Sean C. Morgan
Of The New Era
The Husky girls basketball team faced teams spanning the globe in terms of skill last week, coming up with two losses and a win.
They opened their season with a competitive game against Elmira on Nov. 29, losing 53-40 after fatigue set in during the fourth quarter.
Ranked in the top five and expected to place in the top eight at state, Husky Coach Jason Gorham said, Douglas crushed the girls 70-31 in the first round of a tournament held at Douglas on Dec. 2.
The Huskies turned around the second day of the tournament and dominated Umpqua Valley Christian in a 61-34 win on Dec. 3.
“I was happy overall with the way we played this week,” Gorham said. “I think we let a game slip away that we could have won.”
The Huskies held their turnovers to 16 against Elmira and “we’re started to make changes in the way we play that were good for us,” Gorham said. The Huskies forced 21 turnovers out of Elmira in the game.
Most of the turnovers, probably eight to 10 came in the fourth quarter, Gorham said.
“We would have liked to put a few more points on the board,” Gorham said. “We’d like to get 50 a game.”
Until the fourth quarter, the Huskies were on track to score 50 against Elmira, Gorham said. Like ball control, shooting went cold in the fourth quarter.
“It was good for us to go out and play a competitive game like that,” Gorham said. The team saw where it can make improvements, and “I think we’re a better team after that game.”
Elmira 53, Sweet Home 40
Elmira jumped to an early lead in the game, but “we forced a few turnovers there at the end of the first quarter and hit a few outside shots that let us back into it,” Gorham said. The game was tied 11-11 at the end of the first quarter.
Elmira held a 24-22 edge at halftime, and the tight battle continued through the end of the third quarter when Sweet Home led 38-36.
Elmira held the Huskies to just two points in the fourth quarter to get the win.
“I think our conditioning definitely improved,” Gorham said, comparing the team to last year, but that first game, he had players in foul trouble and Sara Brocard fouling out. Brocard going out hurt the Huskies in rebounding inside and post defense.
The Huskies had 24 fouls, Gorham said, and that is way too many. Foul trouble can be a problem early in the year. During practice, the players don’t get called for fouls so they can get used to playing with contact, and officials usually call games tighter early in the season.
The Huskies got up and down the court well, but he saw fatigue in their shooting and passing, Gorham said.
Hannah Swanson led the Huskies with 10 points. Tabby Trahan scored eight; Nicki Aerni, seven; Makenzie Marchbanks, six; Breanne Messmer, five; Brocard, three; and Ashley Danielson, three.
Douglas 70, Sweet Home 31
Against Douglas, the Huskies faced one of the best teams in the state, Gorham said. “Douglas is a really good team. They’ve got a strong program.”
After one quarter, the Huskies were down 23-9. The deficite grew to 44-15 by halftime and 61-26 by the end of the third quarter. Final score wqas 70-31.
Swanson had seven points to lead Husky scoring. Trahan scored five; Aerni, five; Danielson, four; Michelle Aerni, four; Brocard, three; Marchbanks, two; and Ashley Bertucci, one.
Umpqua Valley Christian 61, Sweet Home 34
“We came out and played really well on Saturday,” Gorham said. “I think the kids wanted to get a win after Friday’s game.”
Swanson stepped up and “really played well for us,” Gorham said. She had 17 points, eight rebounds and 11 steals. She shot and pressured the ball well.
The Huskies forced 31 turnovers and got their transition game going for easy buckets, Gorham said. They shot 44 percent from the field improving on their opening night’s 31-percent performance.
Erika Snow came in off the bench to put in solid minutes and shoot 4-5 and score eight points. Trahan and N. Aerni each scored eight; Marchbanks, six; Olivia Lake and M. Aerni, four; and Danielson, Bertucci and Brocard, two.
The Huskies led 22-2 after one quarter and 28-11 at halftime. They led 44-19 after the third quarter and won 61-34.
The Huskies played against three different levels over the course of the week, and “we got to see what we’re capable of,” Gorham said. “We’ll play a lot of teams like Elmira, so I think we’re going to be real competitive.”
They lost 56-20 to Cottage Grove at home on Monday night.