Toledo 37, Sweet Home 33
A last-minute shot at victory slipped through the Husky girls basketball team’s fingers as Toledo sank two free throws and grabbed a turnover for an easy lay-in on Friday.
The Huskies lost 37-33 after scratching their way into a tie late in the game.
The Huskies trailed 9-7 after the first quarter and 18-13 at halftime. They closed the gap to 26-23 in the third quarter and caught up to Toledo in the fourth for a shot at the win.
The lead was never more than six or seven, Coach Jason Gorham said. “In the fourth quarter, we came out and started picking our defense up.”
Erika Snow hit a three to tie the game with about three and a half minutes left.
“We kind of traded baskets for the rest of the game until under a minute,” Gorham said. In the last minute, Toledo went to the line three times but hit only two shots, but Toledo grabbed an errant pass to hit a layin.
“I like the fact that we’re playing competitively right now, getting ready for league,” Gorham said. “We’ve been in some tight games. That gave us a chance to work on some things we’ll need to compete in league.”
Those things include taking care of the ball down the stretch and executing when needed, Gorham said. Those close games give the Huskies the chance to be in those tight situations; and the more chances they have, the better they’ll get at turning them into wins.
“It comes down to how we play,” Gorham said. “If we play a good game, we can play with anyone on our schedule.”
If the girls keep getting those chances in games, “we’ll get the ball to bounce our way and put some wins together,” he said.
Hannah Swanson led the Huskies with 12 points. Nicki Aerni added seven; Breanne Messmer, five; Snow, three; Tabby Trahan, two; Makenzie Marchbanks, two; and Sara Brocard, two.
Emily Bacon and Beth Stem led Toledo scoring with eight each.
Philomath 52, Sweet Home 29
The Huskies lost 52-29 to Philomath on Jan. 3 on the road.
Philomath led by about 10 points for much of the game before breaking open a 13-1 run in the last two and a half minutes of the game, Gorham said. Philomath hit some threes at the end along with foul shots.
Philomath led 16-7 after one quarter and 26-18 at halftime. Philomath led 37-22 after the third quarter.
Swanson led the Husky scoring with 16 points. Brocard added six; Aerni, five; and Marchbanks, two.
Jenneca Crocker led Philomath scoring with 21. Riley Peterson added 10.
Philomath has been a top-10 team all season and has lost only one or two games, Gorham said. “I thought we played really well.”