The Husky boys came back from Christmas break to trounce Elmira 69-50 at the Cascade High School Holiday Tournament on Dec. 27.
Cascade beat Newport to win a spot in the tournament championship game and their third contest this year against the Huskies.
Cascade won that game 54-39, its second win against the Huskies this year.
The Huskies narrowly lost, 47-45, at home Friday night to Cottage Grove.
“It was a busy week,” Coach Tim Little said, and he is confident in his team as it prepares to open league play Friday, hosting Philomath.
Sweet Home 69, Elmira 50
Against Elmira, “we came back from the break and were well-rested,” Little said. The Huskies also got some illness behind them over the break.
The Huskies played good defense, he said, and comfortably led Elmira all game long. The Huskies led 18-9 after one quarter and 33-18 at the half. Elmira closed the lead by one point, 50-36, by the end of the third quarter.
Gabe Kauffman led scoring with 28 points. Brandon Weist added 20; Colton Emmert, 14; Nathan Whitfield, four; Ryan Graville, two; and Josh Riggs, one. Jon Ball, Brandon Nunn, Dustin Hay, Ricky Worley and Xiang Li played but did not score.
Cascade 54, Sweet Home 39
The Huskies and Cascade were even-up at 21-21 at the end of the first half, after Sweet Home trailed 15-10 after one quarter. But some concentration problems and mistakes by Sweet Home netted the Cougars a huge third quarter, in which they held the Huskies to just two points while accruing 18 for a 39-23 lead.
Emmert led Husky scoring with 12 points. Kauffman added 11; Weist, eight; Worley, six; and Kyle Carter, two. Riggs, Whitfield, Graville, Hay and Ball played but did not score.
Cottage Grove 47, Sweet Home 45
The Huskies built a 10-2 lead in the first quarter against Cottage Grove and held it to halftime, leading 29-11. Cottage Grove edged up in the third quarter but still trailed 30-26.
The Huskies played a solid first half, Little said, but Weist and Whitfield both fouled out in the game. They are two of the better Husky defenders, and it showed on the court as Cottage Grove caught up and edged out the Huskies.
Emmert and Weist led Husky scoring with 13 each. Carter and Kauffman added six each; Worley, five; and Riggs, two. Ball, Whitfield, Hay, Graville and Ray Lingenfelter played but did not score.
“We open (league) with Philomath at home,” Little said. Philomath is number four in the state with an 8-2 record. “It’s a good game to open up for us at home. We know the potential’s there. We’ve just got to put in a full 32 minutes.”
The Huskies are focusing mentally for the game and to begin what they hope will be a run at the league championship in their first year as a ValCo member, Little said.
The Huskies, now 4-7, play at 7 p.m. on Friday night.