The Sweet Home girls basketball team hit the road Tuesday night, Feb. 4, to take on No. 4-ranked Cascade to finish out the first half of their Oregon West Conference campaign.
Despite a tough 63-25 loss, the Huskies showed resilience and growth, particularly in the second half.
Sophomore Brooke Elder led Sweet Home with 10 points.
While the scoreboard may not have reflected it, Sweet Home made key adjustments throughout the game that helped it improve defensively. After giving up 46 points in the first half, the Huskies locked in and held the Cougars to just 17 points in the second.
“We competed hard,” Coach Erika Evans said. “This game resulted in big growth for the team in many aspects that are not seen on the scoreboard. The girls were able to work together to make some adjustments in the second half that led to holding Cascade to 17 fewer points than the first.”
Things don’t get easier for Sweet Home, which will travel to No. 1-ranked Philomath Tuesday, Feb. 11, followed by a home game Friday, Feb. 14, against No. 2 Stayton. Game times are 7 p.m. for both contests.
The Huskies continue to develop, as demonstrated in the Cascade game, as they the top-ranked teams in the state. Sweet Home has no seniors on its varsity roster, which includes three juniors.
Against Cascade last week, all but six of the Huskies’ points came from underclassmen. Seven of the Cougars’ 12 varsity players are upperclassmen. The same is true of Philomath, while nearly half of Stayton’s roster are seniors.