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About Cottage Grove sentinel. (Cottage Grove, Or.) 1909-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 7, 2015)
S PORTS Cottage Grove Sentinel B Section B Wednesday, January 7, 2015 South Lane County Sports and Recreation Contact Sports, 942-3325 or e-mail sports@cgsentinel.com Cottage Grove turns back a three-point storm Coach Donn Pollard said that after half- time his team started to execute in some very key areas. “We rebounded a lot better and attacked pretty well in the second half. And when they started to sink [back toward the hoop defensively], we were able to kick it back out for some shots,” he said The game was tied at 53 apiece heading into the fourth quarter. But the Lancers were unable to keep pace with Cottage Grove, and when they were forced to foul, the Li- ons converted enough free throws to ice the game away. “I’m pleased,” said Pollard. “That was a big step for a young team. We hung in there until we could get some momentum, and in the end the end we were able to put the game away with free throws.” On the opposite bench, coach Bob Feasel said he was disappointed Lions over come Johnson, Lancers for a 79-69 victory Athlete of the Week BY MATT HOLLANDER The Cottage Grove Sentinel Kory Parent scored a team- high 28 points in the Lions' 79- 69 come-from- behind win over South Umpqua last Friday. The sophomore shot 3-for-6 from 3-point range and was also clutch from the free-throw line, where he went 7-for-10. S outh Umpqua’s Eric Johnson came in to Cottage Grove raining 3-point- ers on Friday night, but the young Lions showed poise beyond their years in weath- ering the early Lancer storm and came away with their most impressive win of the season — a 79-69 triumph. Johnson scored 19 of his career-high 36 points in the opening quarter, as he went 5- for-5 from beyond the arc. Cottage Grove sophomores Kory Parent and Blake Sent- man countered with 53 points, combined. Despite Johnson’s early barrage, Cottage Grove (4-7) only trailed South Umpqua (6- 2) by fi ve after the fi rst quarter and had the lead cut down to two at halftime. Parent said that the Lions realized they were up against a talented scorer and that they did not panic when Johnson’s shots were falling. “We knew he was a good shooter and that he was going to get his shots, but that’s the way it goes — me and Blake are going to get ours, as well. You just got to hope that he’s going to miss a few here and there, and that you can capitalize,” he said. And just as the Lions hoped, Johnson and the Lancers started to cool off. South Umpqua shot a combined 60% on fi eld goal and 3-point attempts in the fi rst quarter, but made just 36% of its shots the rest of the night. South Umpqua did take a nine-point lead midway through third quarter, but the Lions responded by hitting three 3-pointers in a row to go up 51-48 — their fi rst lead of the second half. Please see BOYS BASKETBALL, Page 2B Obstructed view at the Rose Bowl BY MATT HOLLANDER AND JON STINNETT The Cottage Grove Sentinel J on Stinnett: So Matt, we fi nd ourselves on this sunny Friday afternoon basking in the glory of a lopsided Oregon Rose Bowl victory and an undeniable statement by the Duck football team, in addition to a larger but in many ways foreseeable narra- tive that continues to take shape off the fi eld at Pasadena. It’s also a game and an at- mosphere you were fortunate enough to experience yourself. You’ll likely want to share de- tails of that experience with readers yourself this week, but in the interest of continuing the conversation we’ve already started in these pages, I’m cu- rious how your view of things may have compared with those witnessed by folks at home (and later covered by countless media outlets.) More specifi cally, the story on Friday morning seemed in many ways to be (or at least to be de- picted as) Florida State quarter- back Jameis Winston leading a spectacular meltdown by a team that had won each of its previous 29 games, a meltdown deemed by many as some sort of karmic payback for Winston’s actions and character both off the fi eld and as a competitor faced with tremendous adversity on the in- ternational stage. (Which is not meant, of course, to take any- thing away from a tremendous performance by the Ducks in ar- guably the biggest game of their program’s history.) First, did you witness interest- ing examples of this narrative playing out as a spectator in the stadium, a journalist and Duck fan? Were fan actions and reac- tions notable for any reason? What was the atmosphere like in the stands on Thursday? Matt Hollander: The anti-Win- ston sentiment could be heard loud and clear. photo by Eric Evans Senior Oregon linebacker and Cottage Grove alum Grant Thompson hoisted the Rose Bowl Trophy after the Ducks defeated the Florida State Seminoles 59-20 on New Year's Day. Oregon will play Ohio State on Jan. 12 in Dallas, Tex. for the National Championship. Thompson, Ducks on to national championship BY MATT HOLLANDER The Cottage Grove Sentinel T he Ducks have been on the win- ning side of many blowouts since this era of Oregon football began in 2007, but perhaps none was more im- pressive, or more surprising, than their 59-20 rout of No. 3 Florida State in the Rose Bowl. The outcome was shocking for: one, the stakes: a trip to the national cham- pionship game; two, the opponent: the Seminoles had won their past 29 games, including last year’s title; and three, the defense forced fi ve Florida-State turn- overs and stole more than a few head- lines from Heisman-winner Marcus Mariota and the Ducks’ offense. Despite their ranking in the polls, however, the Seminoles had shown signs of implosion all season long. For- mer Heisman-winning quarterback Ja- meis Winston threw 17 regular-season interceptions, and Florida State had to eke out several close wins in an under- whelming schedule. Oregon linebacker and Cottage Grove alum Grant Thompson said the Seminoles' lack of ball security gave the defense hope that it could force a few Florida State turnovers, but that fi ve was more than they could have ever asked for. In Florida State, the Ducks faced an opponent that was extremely hyped — even by comparison to the top teams in college football. But Thompson said that this reality only sharpened the team’s focus. In the fi rst year of the College Foot- ball Playoffs, the Rose Bowl served as a semifi nal site for the National Cham- pionship Game, in which Oregon will play Ohio State on Jan. 12 in Dallas, Tex. And although the Rose Bowl had added signifi cance this year, Thompson said that the experience felt similar to 2012, when Oregon defeated Wisconsin on New Year’s Day in Pasadena. Thompson said that Ohio State is a great team that has fought through ad- versity all season. The Buckeyes lost two all-American caliber quarterbacks over the year, but third-string sopho- more quarterback Cardale Jones has looked more than competent in wins over Wisconsin and Alabama. As part of the scout team, Thompson will impersonate Buckeye linebacker Joshua Perry, who had 99 tackles for an Ohio State defense that was one of the best in the country this year. The Ducks leave for Dallas on Friday, which gives the team just two full days on site, rather than the six they had in Southern California prior to the Rose Bowl. Please see OBSTRUCTED VIEW, Page 2B Practice helps get Cottage Grove back on track Lions mending from injuries, illness; defeat Lancers 60-28 BY MATT HOLLANDER The Cottage Grove Sentinel W photo by Matt Hollander Cottage Grove's Hannah Arnold scored nine points in the Lions' 60-28 win over South Umpqua. Against South Umpqua (1- 10), Cottage Grove showed the benefi ts of preparation as it played with improved patience and spacing on offense. The Lions scored on their fi rst three possessions as they built a 19-6 lead through the opening quar- ter. Senior Conner Borigo was once again unstoppable as she scored 10 of her game-high 20 points in the opening frame. Clawson also commented that the team showed signifi cant im- provement with unforced errors. “[South Umpqua] isn’t a team that’s going to have an intimida- tion factor,” she said. “But you can still commit unforced errors against a team like that.” ith a full compliment of players available for Friday night’s game against South Umpqua, eight different Lions scored in a 60-28 rout of the visiting Lancers. Prior to Christmas, Cottage Grove (6-5) was beset with ill- ness and injury. At times the Li- ons were down to six or seven players. This lack of depth was an obvious factor in blowout losses to Philomath and Hen- ley, but it also limited Cottage Grove’s ability to practice. “It’s been diffi cult to do some of the things in practice that we need to do in order to bring it to a game. We just haven’t had the numbers to do so,” said coach Please see GIRLS BASKETBALL, Page 2B Kerry Clawson. Hall seeks nominations The Athletic Hall of Fame at Cottage Grove High School is seeking nominations for its 2015 class, which will be inducted this spring. The Hall of Fame selection committee will ul- timately choose fi ve athletes, a coach, a team and a community contributor. To be eligible, an individual athlete must have graduated from CGHS at least fi ve years ago. Interested persons can pick up a nomination form from CGHS, or contact sports secretary Pam Ewing by Jan. 14. Please have the folloing information available: Nominee’s name Nominee’s current address (if available) Nominee’s phone number Dates of attendance at CGHS The 2015 class will be the eighth inducted to the Hall of Fame. Last year’s class was com- prised of athletes Butch Wicks (’68), Steve Hilgendorf (’79), Daryl Dapron (’84), Kelli Hollenbeck (’91) and Bryant Sentman (’07); longtime football coach Bob Heckman; the 1977 boy’s track and fi eld team, which placed second at the state meet for the school’s high- est fi nish ever, and Becky Venice, for her work with the local Special Olympics chapter.