Make that a Knightdale zone trap the Wildcats couldn’t penetrate enough.

The Wildcats found that trap to be costly in the third quarter, as visiting Knightdale used a 40-11 surge to claim a 67-43, Greater Neuse River 4A Conference victory.

West Johnston was able to solve the Knights’ zone trap through the midway mark of the second quarter, battling on even terms and a 16-16 standoff.

But the shots stopped falling, the ‘acts were prone to turnovers, enabling the Knights to turn a white-knuckler into a laugher.

The run started on a 3-pointer by Tabari Boykin with 3:21 left in the first half, and the fun didn’t stop for the Knights until they began substituting freely in the fourth quarter.

Boykin’s trey gave the Knights a 19-16 lead, which was followed by turnovers by the Wildcats on their next four possessions.

Knightdale began demonstrating its ability to run the floor, and used its transition game to pour in four consecutive buckets, entering the break with a 27-16 cushion.

West, after its four consecutive turnovers, misfired on its final three possessions of the half, after fighting its way through the zone trap they had been successful against.

That story continued in the final four minutes of the third period as Knightdale took advantage of seven Wildcats turnovers — including four straight to start a 22-4 blitz — increasing a 34-23 advantage into a 56-27 lead.

The Knights used a balanced attack in the run, led by Curry Lassiter, who led all scorers with 15 points, while he was complemented by Keenan Wright’s 11.

“They came out in the third period,” West coach Kris Bennett said, “And had a nice little run. We tried to break the zone trap, but what had been working for us in the first half, didn’t in the third period.

West began breaking the trap in the final stanza, but needed long-range help to do it. The team scored on 3-pointers from Ernest Harrington, Darius Williams and Montrel Brooks, and cut the 29-point gap to 17 with a 12-0 run to start the period.

Williams led West with 13 points, while Brooks added 11 for the night.

Knightdale re-inserted a majority of its starters at that point, keeping the margin no closer than 18 points the remainder of the night.

Nine players scored for the Knights, who improved to 5-5 overall and 3-0 in the GNRC.

“After struggling early in close games we’re finally playing better,” Knightdale coach Battle Watkins said. Tougher defense and better shot selection will be the keys to continued success.”