The two game winning streak for the girls came to an end when Cottage Grove’s persistance on the offensive boards sparked them to a 45-40 victory.
Another deciding factor in the game was fouls. Both teams found themselves in foul trouble at some point in the game. For Cottage Grove, it came early and often as the Huskies were in the double bonus before the first quarter ended. That allowed the Huskies to go to the line, where they shot 6 for 8, a definite improvement from their previous performances in that situation.
The Lions also went 5 for 5 from the free throw line in the first period. Though the Huskies didn’t foul nearly as often, they fouled shooters who were taking second shots off of offensive rebounds. Still, Sweet Home led at the end of the first quarter, 14-11.
In the second quarter, Cottage Grove upped the defensive pressure and limited shot opportunities for the Huskies. Only Kendra Greene, who racked up 18 points for the Huskies, could consistently find a way to the basket for an easy shot. Both teams continued to shoot many free throws, but both also went cold, shooting just 2 for 6 each. Chelsea Hackworth, the Huskies’ second leading scorer, was forced to the bench early with 3 fouls.
Trailing 22-20 at halftime, the Huskies hoped to make a rebounding adjustment, but it didn’t happen. Sweet Home managed to keep it close until the last three minutes of the quarter. Cottage Grove put some distance between themselves and the Huskies by scoring on their last five positions of the quarter and raised the margin to 10. Most of those baskets came on second chance opportunities.
“I don’t think they got a lot of good shots on their first opportunities,” stated coach Jason Gorham, who employed a zone defense to avoid some of the foul trouble the Huskies began to get into during the third quarter. “But it’s tough to win when you give teams extra possessions.”
Late in the fourth quarter, the Huskies got a second wind. With three and a half minutes to go, Sweet Home began a parade to the free throw when their offensive quickness caused Cottage Grove to pile up a number of reaching fouls by being out of position. The Huskies, led once again by Greene, were eight for eight from the line in the final stanza while the Lions stumbled, shooting just 5 of 13.
Not enough baskets came out of the offense for the Huskies, who shot only 30% on the night after previous performances above 45%. They needed Hackworth as a second threat, but she picked up her fourth foul early in the third quarter. That put the load on Greene, though Nicki Aerni supplied six point from off the bench.
For Greene, it just showed how far the team still has to go, even though it has come a long way.
“We have plenty of things to work on despite winning a couple of games,” said Greene. “We’ll put this behind us and get ready for Toledo and our tournament next week.”
One of things that Gorham will continue to remind them of is how offensive rebounds can effect the outcome of the game, including their ability to move up the floor quickly.
“The girls took it hard because they realized we didn’t play a better team,” said Gorham. “We beat ourselves. We didn’t control the things we can, the tempo and the boards.”
After three games at home, the Huskies have a full dose of road games this week. They started with Toledo Tuesday night and finish up with a three game tournament, the first two to be played at Pleasant Hill on Thursday and Friday and the final game at Junction City on Saturday.
Cottage Grove is also entered in this tournament. Maybe the Huskies will get a chance to show they are the better team in a hurry.