Skyler Chappell
In a week filled with trials and tribulations, the Sweet Home High basketball teams faced off against two of the state’s premier squads, Philomath and North Marion, in back-to-back away games that tested their resilience, Feb. 12 and 15.
Boys’ Team Faces Tough Competition on the Road
The boys’ team embarked on the week’s challenges undermanned, missing three of their starters in Monday’s clash against Philomath (17-5). Despite the setback, the team showed commendable spirit, trailing by only 10 points at halftime before Philomath extended their lead in the second half, culminating in a 36-64 defeat. “This was a tough week as we played two of the best teams in the state on the road,” Coach Drew Emmert said. “I was proud of the way we battled in the first half.”
The following game on Thursday against North Marion (17-7) further tested the team’s strength. North Marion had exceptional shooting, particularly from the three-point line where they hit 10 of 15 attempts in the first half. This allowed them to establish a significant lead early on. Despite a stronger second-half performance from the Huskies, the early deficit proved too large to overcome, resulting in a 42-72 loss. Coach Emmert praised the efforts of Connor Pace who played well against North Marion, scoring 10 points and six rebounds. As well as Ethan Delibertis, who stood out with his performances against Philomath scoring 10 points.
Girls’ Team Struggles to Ignite Spark
The girls’ team faced similar challenges in their matchups against Philomath (18-4) and North Marion (10-13). Against Philomath, the team was unable to contain their opponents’ offense which led to a 22-64 loss. Coach Erika Evans pointed out the difficulties in finding a defensive rhythm, saying, “Philomath is a really tough team, and we struggled to find a spark defensively against them.”
In their game against North Marion, despite increased focus on defensive intensity throughout the week, the girls’ team could not capitalize on their efforts, hindered further by their starting point guard’s early foul trouble. The game ended in a 17-41 defeat. Coach Evans expressed her thoughts on the game, noting, “We battled but struggled to find the spark that would really light the fire in this game.”
Despite the tough outcomes, The community continues to rally behind their local teams, eager to support them in their pursuit of success moving forward. The lessons learned from these challenging matchups against some of the state’s best teams will be invaluable as the teams look to regroup and refocus their efforts on their last game of the season Feb. 20 at home against Stayton.