Sweet Home 43, Stayton 40
The Huskies handed a 43-40 loss to Stayton in boys basketball at home on Dec. 3 after defeating Yamhill-Carlton at home 60-45 the night before.
“Last night was a foulfest,” said Coach Kostanty Knurowski. The game was competitive and physical in a game that teetered both directions.
“We kind of took a little bit of a lead the first quarter,” Knurowski said. The Huskies held a 13-8 lead after the quarter.
Four to six points was a big margin during that game, Knurowski said, and Stayton was able to scratch out a two- to three-point lead late in the fourth quarter.
The Huskies led 23-20 at halftime and 31-29 at the end of the third.
The game had 49 fouls, with Husky Gavin Kauffman fouling out and four guys with four fouls each.
“It was a good thing it didn’t go to overtime,” Knurowski said. Stayton had 21 of the fouls and one player foul out
“I felt like it was a very, very good team effort,” Knurowski said. “Everybody had to step up and contribute for the win.”
The Huskies could have been frustrated, he said. They were a little, but they kept their composure, keeping their focus on the game.
“I they didn’t let anything affect them,” Knurowski said.
Knurowski is happy picking up two wins opening week, especially with little time to practice as a whole team. He had three players returning from football who have not had the chance to practice much with the entire team, including Levi Marchbanks, Brock Cota and Brent Moyer.
The football players played well, Knurowski said. “But at times, they still looked like football players.”
It’s not a knock on them, he said. They know what needs to be done and how to do it, but they just hadn’t had much time working with the rest of the team
“It’s what you want but not always what you expect,” he said. It shows the team will be competitive in most games. Even while down and matched up against a perennially strong team, “they felt like we still had every chance to win.”
Communication and heart were the keys, said post Willie Jones. “I believe that our team played with a lot of heart and a lot of mental (strength) as well. There’s no doubt they’re (Stayton) a good team.”
“It was a good game,” said point guard Drew Emmert. “We had foul trouble. We struggled with that but we kept our composure pretty good.”
With last week’s start, “I think we have a great chance to go far,” Emmert said.
Sweet Home 13 23 31 43
Stayton 8 20 29 40
Points
Stayton: Coby Proctor 14, Wallen 8, W. Johnson 7, Brown 6, Chappell 3, Scott 2, Hack, T. Johnson, Abdou, Mack, Cremer.
Sweet Home: Willie Jones 10, Gavin Kauffman 9, Drew Emmert 7, Jerome Coleman 5, Brock Cota 4, Brent Moyer 4, John Webb 2, Robert Rubidoux 2, Levi Marchbanks.
Sweet Home 60,
Yamhill-Carlton 45
Yamhill-Carlton created a 17-14 lead in the first quarter on Dec. 2, but the Huskies rallied early to build a decisive 60-45 final score in the first game of the season.
The Huskies had a slow start, Knurowski said, but they went on a 21-5 run in the second quarter to take a 35-22 lead by halftime.
“It was really just the kids picked up our intensity,” Knurowski said. “We just had some subs come in, and we played with more energy.”
John Webb created confusion and inspired the Huskies defense while Drew Emmert started getting his hands on Yamhill-Carlton passes, helping get steals into Husky hands.
Emmert blamed the first quarter on pre-game jitters.
“We just knew if we got ahead, we’d win,” he said.
The Huskies built a double-digit lead, Knurowski said, and then played more toe-to-toe in the third before pouring it on in the fourth, stretching out a 20-point lead and then settling on the final margin.
Sweet Home 14 35 45 60
Yamhill-Carloton 17 22 32 45
Points
Y-C: Jake McGraw 12, Findley 9, Duyn 6, Fox 5, Peloquin 3, Murphy 3, Smith 3, Davis 2, Brethower 2, Skipper, Claussen.
Sweet Home: Drew Emmert 22, Gavin Kauffman 16, Jerome Coleman 7, Willie Jones 5, Brock Cota 4, Levi Marchbanks 4, Brent Moyer 2, Justin Rice, John Webb, Chris Webb, Robert Rubidoux, Dallas Morgan, Kyle Winslow.