Coach Scott Emmert and Mark Risen’s traveling fifth-grade basketball team recently wrapped up a 12-11 season.
The season highlight was a second-place finish at a Sisters tournament. The team beat the Albany Dogs, the Sisters Outlaws and Redmond Rampage to enter the championship game. Sweet Home lost to the Bend Bears in that game.
At a Philomath tournament, Sweet Home finished third in its division, defeating Yamhill-Carlton and Philomath but losing to teams from Keizer and Eugene.
During the season, Sweet Home defeated Newport twice and lost to Lebanon, Vancouver and Portland Lutheran.
Josh Riggs led the team in rebounding with about seven per game. Colton Emmert and Darrell Risen led in scoring with about 12 points per game.
Point guard Taylor Huschka led in assists with about five each game.
The team included Colton Emmert, Trevor Shipp, Drew Emmert, Ryan Graville, Ricky Burnside, Taylor Huschka, David Thornbrough, Josh Riggs, Darrell Risen and Ramiro Santana.
Enmmert, Huschka and Santana are all in the sixth-grade but were permitted to play.
“The kids, I thought, made a dramatic improvement this season from top to bottom,” Coach Risen said. “the kids played hard. They played against some really good teams.
“We beat the teams we should beat and struggled against the teams we should struggle with.”
The teams Sweet Home faced ran the gamut of skill levels, Coach Risen said. They ranged anywhere from Portland’s best players through teams put together by parents.