After allowing Crook County to run out to an 18-point halftime lead, Sweet Home lost 60-50 at home Friday night in boys basketball.
Garrett Harper opened the game up with a three for Crook County. Ryan Adams sank a three to tie the game 3-3. Crook County scored nine, building a 12-3 lead and ended the quarter with a 23-13 lead. By halftime, the Cowboys led 42-24.
The Huskies went scoreless for more than five minutes while Crook County built a 52-24 lead in the third quarter. Hunter Jutte broke the ice for the Huskies with 2:27 left in the third. Crook County led 52-30 at the end of the quarter.
Then Sweet Home fired up, outscoring the visitors 20-8 in the fourth quarter to get within 10 points.
Adams left the game in the third quarter with back spasms and a problem with his hip, Gaskey said.
“We just turned up the pressure a little bit defensively,” said Coach Brandon Gaskey. “Our offense started to click a little bit more, and they cooled off a little bit, to be honest. It’s another one of those things. I think on paper we’re a better team.”
Shooting just 34.6 percent from the field, the Huskies faced an opponent shooting 52.2 percent overall and 66.7 percent from the three-point line. The Cowboys shot 6-6 to start the game.
Crook County dominated the boards, as Sweet Home was limited to 18 rebounds, half of them offensive, Gaskey said. The visitors blocked out effectively to the point that the Huskies didn’t have much opportunity to grab defensive boards.
The team turned the ball over just six times, while Crook County turned it over nine times.
The Huskies are breaking the presses, but they’re not connecting on the layup, Gaskey said, and the Cowboys were well-prepared for shifting defenses.
Hunter led the game with 33 points, shooting 45.8 percent from the field and pulling down seven rebounds. He drained four threes in nine attempts. Justin Tow also sank a three.
It’s another situation where the team didn’t put together a four-quarter game and was beaten in the second quarter.
“I’m going to be trying some different starting lineups to jump start things,” Gaskey said. He’s also thinking about running a press out of the gate to get energy levels up. Energy creates energy, and the Huskies have tended to come out with low energy levels.
Looking forward to the beginning of league at home against Sutherlin on Friday, “I told the kids on Friday it can be a whole new season for us,” Gaskey said.
Gaskey was especially proud of his team Friday evening over a special play at the end of the game. A Crook County player asked Jutte if they would let a special-needs player, whose number wasn’t listed on the Cowboys’ roster but who sat on the bench through the game, score a basket. Jutte asked Gaskey, who was still in a coach’s mindset. The Huskies were down 10 or 11 with 30 seconds left in the game.
He asked Jutte what he was talking about. Jutte explained it, and Gaskey remembered seeing the player struggling during warmups. He told Jutte it was up to him and his team. The player missed the first shot, but Jutte subtly made sure he got the ball back to try again, then Erickson connected with the net.
“We probably made that young man’s high school career,” Gaskey said. “I’ve got to give credit to Hunter (and the team).”
It’s a testament to the Huskies’ heart, that the game isn’t always about wins and losses, Gaskey said. It followed a tough battle back from a 28-point deficit. There are situations that are even bigger than that in life, and his team showed a lot of maturity.
Crook County 23 19 10 8 – 60
Sweet Home 13 11 6 8 – 50
Crook County: Blake Bartels 20, Kessi 17, Harper 7, Kee 7, Hernandez 6, Jones 3, Lapsley, Kilthau, Ambriz.
Sweet Home: Hunter Jutte 33, Justin tow 5, Daniel Virtue 10, Ryan Adams 4, Jake Bngot 2, Kevin Seiber 1, Justin Carpenter, Keanu Aiona, Tyler Plebuch, Kyler Gaskey, Brycen Mitten.