Sometimes a coach can be more pleased with the play of his team in a defeat rather than that of a victory. That may be the case for Coach Mark Risen, whose Huskies played toe to toe for most of the game with their main nemesis, league-leading Stayton, and then barely escaped with a draining emotional victory over a less talented Molalla.
Having lost their only league game to Stayton, the Huskies looked at this game as a key to their goal of a league championship. And the game started out with the intensity of a game with those implications. Sweet Home, whose game is to look inside first, continually found a cutting Jake Gaskey, who scored 9 of the Huskies’ 11 first quarter points.
Deadlocked at 11 after one period, Stayton tried to make a couple of small runs in the second quarter. Each time the Huskies answered with more inside play, going first to Wes Smith and later in the quarter to Aaron Hegge. Nic Walker’s closing penetration drive brought the Huskies within three, 29-26, at halftime.
At the 5 minute mark of the third quarter, Stayton began to find Ryan Cupp at the high post for penetration drives. Cupp’s 8 point splurge in that span of time extended the Eagles’ lead to eleven. Only Walker’s nine point effort in the quarter, including a three pointer near the end, could keep the Huskies within range at 50-42. But that is as close as it would get.
Spreading their offense in the fourth quarter, Stayton forced the Huskies to chase and foul to try to get back in the game. Their lead grew to as much as 15 half way through the quarter before Sweet Home pecked away to make it a respectable 68-60 defeat.
Husky scoring was balanced with four players in double figures. Gaskey led scorers with 13, while Josh Bondesen had 12 and Walker and Kevin Furry contributed 11 each. Smith added 8 points along with 6 rebounds.
Was Risen disappointed?
“Not at all,” replied Risen. “Stayton is one of the best basketball teams in the state. For us to go into their place and play toe to toe with them for 26 minutes told you that we’re a pretty good team too.”
Risen felt that his team stepped up when he challenged them in the fourth quarter.
“When we played them the first time, we got caught up playing their game a little bit,” said Risen. “I thought we stayed focused and composed on our game and played through adversity.”
Could the Huskies stay focused after an emotional loss when a less talented Molalla team came to town Friday?
“I’m always nervous after an emotional loss,” said Risen. From the outset, he sensed a tightness in the lockerroom and in pre-game drills that made him even more nervous.
Both teams seemed to be tight in the opening two minutes. Nic Walker’s field goal didn’t break the ice until more than two minutes expired. From there, the Huskies unleashed a run and the remaining tightness could only be spotted on the lid that appeared to be on Molalla’s basket. Josh
Bondesen’s three point shot gave the Huskies a commanding 13-2 first quarter lead.
And then things changed, starting with Molalla’s new 1-2-2 zone. In Sweet Home’s opening seven possessions of the second quarter, they shot five three point blanks, allowing Molalla to get easy rebounds, make some transition baskets, and get back in the game. Risen began to see the signs of tightness and fatigue that he was nervous about take hold.
“What concerned me wasn’t that they were shooting the 3’s,” said Risen. “What concerned me was the shot selection. We were getting no player movement at all. We were standing, throwing, and shooting.”
Molalla, with patience at the offensive end, crawled back to 16-13 by halftime and then continued their slow ascendence in the third quarter. The Huskies’ shooting woes remained in the third quarter though they tried to enter the ball inside. But every time a Husky post player went up, he was surrounded by three Molalla defenders.
“They were expecting some calls,” said Risen about the defensive pressure. “You need to concentrate on finishing the play, not on anticipating a call.”
Capped by five points by Chris Rickman at the end of the third quarter, the Indians’ patience pushed their improbable comeback into a 26-20 third quarter lead.
The Huskies scored just seven points in two quarters and on this night, it seemed like they might not have anything left in the emotional tank to draw on. But Risen has always stated that good teams find ways to make runs, and he thought that the bench may have had a lot to do with the run on this night, not that he made any substitutions.
“Our bench was huge,” emphasized Risen. “They weren’t physically on the court, but emotionally, spiritually, intellectually, they were on the court.”
And that may have been the boost the Huskies needed. Sweet Home used two free throws by Gaskey and a basket by Furry to start the fourth quarter, but Molalla answered with four of their own. From then on, one player after another asserted himself. Walker’s five unanswered points gave the Huskies the lead again at the four minute mark. After exchanging leads, two scores by Furry gave the Huskies the lead for good at 34-32.
Then came the critical play of the night. On one defensive stand, the Huskies deflected the ball three times, twice by Gaskey, eventually leading to a Smith steal and an amazing transition basket from Smith to Bondesen to Furry that gave the Huskies a four point lead. Clinching pairs of free throws by Walker and Bondesen neutralized David Bratcher’s final three point cast for Molalla at the buzzer, leaving the Huskies breathing a sigh of relief with their 42-40 victory.
Gaskey again led the Huskies with 12 points. Walker and Furry each had 9. Smith led the team in three other categories, 4 assists, 4 steals, and 6 rebounds.
The Huskies had little time to regroup as they faced the other league contender, Central, at home yesterday. Their rest won’t come until Friday when they have a bye. With three games remaining including Central, the playoff implications are still too difficult to sort out.
“We’re looking for the shortest path we can find,” said Risen, referring to their state playoff desires. “We just want to keep ourselves in position to have an opportunity to play in the post season.”
Calendar: The next game for the Huskies is at home against Sisters Tuesday night.