The Husky boys basketball team defeated Cottage Grove 55-41 to open the Pleasant Hill-Junction City tournament last week but lost to Pleasant Hill 61-59 in overtime and 35-28 to Junction City.
The Huskies opened against Cottage Grove on Thursday night.
“The tale of the tape on that game is we built about a seven-point lead,” Coach Mark Risen said. “We were up by seven most of the way.”
The Huskies led by 10 at halftime and built a lead as high as 18 points in the second half.
Overall, the Huskies played a balanced game with Nik Walker leading scoring at 16 points and scoring across the board by the team. Anthony Mink added 10; Kevin Furry, nine; Aaron Hegge, eight; Sam Posthuma, six; Ricky Howe, four; and Tim Matuszak, two.
“Hegge had an absolutely spectacular dunk,” Coach Risen said. Leading by about seven, the Huskies went on a 9-0 run and buckled down defensively to lock up the win.
Friday, the Huskies went against number-two ranked Pleasant Hill without Hegge, who had rolled an ankle during PE that day. The Huskies started Matuszak and moved Furry to post.
Matuszak, starting for the first time, earned eight steals and seven assists with only one turnover. He scored one.
Mink and Posthuma each scored eight; Howe, seven; Furry, four; and Donny Cliver, two.
Walker scored a career high 29 points and took the game to overtime on a three-point shot at the end of the regular game.
The Huskies led the first half then started trading baskets with Pleasant Hill as Pleasant Hill caught up.
“Both teams played huge,” Coach Risen said. It was back-and-forth high school basketball at its best.
Nick Keith, Sky-Em player of the year, scored nothing in the first half but came out in the second to score 17.
The game was one of those that came down to who had the ball last, Coach Risen said. In overtime, the Huskies were down four with 14 seconds left. They scored then stole the ball on the inbound play but missed a three as the time expired.
“It’s not very often a loss sits very well with me, but considering all the adversity,” Coach Risen said, he was pleased. The only guy on the team over six feet was Posthuma, and Pleasant Hill put out a lineup all over six feet. The Huskies were short one player and had another playing out of position.
Howe had a great tournament for us as he stepped up and helped fill Hegge’s shoes, Coach Risen said.
The Huskies adapted and competed, Coach Risen said, but Saturday, “the engine stalled.”
With junior varsity and freshmen in games of their own Friday and Saturday, the varsity bench was small, and just seven players handled Pleasant Hill Friday. By Saturday, the Huskies were out of gas and exhausted.
They had the same seven Saturday as Junction City handed the Huskies their second loss of the season 35-28.
“I wish we hadn’t gone to the locker room,” Coach Risen said. “We were up by 10 (at halftime). We went in and sat down. I don’t think they could get back up.”
With 10 or 11 players, a three-day tournament is winnable, Coach Risen said, but with Hegge out and his minutes spread out, it was like adding yet another game to the tournament for the players taking up the slack.
The Huskies scored just two points in the second half.
“All in all, I was really pleased with the performance of the kids,” Coach Risen said. “We found out we could compete at that level.”
They found adversity and overcame it, Coach Risen said. They played tough competition, like Pleasant Hill and Junction City, through it; and that is what will make them tough by March when playoffs begin.
“Come March, this’ll pay huge dividends,” Coach Risen said.
The Huskies hold a 4-2 record.
Junior varsity lost to Cottage Grove 62-44 and Creswell 57-51. The freshmen lost to Cottage Grove 45-41 and Creswell 47-39.