Coming off a 46-43 loss to the Sisters Outlaws on the road on Jan. 20, the Sweet Home scored a 50-41 win in boys basketball against Elmira at home Friday evening.
Hunter Jutte scored eight points in the first with two from Ryan Adams to build a 10-7 lead. Elmira went on a 7-0 run, with five from Austin Smith and two from Gary Younce to end the quarter leading 14-10.
The Huskies bounced back in the second quarter, Daniel Virtue hitting a bucket to get things going. Elmira scored, and Jutte answered with a three to get within one. Jutte hit a free throw to tie the game 18-18, sparking an 8-3 run, with the Huskies leading 26-21 at halftime.
Sweet Home expanded its lead to 37-29 by the end of the third quarter. The Falcons closed the gap to three, 39-36, on a pair of free throws and a field goal about two minutes into the quarter. They got within a point, 41-40, with two minutes left on a shot from the Falcons’ Drew Peddler.
Tyler Plebuch scored a bucket to protect the lead as the Falcons rounded out their scoring with a free throw from Mikey Langer.
Elmira was just a continuation of games where the Huskies put together four good quarters of basketball, Gaskey said. Elmira likes to play a helter skelter form of basketball, using a press to confuse opponents and make them throw away the ball.
“For the most part, we didn’t get caught in that helter skelter game,” Gaskey said. The Huskies are kids, things happen and Elmira ends up erasing an eight-point deficit to get within a point near the end.
“We found a way to be successful,” Gaskey said. And in a tight situation, Jutte trusted his teammates enough to dish it off to Plebuch – then Plebuch finished it.
Gaskey praised Plebuch and Andre Holmes. Plebuch, a post, played more minutes than usual, and Andre Holmes spent six solid minutes in the game at post.
Jutte led the Huskies with 25 points, shooting 46.7 percent, with seven rebounds. The Huskies shot 40.4 percent from the field, with seven assists, and 60 percent from the foul line. They pulled down 36 rebounds, turning theball over 14 times but stealing nine times.
Younce led Elmira scoring with nine points. Elmira shot 28.6 percent, two assists, and 66.7 percent from the foul line. The Falcons recorded 28 rebounds, with 11 turnovers and five steals.
Coach said he’s been telling his players they’ve “got to keep putting your nose to the grindstone, and it’s going to turn our way.”
This was the team’s first win in league play. The Huskies faced their two toughest opponents, Sutherlin and Sisters, to kick off league, Gaskey said. The Huskies are 1-2 in league and 5-8 overall.
Elmira 14 7 8 12 – 41
Sweet Home 10 16 11 13 – 50
Elmira scoring: Younce 9, Wilson 8, Peddler 6, Finder 5, Smith 5, Langer 3, Winters 2, Cesany 2, Brockman 1, Meyer, Estrella.
Sweet Home scoring: Hunter Jutte 25, Ryan Adams 7, Justin Tow 4, Ande Holmes 4, Daniel Virtue 2, Kevin Seiber 2, Kyler Gaskey 2, Jake Bangot, Brycen Mitten.
Sisters 46, Sweet Home 43
The Huskies started out flat on the scoreboard at Sisters, giving up an early 10-2 lead. Justin Tow hit the early shot. Kevin Seiber connected on a three with about two minutes left in the quarter to close the gap to 10-5.
Virtue then hit a free throw and a bucket to get things going in the second quarter. The Huskies trailed 10-8 exchanging baskets until ending halftime 21-20.
Adams shot a three out of the gate in the third quarter to take a 23-21 lead. Jutte hit a pair of free throws to get ahead 25-21. Outlaws Hayes Moore and Ben Larson hit field goals to tie it back up 25-25 before Sisters began pulling away to lead 36-31 at the end of the third.
Jutte scored a three two minutes into the fourth to pull within a bucket. Steen Johnson answered with a three, but Jutte hit two more, back-to-back to take a 40-39 lead over Sisters. Outlaw Connor Schaab scored, and Jutte hit a free throw to tie the game 41-41.
The Outlaws scored a field goal and free throw before Brycen Mitten scored the last Huskies shot of the game, with the Huskies trailing 44-43. Justin Harrer hit a pair of free throws to seal the Sisters win.
“We played pretty well at Sisters,” said Coach Brandon Gaskey. “They’re a very well-coached basketball program. I wouldn’t say they have a ton of naturally talented basketball players. They have seven athletes who play hard.”
Sisters is very controlled on offense, defense and the shot, Gaskey said. The Outlaws are not very creative, but they’re efficient. They don’t make stupid mistakes.
“They can hang in games longer than more talented teams who take chances,” Gaskey said. At the end of the game, the Huskies were still in the game, especially with Jutte coming alive and hitting threes.
“This is about the third game in a row we’ve played four quarters,” Gaskey said. “It’s very encouraging to me.”
He thinks Sisters, Sutherlin and Sweet Home are the best teams in the league, he said, and the Huskies had to face Sisters and Sutherlin early. He thinks the Huskies will get them both next time.
Competing well against those teams, Gaskey sees no reason the Huskies won’t be in the fight for the league championship.
Jutte led the Huskies with 22 points, four assists and six rebounds. The Huskies shot 37.5 percent from the field and 50 percent from the free throw line. They rebounded 21 times and turned the ball over 12 times, with seven assists and three steals.
Schaab led the Outlaws with 15 points and nine rebounds. The Outlaws pulled down 16 boards, with three assists and three steals while turning the ball over seven times. They shot 54.8 percent from the field and 66.7 percent from the foul line.
Sweet Home 5 15 11 12 – 43
Sisters 10 11 15 10 – 46
Sweet Home scoring: Jutte 22, Adams 5, Virtue 5, Mitten 4, Seiber 3, Tow 2, Plebuch 2, Gaskey.
Sisters scoring: Schaab 15, Harrer 12, Johnson 8, Greaney 3, Moore 3, Mackenzie 3, Larson 2, Schutte.