The Huskies got their chance to set things right with 5A Lebanon Saturday night when they defeated the Warriors 56-45 in their final game of three at the West Salem Hoop Fest.
Sweet Home High School had previously lost 77-73 to Lebanon in boys basketball.
“We started out a little slow,” said Coach Tim Porter. “They were up 15-10 after one.”
By halftime, the Huskies were trailing 26-20, and after three quarters, they were still trailing within striking distance, 36-32.
Then the Huskies broke away, outscoring Lebanon 24-9 in the fourth to get the win.
“It was pretty close the entire game,” Porter said. “It boiled down to a couple of things. Defensively, we stepped it up quite a bit. We did a great job of being able to hold out against their pressure.”
Second, with four minutes left on the clock, the Huskies had the edge, Porter said. Lebanon started fouling to stop the clock and gain possession. The Huskies ended up shooting 10-11 from the foul line that quarter.
The Huskies played most of the tournament with a leading scorer who was fighting an illness. Grant Kauffman was out Friday night against Willamette High School and played part of the game against Blanchet Catholic Thursday night.
Bryce Daniels led Huskies scoring with 18 points. Hunter Jutte added 15, and Christian Porter added 12.
After the tournament, Porter said, he is feeling pretty good about the team’s preparation. His goal was to make sure they Huskies are ready to go by league.
The Huskies have been doing all right, except a couple of games where their effort fell short, Porter said.
“I think they’re coming along,” Porter said. “I think we’re going to be there.”
Sweet Home Scoring: Bryce Daniels 18, Hunter Jutte 15, Christian Porter 12, Grant Kauffman 5, Kyler Gaskey 4, Austin Dixon 2, Ryan Adams, Chace Hutchins, Jason Sarter.
Lebanon Scoring: Kendall Leopard 24, Johnson 15, Maddox 9, Hargis 6, Shanks 6, Romeo 2, Smith 2, McConnell 1, Denny, Nissen.
Sweet Home 10 10 12 24 – 56
Lebanon 15 11 10 9 – 24
Willamette 61, Sweet Home 29
The Huskies lost 61-29 to 5A Willamette High School of Eugene Friday night.
Running without starters Kauffman and Daniels, Friday was rough for the Huskies.
“It showed a little bit,” Porter said. “To be honest, Willamette was a good team. They kind of smothered us defensively. I thought we did a good job being patient on our offense.”
They waited for the looks, but they didn’t get many, Porter said.
Sweet Home Scoring: Jutte 7, Kyle Rose 6, Porter 4, Sarter 4, Gaskey 3, Hutchins 3, Dixon 2, Adams, Kevin Seiber.
Willamette Scoring: Tyler Johnson 13, McGarry 11, Jackson 9, Kuvaas 8, Wyatt 4, White 3, Munson 2, Goddard 2, Felt 1, York, Guldager.
Sweet Home 5 7 9 8 – 29
Willamette 18 13 11 22 – 61
Blanchet 83, Sweet Home 53
The Huskies opened with an 83-53 loss to Blanchet Catholic of Salem.
Blanchet, a 3A school went on to defeat 6A David Douglas High School of Portland and finish the tournament second after losing by seven points to 6A West Salem High School.
“Blanchet Catholic is a very good team,” Porter said. “We actually did well the first quarter.”
The game was tied 22-22 after one quarter, but Blanchet built a dominant lead the next two, 26-11 in the second and 25-7 in the third.
Sweet Home Scoring: Jutte 17, Porter 10, Sarter 7, Daniels 6, Seiber 3, Dixon 3, Kauffman 3, Gaskey 2, Hutchins 2, Adams, Rose.
Blanchet Scoring: Trevor Howard 27, P. Counts 17, B. Counts 11, Anderson 11, Handran 6, Adelman 4, Leonardo 2, Rulz 2, Baskon 2, Glanella 1.
Sweet Home 22 11 7 13 – 53
Blanchet 22 26 25 10 – 83