The Huskies’ summer boys basketball team finished last week 5-4 in a pair of mid-week games and a tournament against 5A and 6A schools over the weekend.
On Tuesday last week, the Huskies beat Junction City and then lost by four to Marist at Marist, Coach Kostanty Knurowski said. “Marist is always really tough. We were right here, and we had our chances to beat them.”
The Huskies went to a tournament in Grants Pass and won four of seven games.
They defeated Dallas, Grants Pass, Eagle Point and Ashland, Knurowski said.
“They were pretty good wins for us. We won all four by double figures.”
Grants Pass is a 6A school, and Ashland has been a state playoff team in its division the past few years, Knurowski said.
On the downside, the Huskies lost games to West Albany and Marshfield by one point and to Roseburg by double digits.
Overall, it was a productive week for the Huskies, Knurowski said. This summer, they have tried to play tougher competition,
in terms of size and strength; and the 5A and 6A schools tend to be bigger and stronger.
“Marist fits that bill well too,” Knurowski said. “We played really against some good teams and beat some good teams as well.”
He didn’t expect to go undefeated, but he did expect to compete well, he said. That should help strengthen the Huskies next winter.
“We came out looking tougher than when we came in, I think,” he said.
“Some of the guys coming off the bench are starting to contribute more,” he said. John Webb was the main scorer on the junior varsity last season.
The varsity team is using him in a heavily defensive role this summer, and he’s provided the defensive spark Knurowski was looking for in addition to offense.
Brock Cota, who was played sparingly last season and used in a defensive role, has started getting to the line for free throws and knocking down buckets, Knurowski said.
The Huskies got Gavin Kauffman back last week too, Knurowski said. “I think we forget how much he does sometimes.
“I could go on about everybody. Everybody’s stepped up from a physicality standpoint. Everybody’s showed a little bit of their tough side.”
The team is busy running its annual Husky Hoop Camp this week, and they will finish their summer schedule with a tournament at Siuslaw this weekend.