Sky Chappell
The Sweet Home Huskies found victory in their home game against the Lebanon Warriors, Friday, Jan. 12. Although the competitive energy amongst both the student sections and the players on the court was high, the Huskies finished with a well-executed 62/51.
The game was not normal due to the difference in school classification. Sweet Home being a 4A school and Lebanon being 5A. The last time a game like this was seen was in the 2013-2014 season, in which Lebanon won 58/49.
Coach Drew Emmert following the home game stated, “It was fun to bring back the Lebanon game again, we haven’t played them in [the] regular season in years.” The decision to play against Lebanon was made at the last minute following the cancellation of the original boys league game against Crook County; that was canceled due to the weather.
“We played extremely well. Everyone contributed and played well on both ends,” Emmert said. Senior player Colin Nicholson scored 27 pts and had 16 rebounds. As Emmert put it, “He was a monster.”
Along with Nicholson, senior player Ethan Delibertis was able to score 15 pts, and a three point shot late in the game, which gave the Huskies a seven point lead. After that lead, “We made enough free throws at the end to ice it.” With a free throw percentage of 58.8% on the Warriors’ 45.5%, the Huskies were able to score a total of 20 free throws.
This marked the Huskies last game before league.
Both teams in attendance additionally had filled student sections, which had their fair share of banter throughout the game.
This game, although unexpected, did prove that no matter the weather, cancellations, or difference in classifications, communities are willing to make it work.
In similar news:
The home game came following the Huskies playing away against Madras Jan. 8, losing 40/69.
“Madras is a really good team, and they showed it. We struggled against their defensive pressure. We had too many turnovers and struggled to make shots,” Emmert mentioned. After the first quarter, “Madras made a run and we struggled to stop the bleeding.”
The Huskies will be back home Friday, Jan. 19 at 5:30 p.m., playing against Cascade in a league game.