It took one play to notice a difference.

Centralia Invitational Boys Day 2 Photo Gallery

Van-Far boys head coach Pat Connaway thought his team was much more engaged Thursday in its second Centralia Invitational game this week when the Indians defeated Macon 65-43. The victory is Van-Far’s first in the Centralia Invitational after going into the game 0-5 in three years and had 14 steals and nine players scoring to help the effort.

Connaway said Van-Far’s first-round game on Tuesday against host Centralia didn’t properly show the identity of his team as he thought his players seemed timid in the 64-52 loss, with Nikos Connaway leading with 20 points and Carson Huff following with 10 points. From the start against another Clarence Cannon Conference team Macon (1-5), he said it was better.

“It showed on the defensive end from the first possession,” Connaway said. “We tried to take away their first look. On Tuesday night, Centralia was a little bigger. I don’t know if we were just intimidated or what it was, but we were not ourselves.”

The defense began at Connaway’s target of 11 points allowed in the first quarter for an 18-11 lead and then improved well beyond that by preventing Macon from scoring a field goal in the second quarter to precede a 41-13 halftime lead This streak lasted for more than nine minutes until Johnathan Bray, who finished with 16 points and three 3-pointers to lead the Tigers, hit a hook shot in the second minute of the third quarter.

Both Connaway and his son, Nikos Connaway, couldn’t remember the last time the Indians (3-1) held a team without a field goal in a quarter. Macon was only able to muster two points in four free-throw attempts.

“(Assistant coach) Brett (Reading) and I have been doing this for 15 years, and I don’t know if we’ve ever really done that,” Pat Connaway said. “I was pleased to get into the locker room when you’re up 41-13.”

The Indians used their full-court press to good effect and made Macon uncomfortable advancing the ball. Gaven Gaston, Brayden Lay and Gage Gibson were in the face of Tigers frequently and came away with turnovers sometimes, with Gaston and Lay recording three steals and Gibson adding two.

Nikos Connaway led the team with four steals and also led with 20 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists. Like his father, he said the Indians were dissatisfied with Tuesday night and wanted a chance to play Saturday in this tournament.

“We came out super sluggish Tuesday and weren’t ready to play,” Connaway said. “We knew they were playing zone so we weren’t going to score the most so we knew we had to pick it up on defense.”

Van-Far reached another target of Pat Connaway as it had several finish with at least eight points. Pacey Reading had 10 points and two 3-pointers, Gibson had eight points and two 3-pointers and Brayden Lay added eight points.

The end result was nine players scoring, but Pat Connaway said Van-Far had eight kids change the scoreboard by halftime. He said the passing was better than what it has been since at least four other players except Nikos Connaway had an assist, including Gaston’s three.

“We weren’t really crisp early against their zone, but then we started moving the ball a lot better and attacked some gaps,” Pat Connaway said. “We were seeing the floor and making decisions quicker. A lot of times, we have it and we’re hesitating because whoever has the ball sees where they want to go but who they want to throw to isn’t on the same page yet.”

Nikos Connaway said the Indians made sure they were on the same page in practice with a drill prior to the Macon game.

“We saw what we did wrong Tuesday, and we worked Wednesday on it in practice,” Connaway said. “We just shared the ball for an hour and a half. We are starting to trust each other more with the ball.”

Pat Connaway said it is nice to be playing on Saturday, when the Indians face Boonville (3-1) at 5 p.m. today for fifth place. However, they can’t forget what they did so well on Thursday against another team with size.

“It’s a good tournament with bigger schools,” Connaway said. “They’re the teams you need to play if you want to do something in the postseason. We’ve got to take on a bigger school in Boonville that’s got a lot of size and will likely play more of a 1-3-1 zone so we’ve got to move the ball, attack and be good defensively.”