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About Cottage Grove sentinel. (Cottage Grove, Or.) 1909-current | View Entire Issue (March 16, 2016)
B S PORTS Section B South Lane County Sports and Recreation Wednesday, March 16, 2016 Contact Sports, 942-3325 or e-mail sports@cgsentinel.com Cottage Grove fi nishes sixth at state tournament Although the Lions missed an opportunity to take fourth place, the season still ends on a positive note for the basketball team BY SAM WRIGHT The Cottage Grove Sentinel Though the boys’ basketball season was fi lled with great games and fantastic fi nishes for the Lions, it wasn’t so much the case at the state tournament. Af- ter beating Baker on a buzzer- beating layup by Kory Parent, Cottage Grove advanced to the quarterfi nals and the fi rst round of the state tournament at Lib- erty High School in Hillsboro. When it came to the fi rst round, the Lions found them- selves in a fairly uneven matchup with the tall and lengthy players of Gladstone. The Gladiators brought three players taller than six-foot-four, while Cottage Grove’s only counter to their size was six-foot-six Chance Hopkins. However, Hopkins, who led the game in scoring for the Lions, wasn’t enough for the Lions to overcome the Gladi- ators, and Cottage Grove was sent to the consolation round, losing 43-31. It was the lowest scoring game the Lions have played in all sea- son (their previous being a 52-40 loss at Elmira). Hopkins totaled 13 points and was followed by Blake Sentman, who scored six points. The regular high-scorer Parent only managed to fi nd the bucket twice and drew no fouls, a rarity this season. Parent shot 2-for-12 on the game, scoring on par with Jayden Tucker, who was two-for-nine. Gladstone presented the Li- ons with a 2-3 zone defense, and with their size, Cottage Grove struggled offensively. However, the loss wasn’t a total break- down of the team. Head Coach Donn Pollard was impressed with the Lions’ defensive play, which held Gladstone to only 43 points. “We had a very solid defen- sive game; we were able to Photo by Sam Wright Hunter Gipson pulls up for a jump shot against Henley Friday morning. make stops and force turnovers, we just couldn’t fi nd the basket,” Pollard said. He noted that while the physical matchup was fairly uneven, his team just wasn’t hit- ting their shots. But like they have after each loss this season, the Lions bounced back with fe- rocity and enthusiasm. The loss to Gladstone sent them to Forest Grove, where Cottage Grove would take on Henley in a consolation match that sends the winner to the fourth-place fi nal. Initially, the Hornets kept up with the Lions with a deadlock tie at the end of the fi rst quarter. But the second quarter was the complete undoing of Henley, as Cottage Grove went on a 17-1 run. Henley couldn’t make a single fi eld goal the entire sec- ond quarter, giving the Lions a 32-16 lead at halftime. The lead extended to nearly 30 points before Pollard pulled his start- ers. It was a great time for the younger players on the bench to get experience, especially at the state tournament. Sophomore Jesse Ellingworth made a quick side-step move in the paint and scored a triumphant basket to fi nish off the Hornets, 68-41. Please see TOURNAMENT, Page 3B Track stars compete at Portland Indoor Classic Alongside the USA Track and Field Indoor Championship, fi ve Cottage Grove athletes competed in an event that hosted talent from Oregon, Washington, Idaho and Wyoming Athlete of the Week Jayden Tucker breaks out against Henley Photo courtesy of Ricky Knutson From left to right: Michael Tharpe, Tyler Ledford, Hudson Weybright, Connor Howard and Trevor Layne. BY SAM WRIGHT The Cottage Grove Sentinel In a once-in-a-lifetime oppor- tunity, fi ve Cottage Grove ath- letes were invited to compete in a track and fi eld meet in conjunc- tion with professional athletes at the USA Track and Field Indoor Championship. Track and Field Head Coach Ricky Knutson traveled to Portland over the weekend with fi ve of some of his best competitors. Michael Tharpe, Tyler Ledford, Hudson Weybright, Connor Howard and Trevor Layne all represented Cottage Grove High School on one of the largest athletic stages for high school athletes. The meet offered a wide vari- ety of talent, from class 4A stu- dent athletes to class 6A, there was no shortage of competition for the Lions. Tharpe competed in the 60- meter sprint along with How- ard, who also competed in the 200-meter sprint. Howard was the fastest 4A runner in the 60- meter, fi nishing in 7.31 seconds and placing 15th overall. He was also the second-fastest in the 200-meter and placed 14th overall with a time of 23.62 sec- onds. In the 800-meter event, Cot- tage Grove was represented by Ledford. He fi nished one of the most physically draining events in 2:11.21 and placed 53rd out of over 70 competitors. Wey- bright also competed in the 800- meter run and fi nished in a solid 2:34.13 and placed 35th out of a total of 62 competitors. She had been out from practice all week due to a cough but still managed to place in a decently high posi- tion. Layne intended to compete in the long jump, but unfortunately was scratched due to hamstring issues. It was a similar case with Tharpe who scratched in the 60- meter because of his hamstring as well. “Trevor’s had been lingering so we knew he probably wasn’t going to compete but we wanted to take him with us anyway for the experience,” Knutson said. As for Tharpe, the decision came fairly last-minute. He tweaked his hamstring on Wednesday, and once he warmed up decided it was best not to compete and further his injury. “I’m hoping it’s the hardest decision he has to make all sea- son,” Knutson said. The athletes then got free ad- mission to the USATF Indoor Championships. Next week, Knutson will be returning to the Convention Center in Portland to bring four to-be-determined runners to the World Indoor Track Champion- ship, where a high school exhi- bition will take place. The senior made his last games memorable as he earned himself Player of the Game honors in their con- solation match against Henley and totaled 23 points in the tournament. Chelsea Blevins anticipates 360 Sprint Debut at Cottage Grove BY BEN DEATHERAGE For the Sentinel Anderson, California- 2015 was the year that Chelsea Blevins would be put on the map when it comes to Sprint Car racing. After spending several success- ful seasons in Kage Karts, she decided to make the jump to the Extreme (Limited) Sprint divi- sion at Oregon’s Cottage Grove Speedway. The third-genera- tion driver managed score four top fi ves in 12 starts, including a pair of second-place fi nishes, and would complete the year 5th in the fi nal point standings as well as collecting the Rookie of the Year award. This year the 15-year-old Anderson, Califor- nia pilot plans to bump up to the 360 ranks at CGS as well as visit some new venues. “Last season was such an incredible experience,” said Blevins, Please see SPEEDWAY, Page 5B