Sky Chappell
In a series of hard-fought battles on the court, the Sweet Home High School Girls Basketball team (1-16) has shown progress and resilience despite facing challenging odds. Under the guidance of Coach Erika Evans, the team has navigated through the season with determination despite recent games Feb. 5 against Cascade (13-7) and Feb. 8 against Newport (4-15).
On Feb. 5, Sweet Home clashed away against Cascade (13-7). Despite the final score reading 17-67 in favor of Cascade, the Huskies achieved many of their set goals.
“We hit almost all of our team goals and what we defined as a win for us,” Evans said. The team started strong, scoring the first four points and keeping the score tight at 10-11 in the first quarter. They successfully limited Cascade’s leading scorer to nine points less than in their previous encounter and reduced the entire team’s score by ten points from their last game.
“We saw the growth from just a couple additional weeks of practice come to fruition in this game,” Evans said whilst highlighting the team’s improvement.
On Feb. 8, the girls faced Newport (4-15) at home. This game was a testament to Sweet Home’s hard work and dedication. Evans said, “I could not be more proud of a group of young women as I am about this game.”
The Huskies demonstrated exceptional skill and teamwork. Evans said, “[We] played the best basketball we have ever played as a team.” Despite facing major foul trouble with both point guards, the team competed fiercely until the very end. The game concluded with a narrow loss of 36-39, decided by a last-second contested three-pointer.
“This game proved everything we have been striving for as a program this season is paying off,” Evans said, acknowledging the tough loss but emphasizing the positive impact on the team’s morale and future prospects.
The team’s spirit, improvement, and the lessons learned through adversity have set a solid foundation for the remainder of the season and the years ahead. Feb. 12 the team will be playing at 5:30 p.m, away against Philomath (17-3) and again Feb. 15 at 5:30 p.m, away against North Marion (9-12).