After beating the top team in the ValCo and the Huskies then lost to the bottom team, helping to tighten a league race in which all five teams are separated by no more than.two victories.
The Huskies delivered a convincing win over league-leading Philomath 44-32 at home on Feb. 6 and then lost 33-32 to Taft on the road Thursday.
The Huskies have only Newport and Central left to play in regular season. How they do in those games will determine whether they will finish second or third in league behind Philomath – assuming the Warriors continue to win – and whether they play at home or on the road in the playoff game between third and second place for state playoff seeding.
Central has three games left, including Philomath and Taft, which has been playing well, Sweet Home Coach Tim Little said. There still could be a tie for first place if Philomath loses out, “which I doubt, but we could still finish last also, with two games left. Everybody’s trying to stay alive.”
Philomath remains a top-10 team statewide, about seventh, Little said.
Hosting Philomath, the Huskies led 14-9 after one quarter and then 25-18 at halftime. Philomath got within five during the third quarter, but back-to-back threes, two by Ryan Graville and one by Colton Emmert, spread that margin back out and stopped a potential Philomath rally in the third quarter.
“We came out and executed just perfectly and shot the ball well,” Little said. Graville shot 4-4 behind the three-point line, and the team shot 6-12.
Once the Huskies regained a nine- to 10-point lead, Little said, “the kids just executed really well right at the end.”
They were confident, he said. They respect Philomath and know it’s going to be a battle any time they meet.
Emmert led Husky scoring with 16 points. Graville had 12; Gabe Kauffman, six; Brandon Weist, four; Jon Ball, two; Nathan Whitfield, two; and Ricky Worley, two.
Merino and Sturner led Newport scoring with six points each.
That hot shooting streak disintegrated Thursday when the Huskies faced Taft, and they were edged out, despite solid defense.
“Typical Taft,” Little said. “We didn’t shoot the ball very well.”
The Huskies shot 8-36 from the field and 6-17 from the foul line.
Once they lost confidence shooting, Little said, the Huskies turned to a more passive offense.
“We had a shot to win it at the end,” Little said. “Whitfield had an open lay-in with no time left. It just rolled out the front of the rim.”
That shot wasn’t the reason the Huskies lost though, Little said. “It didn’t come down to one play even though one play could have won it.”
Had it rolled in, it would have been more of a rescue.
The Huskies were ahead 10-6 after the first quarter. Taft took a 19-13 lead by halftime. The Huskies went ahead again in the third, 29-24.
Weist led Husky scoring with 10 points. Emmert added nine; Graville, eight; Kauffman, four; and Whiftfield, one. Jon Ball, Josh Riggs and Ray Lingenfelter played but did not score.
K. Hamlin led Taft scoring with 16 points.
The Huskies play at Newport on Friday and host Central in the final regular season game on Tuesday.
If things play out the way Little thinks they will, the Huskies will be in the conference playoffs, and that final Central game will determine which team plays at home.
Little is optimistic.
“We’re playing good basketball since that last home Taft loss,” he said. The average margin on losses is about one. All it will take is keeping confidence levels high.
Val-Co League
Standings
Philomath 6-3
Central 5-4
Sweet Home 5-5
Newport 4-6
Taft 4-6