Sweet Home’s boys shocked No. 4 Gladstone 72-45 Saturday night in a state basketball play-in game in Gladstone.
The hosts scored two quick buckets to lead 4-0 and then Grant Kauffman hit a two-pointer, followed by a trey to give the Huskies a 5-4 lead, and Sweet Home never trailed again.
The Huskies led 14-6 at the end of the first quarter and maintained that margin to lead 27-19 at the half. Gladstone was 19-3, 9-1 going into this game, and tied with state No. 2-ranked La Salle for the Tri-Valley Conference championship. The Gladiators closed to within four points in the third quarter, but Sweet Home pulled away to lead 43-36 at the end of that period. The Huskies built a 60-40 lead in the fourth before Gladstone started fouling to stop the clock, with the Huskies rounding out the game on a 12-5 run.
Bryce Daniels and Kauffman dropped threes from all over the court while Hunter Jutte slashed to the basket and connected on jumpers in an offensive output that kept the hosts on their heels all night.
See Wednesday’s paper or this website on Tuesday afternoon for an in-depth story and photos.
The Huskies are 7-13 overall after a miserable start to the season, but found their touch and rhythm three weeks ago and have won seven straight.
They are scheduled to face Philomath, No. 1 in OSAA rankings, on Saturday. Philomath, 9-1 in league and 19-3 overall, defeated Sweet Home 77-47 earlier this season. Gladstone slipped by the Warriors 46-45 in December.