Sky Chappell
With the Oregon West Conference off to a running start, the Sweet Home boys basketball team has struggled to keep pressure in their second and third league games losing 38-67 against the Newport Cubs (9-5) Jan. 23 away, and 24-56 against the Philomath Warriors (13-3) Jan. 26 at home.
The Huskies (3-13) have been putting up a noteworthy fight in which they’ve already improved upon last year’s record (1-22).
“Philomath is the #2 ranked team in the state and for a good reason. They are big and strong and have one of the best defensive guards in the state,” Coach Drew Emmert said. Philomath is currently ranked number one.
Although noteworthy, the team faced difficulties following half time. “We had it within five points in the beginning of the third and then we struggled. We had too many turn-overs that led to easy [points] for them,” Emmert said. The Huskies had 23 turnovers total, with only seven happening before the end of the second.
“I was proud of our effort and focus in the first half. We need to be able to sustain that for a whole game to have a chance against a team like that.”
Following this game, the SHHS boys are currently ranked sixth in the Oregon West Conference, 202nd in the state and 28th in the 4A division.
The SHHS boys will be back home playing against North Marion (12-5) Jan. 29 at 5:30 p.m, and will be playing against Stayton (8-7) Feb. 1 at 5:30 p.m.