East Linn Christian’s boys stayed undefeated in the Valley Coast Conference, but the Eagles suffered their first loss in six games Saturday, Feb. 7, with a non-league loss to Oakland.
The Oakers, ranked fifth in the 2A state, finished with a 66-55 win over their ninth-ranked hosts.
Earlier in the week, East Linn beat Toledo at home 57-45 and Central Linn on the road 59-38.
Coach Jonathan Whitehead said the Toledo game turned out to be tough.
“We put together some big stops and scores down the stretch to pull away,” he said.
Gavin Wilson led the team with 27 points and nine rebounds, while Grady Knurowski scored 12 points, along with five boards, three steals and three assists.
At Central Linn, the Eagles started strong and had “three impressive quarters,” leading 56-21 going into the final period after building a 33-17 halftime lead.
Wilson led all scorers with 25, while Brison Edwards added 13 and four steals. Demetrius Wilke and Gracen Christenson led East Linn with seven rebounds each.
Oakland proved a tough opponent, Whitehead said.
“The Oakers led by as many as 15 points in the first half, before the hosts battled back to trail by nine at the half.
“We had a great third quarter to take a two-point lead into the fourth,” Whitehead said.
But the Eagles got too sloppy in the final period and the visitors took advantage.
“We started to turn the ball over too much and take tough shots,” Whitehead said.
Wilson led ELCA with 14 points, and sophomore Ryder Howard added 12 and seven rebounds in “an impressive game,” the coach said.
The Eagles host Monroe for Senior Night on Feb. 10, then host Waldport this week.
Girls beat Toledo but fall to CL, Oakland
The Lady Eagles had it “really tough” last week against some of the state’s top teams, Oakland and Central Linn, both ranked above East Linn in the 2A.
“Having Central Linn and Oakland one after another was a brutal matchup but my girls fought till the last buzzer,” Coach Sierra Carrier said.
The week started at home against Toledo Feb. 3, which East Linn took care of easily, 60-36.
“We had everyone getting a chance, in different lineups on the floor,” Carrier said.
Maya Van Dyke led the team with 18 points, seven rebounds and nine steals, while Abby Garber contributed 12 points and six thefts, Tessa Savage 10 points, four rebounds and three steals and Mci Modderman nine points and four boards.
One the road at Central Linn on Friday, East Linn played well in what Carrier called “the clash of the county,” but fell 38-27.
“It was by far our best game for controlling the controllable, but it was our worst shooting game this season,” the coach said.
No Eagles scored in double figures, Garber leading the team with seven points and five rebounds, and Van Dyke, Modderman and Bailey Kramer adding five points each, with five boards from Van Dyke and 10 each from Kramer and Modderman.
Then, one night later, Oakland came to visit in East Linn’s final non-league game of the regular season, leaving with a 53-47 win.
“Oakland has a very solid team and it was hard for us to bounce back from a tough game Friday,” Carrier said. “It was an exciting, back-and-forth game up until the end.”
Garber again led the team with 14 points and five rebounds, with Audrey Garber adding 11 points and five more boards. Kramer contributed 12 rebounds.
East Linn plays its final week of league this week, hosting Monroe for Senior Night Tuesday, and then hosting Waldport. League playoffs follow. The Eagles will honor seniors Lexy Kauffman, Kramer and Bella Albert.
