, but senior guard Josh Phillips drained a huge 3-pointer from the baseline with three minutes to play and went 6 of 6 from the free-throw line in the fourth quarter to keep the hosts at bay.
Phillips, the No. 2 free-throw shooter in the Southern Idaho Conference at 79 percent, finished the game with a season-high 15 points, and senior forward Josh Hasquet added 14.
Senior post Travis Van Diest chipped in 11 points and 10 rebounds and he hammered through a crowd-pleasing dunk off a lob from Stetson Pace in the second half.
“We shoot a ton of free-throws in practice and a lot of times we’re put in pressure situations,” said Phillips, who missed just one of 10 at the line against Meridian. “I go up there with a lot of confidence, knowing I’m ready for those situations.”
In their victory over Mountain View on Dec. 19, the Grizzlies exploded for 28 points in the third quarter in expanding a 32-24 halftime lead to 60-37 entering the fourth.
Eleven of Rocky Mountain’s 13 players in uniform found the scoring column, with Hasquet’s 14 leading the way. Sophomore point guard David Trompke added 10 points while Van Diest, Ryan Strand and Alex Helquist each contributed seven.
Hasquet hit 4 of 7 shots from the 3-point line in continuing his torrid pace from long distance. Through seven games, Hasquet had hit 24 of 42 from beyond the arc, a sizzling 57 percent. He leads the SIC in 3-pointers made and in percentage.
Another contributing factor in the win over Mountain View was the Grizzlies’ dogged defense on Mountain View standout Tyler Percifield. Percifield, who had erupted for 42 points the previous week against Meridian, managed to score 16 but with Pace and Trompke hounding him at every turn, he went just 6 of 16 from the field.