Still a few weeks from league competition, Sweet Home (3-4) continued a strong non-league schedule, squaring off in road contests against No. 11 Marist Catholic (3-3) on Tuesday, Dec. 14, and undefeated Harrisburg (6-0) on Friday, Dec. 17.
The Huskies lost 42-22 to the Spartans in the first contest.
“It was a rough game for us,” Head Coach Michelle Knight said. “We couldn’t make our shots very well that night. We were just a little off. And Marist Catholic is a good team.”
She noted signs of improvement during the game, however, saying, “We played better basketball in the second half, rather than feeling frantic and just reacting.”
Juniors Brooke Burke and Adaira Sluetel led the Huskies offense with 10 and 8 points, respectively.
Sweet Home enjoyed a closer score against Class 3A’s fourth-ranked Harrisburg, although the team ultimately lost, 42-39.
“That was probably the best game we’ve played all year,” Knight said of the showdown. “It was the best team effort I’ve seen all season. I’m not unhappy with anything. We played a really good game.”
In fact, the Huskies led 33-26 at the beginning of the fourth quarter before the Eagles mounted a comeback.
“We had some costly turnovers, and they made their shots while ours didn’t fall,” Knight said. “It was just one of those games that didn’t go our way. The good news for us is that losing makes you focus on things you need to fix and improve on. That’s good for us heading into league.”
Burke and Sleutel came through again for Sweet Home. The former scored 15 points while the latter recorded a double-double with 17 rebounds and 12 points.
The Huskies return to their home court Tuesday, Dec. 21, facing Yamhill-Carlton (1-6) at 5:30 p.m.