Joe Estes

Gabe Maurer puts up a shot against Bishop Kelly (photo credit: Joe Estes)

By the time Gabe Maurer put the finishing touches on the best first half of his career by cashing in on another tough layup, one thought crossed his mind: “I was looking to get back on defense.” There might not be a better encapsulation of what Maurer can contribute to a winning basketball team.

Most basketball players dream of doing what Maurer managed in the first half against Capital High School on Friday. Although Rocky would eventually fall to the Golden Eagles 56-58, Maurer’s performance through the first 16 minutes stood out as a bright spot.

The scoring started as he converted on a relatively easy layup following a nice pass. A contested reverse finish would follow only a few possessions later. The third bucket would come on another layup, and the fourth on a tough jumper over a defender. The fifth and final layup marked the highest scoring output of Maurer’s career – and the game was not yet halfway over.

By the time Rocky trotted into the locker room for halftime, Maurer had amassed 10 points on a perfect 100% shooting clip.

Through it all, though, defense was the top priority. Maurer was the primary defender assigned to Capital standout guard Quincey Clay, who was fresh off a 51-point performance. Maurer outscored Clay through the first half and held the electric guard to a below-average scoring night on poor efficiency.

Anyone who doesn’t believe that Maurer can provide impact on the floor simply has not been paying attention to these last four games.

“I’m a great team player. I can bring the points, the boards, the assists, the steals, the blocks. Anything for the team,” Maurer says. This versatility is exactly what Rocky needs more of as they seek their first conference win of the season.

But where was Maurer through the first nine games of the season? Riding the bench. This took a toll on him. “I mean, you play a sport to get in the game,” Maurer says. “And if you don’t get in the game, you’ll have significantly less love for the sport.”

Tragically, players such as Kaden Swenson and Ryker Hammond have dealt with injury or illness throughout this season. As unfortunate as injuries always are, there was a single positive: the emergence of Maurer (Thankfully, both Swenson and Hammond returned to play valuable minutes against Capital).

“People getting injured,” Maurer says. “That’s the entire basis of how I got into the game in the first place.” But now Maurer has his foot in the door, and he doesn’t plan on looking back.

Perhaps frequent basketball attendee and senior Rocky student Matthew Stevens put it best: “I think it’s been insane. I mean, you’re coming from 14^th man on the bench to arguably a starter on the team. There’s literally no one else that has improved that much. Insane progression.”

After only scoring once through the first nine games of the year, Maurer chipped in 2 points against both Bishop Kelly and Owyhee, followed by 5 against Timberline and the aforementioned 10 against Capital.

This scoring outburst has been coupled with his usual hounding perimeter defense, gritty willingness to rebound, and tendency to make the right pass.

Although Maurer is yet to demonstrate his ability to consistently carry an offensive load, frequently deferring to scorers such as Tanner Sweaney or Brock Stevens, he has proven his value as an incredible rotation piece that can help keep Rocky in tight contests.

How does Maurer plan to take advantage of his increased role moving forward? He kept it simple: “I’ll just play my game and be confident in everything that I do. Just enjoy it. You’ve got to make the most of it.”