The boys found their way out of the desert, winning a close game 54-50 against Elmira and snapping a nine-game losing streak on the road Jan. 26 in boys varsity basketball.
“That game was a close game the entire game,” said Coach Drew Emmert. “It went back and forth.”
The Huskies led 14-12 after the first quarter. Elmira slipped by to lead 25-24 at halftime and managed to extend its lead to 38-33 by the end of the third quarter.
The Huskies were down by as much as six points before rallying to a five-point lead in the fourth quarter.
On the foul line, the Huskies were nailing the front end but dropping the back end, which isn’t good, Emmert said, but it kept them in the lead.
With nine seconds left, Elmira scored a three to get within a field goal. Justin Tow lobbed a half-court pass to Keanu Aiona, who put it up to score the final bucket.
“We finally put a full 32-minute game together,” Emmert said. “We just played together, and there wasn’t any doubt.”
Defense helped as the Huskies rotated through a variety of defenses, with different zones, Emmert said. It confused Elmira.
“All of our defenses were working,” he said. “I was super proud of our guys’ effort. We matched their (Elmira) game and their intensity.”
It’s a boost to his team’s confidence, he said. “Another win would help, but it definitely was, hopefully, a turning point for us with the rest of the league.”
With the win, the Huskies briefly tied for fourth in league. After Friday night’s loss, the Huskies are tied with Elmira for fifth. Elmira and Sweet Home are 1-4 in league. Sweet Home is 2-14 overall, while Elmira is 2-14 overall.
Aiona led scoring with 19 points. Daniel Virtue kicked in another 14. Jerry Winters led Elmira with 14.
Sweet Home 14 10 9 11 – 54
Elmira 12 13 13 12 – 50
Sweet Home scoring: Keanu Aiona 19, Daniel Virtue 14, Tyler Plebuch 8, Jake Bangot 6, Justin Tow 4, Logan Kline 3, Justin Carpenter, Keegan Holly.
Elmira scoring: Jerry Winters 14, J.C. Smith 9, K. Smith 8, Estrell 7, Orme 4, Bechtel 2, Wilson 2, Laing 2, Kaleikau.
Friday, the Huskies ran into a brick wall at Cottage Grove, losing 78-48.
“They’re just playing super tough,” Emmert said.
Cottage Grove, 5-0 in league and 14-3 overall, is fourth in the statewide Oregon Student Activities Association rankings.
The Huskies played one good quarter, Emmert said, and Virtue twisted an ankle in the third quarter. He planned to keep Virtue off the court at Siuslaw Tuesday night.
The Huskies trailed 15-13 after one quarter. Cottage Grove built a 38-19 lead by halftime and 59-36 lead by the end of three quarters.
After Siuslaw, the Huskies travel to Junction City on Thursday and host Illinois Valley on Saturday at 2 p.m.
Sweet Home 13 6 17 12 – 48
Cottage Grove 15 23 21 19 – 78
Sweet Home scoring: Aiona 18, Tow 8, Carpenter 7, Virtue 4, Plebuch 4, Bangot 2, Holly 2, Nick Rodger 1, Kline 1, Tristan Graham 1, Nick Marler,
Cottage Grove scoring: Blake Sentman 19, Hopkins 13, Porter 12, Tucker 10, Parent 10, Murphy 7, Grover 3, Husko 2, Bellamy, Claflin, Alonzo, Gipson.