SIUSLAW NEWS | SATURDAY, DECEMBER 7, 2019 | 3B KEEP CHRIST IN CHRISTMAS Sponsored by St. Mary Our Lady of the Dunes Knights of Columbus Florence, Oregon See Jim for your auto needs! 2150 Hwy. 101 • Florence (541) 997-3475 • 1-800-348-3475 SHS would haunt them through- out the rest of the season, where they only won one game in league play, against Elmira, and that was a squeaker (56-51). Stepping into the head coach position, former Vik basketball player Cole stated she wanted to bring an aggressiveness to the team that had been lost over the years. And if Wednesday night was any indication, her plan is already showing results. “Early on, we were play- ing really well. We started out with a trap and we got them into some turnover trouble and executed on that. We went 4-2 right at the start,” Cole said. They ended the first quarter tied at nine and, by the end of the first half, they were only down by eight. The Viks came out ready to dominate as they pounced on every loose ball and pounded down the court with a fierce intensity — maybe even a little bit too much intensity. “We started getting into some foul trouble with Gracie and she got three fouls in the first three min- utes. That kind of hurt us a bit,” Cole said. In the second quarter, “We played pretty well, then we got into a little bit more foul trouble, so I had to bench a few of them.” Overall, the one thing that Cole said the team needs to work on is being more composed and avoid- ing foul trouble. “But I am pleased with the intensity,” she said. “Now we have to figure out how to be that aggressive without the fouls.” Cole also pointed to the team’s freethrow statistics, shooting only 50 percent. “If we would have made all of them, it would have been a five-point game,” Cole said. “We’ve been working on it in practice, but it didn’t show up all the way this game. So, we need to get a little better with that.” In scoring, Gracie Freudenthal led the way with 12, followed by Mia Collins with 10 and Savannah Morris with 8. “Our defense was great,” Cole said. “We held them to Fishing HIT THAT LIKE BUTTON! F ACEBOOK . COM /S IUSLAW N EWS from 1B from 1B Chinook. Due to low forecasted fall Chinook returns, this year’s daily bag limit has been reduced to 1 wild Chinook per day and 5 per year for the mid-coast aggregate (Siletz River to JARED ANDERSON/SIUSLAW NEWS Siuslaw’s Braydon Thornton led the Viks with a game- high 21 points Wednesday against Newport. nine points in the first quar- ter. They excelled at that. We’re going to keep trying to trap, keep our defense up and — yeah, hope to win some games.” As for the future, Cole is adverse to making any long- range promises for the team, but “For that being their first game, I’m excited. Right now, we’re just looking at one game at a time.” For the boys’ team, “There was some good and there was some bad,” said coach Dylan Perry. “I thought we played very well the first quarter to half. When Newport started pressing us, we kind of fell apart and lost our confi- dence, and we couldn’t han- dle the pressure as well as he should have. The game kind of got away from us at that point.” The Viks started strong, leading 18-13 after the first quarter, then built a 10-point lead. Newport fought back, taking a one-point lead at half-time (31-30), which widened through the rest of the game. Perry took the blame for the team not being prepared for Newport’s press. “It was my fault. We should have practiced more and had an understanding of what we were going to do.” But getting a good prac- tice in before Wednesday’s game was difficult due to a string of illnesses that are going around. The team only had seven or eight practices before the first game, none of them with full attendance. “We actually had to can- cel a couple of practices,” he said. “Then the practices we did have, we were piecing together our roster.” With that in mind, Perry said the team did an excel- lent job on Wednesday, especially when compared to the year prior, which ended on a 12-game losing streak for the Vikings. “It’s a night and day dif- ference,” he said. “A year older makes a huge differ- ence, especially in high school. Just the maturity level, getting bigger, stron- ger. And then a lot of those younger kids were forged by fire last year, getting thrown in there because we didn’t have a lot of upperclassmen. They got a ton of varsity experience, which pays dividends for us this year.” Those dividends particu- larly shined in the first quar- ter and a half. “I think we were more comfortable offensively,” Perry said. “We were setting screens, we were patient, we understood where we want- ed to get the ball and we were sharing the ball.” The Viks showed up on the defensive side as well. “We worked quicker, which is obviously helping in basketball, trying to play defense,” said Perry. “We got a little bit taller on our roster as well, which helps against opponents that have size, which Newport had last night.” Standouts of the night Siuslaw River). No wild Coho retention for the 2019 season. ALSEA RIVER: Fall Chinook Fall Chinook fishing on the Alsea River continues to be slow with the low and clear conditions. There are still being some fish caught in the estuary as fish start to stage and wait for the next big rain event. With little rain in the 10-day forecast expect more of the same for the next few weeks. Due to low forecasted fall Chinook returns, this year’s daily bag limit has been reduced to 1 wild Chinook per day and 5 per Let me Showcase your property. Brian Jagoe Principal Broker 541 999-1314 439 Juniper St – The “Captain W Cox House” built in 1897. The Captain discovered the Sea Lion Caves in 1880. This American Tradition- al 2-story home has 3 bdrms, 2 baths, a large den, and is located in the Old Town district. 2-car carport and 1-car garage. $368,000. #3008- 19585112 1749 Highway 101 • 541-997-1200 Oregon Coast Humane Society Christmas Store Open all Season 11/01-12/24 Mon-Sat 10am-4pm Sun. 12pm-4pm 1193 Bay Street, Old Town Florence 541-997-5705. Thurs-Sun, 12/5-12/8 11am-3pm 1650 W 18th Inside Daily Woodcrafts, tools, Dremel, doll accessories, clay pots, fabric, gourds, shelving, workbench, wood pieces. Foursquare Church Annual Christmas Bazaar Sat. 12/14 9am-3pm Right beside A&W Homemade Christmas crafts & goodies. 2-Raffl es: 1-free basket full of goodies & Christmas quilt. Coffee & Cider included Braydon Thornton who scored a game-high 21 points. “He’s a phenomenal ath- lete, we’re just trying to get everyone incorporated,” Perry said. “It was good see- ing our players that haven’t had a ton of varsity experi- ence step up when they got the nod this year, coming off the bench as well. That would be Avery Hart, Rhys Fleming, Elijah Blankenship and Skyler Mattson.” One of the things that the team could work on is ensuring the man-to-man defense stays strong. “It started out strong but, again, once the pressure started happening and we started making turnovers, they got out in the open court and we didn’t have our defense set that was working well for us in the first quar- ter and a half,” Perry said. “We’ve just got to make sure each one of us is boxing out our guys, not worrying about if we get the rebound. Just making sure the guy we’re guarding doesn’t get the ball. If we do that, then the ball should land in one of our hands. “Basically, it comes down to the fundamentals, doing the right thing, focusing on what they practice — and not trying to make the ‘superstar play,’” said Perry, who thinks the team has the physicality and talent this year to fulfill those needs. “I’m looking forward to competing,” he said. “I think as the season progresses this year, they’ll be able to show that they’re one of those top teams. There’s going to be bumps and bruises in the preseason, but once league rolls around, we’re going to be in a good position. We’re looking to be in one of those top three spots and get an opportunity to play at state this year. I really do believe this team has the talent and the expectations to do that this year.” Siuslaw returned to the hardwood last night at Pleasant Hill (after press deadlines) and will be back home this Tuesday to host Sutherlin in another non- league matchup. The girls tip off at 5:45 p.m., followed by the boys’ game at 7:15 p.m. The game will be broadcast live on KCST 106.9 FM, beginning with pre-game at 5:30 p.m. year for the mid-coast aggregate (Siletz River to Siuslaw River). No wild coho retention for the 2019 season. Trout fishing in streams closed Oct. 31. SALMON RIVER: fall Chinook Fall Chinook fishing has slowed down on the Salmon River with the low and clear conditions. Most of the fish have moved up and out of the estuary headed for the spawning grounds and the run is almost done for the year. A few fish are still being caught in the estuary and the pres- sure has been light. Due to low forecasted fall Chinook returns, this year’s daily bag limit has been reduced to 1 wild Chinook per day and 5 per year for the north coast aggregate (Necanicum River to Salmon River). No wild Coho reten- tion for the 2019 season. SILETZ RIVER: Fall Chinook, summer steel- head Fall Chinook fishing on the Siletz River con- tinues to be slow with the low, clear, and cold con- ditions. Fish will start to stage in the estuary again waiting for the next big rain event. With no con- siderable rain in the extended forecast, expect more of the same until we get a weather change.