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B S PORTS WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 1, 2017 Section B South Lane County Sports and Recreation Contact Sports, 942-3325 or e-mail sports@cgsentinel.com LIONS UPSET DEFENDING STATE CHAMPS, BEAT JC TO TIE FOR SKY-EM LEAD Cottage Grove is now on a four-game winning streak after topping Sutherlin and Junction City. The win over Sutherlin snapped a 55-game winning streak in league matchups for the Bulldogs BY SAM WRIGHT sports@cgsentinel.com It was a milestone moment for everyone on the Cottage Grove girls’ basketball team last Tuesday. The Lions, a team that started the season 3-9, took down the three-time defending state champions in a massive upset and then took care of busi- ness on Friday against Junction City. The Lions now fi nd them- selves on a four-game winning streak, but fi rst, let’s get to the game of the week. It was neck and neck the en- tire way through. Cottage Grove and Sutherlin were deadlocked at the end of the fi rst quarter at 10-10, but Sutherlin managed to take a slight edge over the Lions in the second quarter, gaining a 26-23 lead. The teams traded blow for blow in the third quar- ter, each scoring 10 yet again, and the Lions found themselves only down by three against the fi fth-ranked team in the state. It was the height of two freshmen that took down the powerhouse of Sutherlin. With around two minutes left, Ema Gardner sank a pair of shots followed by Reilly Kelty who sank one to give the Lions a three-point lead. An extra free throw from Hudson Weybright gave the Lions a two-possession lead. Taylor Stricklin of Suther- lin hit a three-pointer with 12 seconds left. The Lions turned the ball over on the ensuing in- bound pass, but the Lions had some fouls to give which helped Athletes of the Week Lady Lions on fi re with four-game winning streak take time off of the clock without threat of scoring. The Bulldogs had one second left to inbound and score on their side of the court, but Cottage Grove managed to force a turnover and time ex- pired with 52-51, Cottage Grove, on the scoreboard. The win put the Lions on a three-game winning streak, the longest they have had since last year when they beat Sweet Home, Elmira and Sisters all in a row. Cottage Grove was an outstanding 53.3 percent from the fi eld (24 of 45 shots), but were still only 23 percent from the free- throw line. The bulk of the Lions’ points (44) came from in- side the paint. “We were able to get it into our posts and get some easy looks,” said Head Coach Kevin Yoss. Ema Gardner led the team in scoring with 14 Photo courtesy of Michael Sullivan, The News Review points, followed by Kelty Keara Murphy and Hannah Albrecht surround Sutherlin's Taylor Stricklin. The Lions snapped a 55-league-game winning who had 12. The six-foot- streak for the Bulldogs. one and six-foot-three needed to stay ahead. Kelty and once again took care of busi- take a 40-33 victory over Junc- a huge boost to our confi dence (respectively) freshmen ac- Murphy led the team in re- ness. tion City. and it was nice to validate that counted for exactly half of the bounds with eight each. This time it was Kelty who by beating Junction City.” Like on Tuesday, Cottage team’s points. Keara Murphy The win ended a 55-league- Grove found itself neck-and- led the Lions in scoring with 12 The win over the Tigers and Maria Pardee each scored game winning streak and only neck with the opposing team. points (and 13 rebounds). Gard- marks the end of the fi rst round eight points apiece. Pardee was the second time in three years The Lions held a 14-12 lead at ner fi nished with 10. of league play, where the Lions four-for-four from the fi eld. that Sutherlin has lost to a 4A halftime against Junction City, This now marks a four-game are now 4-1 and tied for fi rst Hannah Albrecht had six points, school. Last year, Sutherlin but the Tigers managed to tie winning streak, something Cot- place with Sutherlin. The only followed by Sierra Blomquist’s went 27-1 and 28-0 in the two the game by the end of the third tage Grove was unable to do last league loss came to Elmira, three points, and Hudson Wey- seasons before that. year. quarter at 26 apiece. the fi rst Sky-Em opponent they bright’s one point near the end “We are starting to get togeth- played and will also be the next But the Lions would not be The Lions carried their mo- of the game from a free throw mentum back to Cottage Grove shaken and pulled away near er just at the right time,” Yoss opponent to play the Lions on was exactly what Cottage Grove to host Junction City, and they the end of the fourth quarter to said. “The win at Sutherlin was Thursday at home. Boys bounce back against JC after Sutherlin loss The fi ght for the Sky-Em League title intensifi es as three teams are tied for fi rst place Chess players halfway through season, Wilhour snags fi rst tournament win BY SAM WRIGHT sports@cgsentinel.com While the girls pulled off one of the greatest upsets of their season in Sutherlin, the boys were unable to mount a come- back against the Bulldogs last Tuesday. The loss has put the Sky-Em League in a three-way tie between Cottage Grove, Sis- ters and Sutherlin, all of which currently hold 4-1 league re- cords. Cottage Grove started out cold, only able to put fi ve points on the board in the fi rst quarter, and Sutherlin managed to take a nine-point lead. The Lions man- Please see BASKETBALL, Page 3B Courtesy Photo CGHS varsity chess players, facing camera, L to R, are Zeak Bray, Justin Long, Alex Reimann, Spencer Falk and Chris Glesmann. Photo by Sam Wright Blake Sentman put up an impressive 25 points against Junction City on Friday night. Marshfi eld too much for Aqua Lions despite strong swimming performances Marshfi eld is known for its athletic programs, and the swim team is no exception. The stacked team took care of busi- ness on Friday due to outnum- bering the Lions on both the boys’ and girls’ teams. Starting off in the 200-me- ter medley relay, Nadia Witt, Emma Meyers, Clover Rudicel and Tori Raade fi nished in third in a time of 3:13.42, just two seconds behind Marshfi eld’s second place squad. Raade then took fi rst place in the 200-meter freestyle with a time of 2:14.69. It was the se- nior’s only individual fi rst place win. Rudicel and Meyers took third and fourth place, respec- tively, in the 200-meter individ- ual medley, but Makayla Baird snagged a fi rst-place win in the 50-meter freestyle race with a time of 40.55 seconds. Witt took two fi rst-place fi n- ishes individually. The fresh- man took home fi rst place in the 100-meter freestyle (1:06.17) and the 100-meter backstroke (1:13.25). Belen Rodriguez took second place in the 500-meter freestyle with a time of 7:43.1. The girls fi nished strong by taking fi rst place in the 400-meter freestyle relay with Baird, Raade, Meyers and Rudicel fi nishing the race with a time of 4:34.32. Despite good fi nishes, the sheer number of participants from Marshfi eld overwhelmed Cottage Grove and the Aqua Lions girls’ team lost 94-59 on the points scale. The boys’ faced tougher cir- cumstances. The fi ve-man team was severely outnumbers, yet Cottage Grove still walked away with a few fi rst-place win- ners. The Aqua Lions took sec- ond place (against three oth- er squads from Marshfi eld) with Seth Chambers, Ethan Burleson, Ian Dukes and Jo- Last Wednesday, the CGHS varsity chess team fought well in their second encounter against Willamette HS but lost the match by a score of three games to two. The two Lions’ team seniors, Chris Glesmann and Justin Long, each won their contests with very strong play. In JV action, Maia Wilhour checkmated her opponent, too. The Midwestern League chess competition locations this sea- son have alternated between Willamette and Pleasant Hill, and the win column has been dominated so far by South Eu- gene and Pleasant Hill, with Junction City and Willamette following. Four more matches remain for each team in Febru- ary. Two CHGS chess players and one of their coaches played in an all-ages tournament that was held in the U of O student union on Jan. 28. Most of the tourna- ments in Lane County are only for students so it was nice to see some adults get a chance to play, including several former Midwest League players who have graduated in recent years. Sixth-grade JV player Wilhour won four of fi ve games to take fi rst in her section, tied with two players from Coquille. Team Captain Glesmann won his last round in a small but competitive middle section and coach Taylor Wilhour fi nished 2-2 in the top section. The next K-12 tourna- ment will be Feb. 11 at Willa- mette HS and is a qualifi er for the state championship. Photo by Sam Wright Despite the loss against Marshfi eld, the Lions are show- ing signs of strong swimming Despite these wins, the boys sef Pifer fi nishing with a time of 2:48.05. Chambers snagged lost 113-49 in the point scale. an individual fi rst-place win in The big losses, however, do not the 50-meter freestyle with a worry Head Coach Tyson Pill- time of 37.22 seconds. He also ing, as many of his swimmers fi nished fi rst in the 100-meter are showing a lot of potential backstroke (1:02.87). Dukes to perform well at districts and won the 500-meter freestyle make it to the state fi nals. with a time of 5:22.57. Courtesy Photo