The boys summer basketball team came out with a vengeance to start their season winning four of five games.
Summer season opened June 1 at home against Philomath, next year’s league rivals. The Huskies topped Philomath 42-35.
Philomath then defeated Stayton on the Husky court, and Stayton defeated the Huskies 55-45 immediately following.
The Huskies were missing a couple of players, Brandon Weist and Nathan Whitfield, who were attending the track awards dessert during the game against Stayton, Coach Tim Little said.
“We were a little shorthanded, but we played well,” Little said. On Saturday, the Huskies hosted and won a tournament.
They opened against defending Capital Conference co-champion North Marion, winning 58-54.
The Huskeis defeated Elmira 53-47.
Against The Dalles, the Huskies went into overtime to win 58-57.
The Huskies were up by four in overtime, but The Dalles sank a three on the buzzer to close the winning margin, Little said.
“We played well,” Little said. “We started out 4-1 in the summer season. Kids are feeling good, excited. We beat some good teams this weekend.”
Last week was a big boost to Husky confidence, Little said. The team is “learning that doing the little things results in wins — Taking care of the little things you can control.”
Against The Dalles, hitting free throws, blocking out on defense and other fundamentals were keys to winning, Little said.
The Huskies will travel to Central Saturday and Sunday for a five-game tournament. They open against Pleasant Hill, which made it to quarter finals during regular season.
Pleasant Hill returns three solid players, Little said. “They definitely are a powerhouse, and coaches foresee them doing well this year.”
Dressing down for varsity action last week were incoming sophomores Ryan Graville and Kyle Carter, juniors Colton Emmert and Gabe Kauffman and seniors Weist, Raymond Lingenfelter, Whitfield, Ricky Worley and Jon Ball.