B
S PORTS
Section B
Lions
migrate
North
Wednesday, December 27, 2017
South Lane County Sports and Recreation
Contact Sports, 942-3325 or e-mail zsilva@cgsentinel.com
Lions struggle to score, Warriors walk away with win
Cottage Grove boys
basketball team
heads to Alaska for
tournament
By Zach Silva
A group of 13 basketball play-
ers and four coaches from the
Cottage Grove boys basketball
team are headed to Alaska to
take part in the 51st Annual Joe
Floyd Basketball Tournament.
First year Cottage Grove head
coach Nick Finley coached in
Alaska for the last three years
and brought his team from
Ninilchik to the tournament last
year. When a spot opened up
in the tournament this year, the
Kodiak High School athletic di-
rector called Finley and asked if
he would be interested in play-
ing.
“[It’s] a pretty big deal to fi ll
a spot at the last minute when
you’re on an island so you have
to fl y people in and out,” said
Finley at the December school
board meeting. “[The athletic
director] actually said it was
cheaper to fl y us from here then
to fl y one of the smaller schools
from one of the villages there.”
The Kodiak School Board
pledged to assist with fl ight pay-
ments through donated fl ight
miles from community mem-
bers and companion fares. The
amount of money that Cottage
Grove High School paid for
the trip has not been disclosed.
At the school board meeting
Finley reported that addition-
al costs will be coming from a
basketball fund and athletic di-
rector Gary Roberts said that no
money will be coming from the
athletic or general school fund.
For the students who will be
going on the trip, half have nev-
er been on a plane before.
“There are some kids on the
team that might not have the
opportunity to travel. It just
doesn’t work into their family's
budget or they don’t have time
for it so we think this is a really
good way to get some of those
kids to do something that might
only happen once, or very few
times, in their life,” said Gabe
Glenn, a senior on the basket-
ball team, at the school board
meeting.
The team was scheduled to
leave Cottage Grove at 4 a.m.
yesterday and head to Portland
for a direct fl ight to Anchor-
age. From Anchorage, the team
planned to take a fl ight to Ko-
diak Island. The team will be
staying at Kodiak High School
athletic director's house. The
tournament will be providing all
lunch and dinner meals for the
team which includes a seafood
banquet tomorrow.
The Lions will have one game
today, tomorrow and Friday. In
that time they will play Kodiak
(0-2), Nikiski (1-1) and Lathrop
High School (0-4). The schools
have enrollment sizes of 664,
221 and 960 respectively.
After the tournament is over,
the team will have a day in Ko-
diak to explore the island and
will then fl y back on the 31st.
Check back next week to seee
how the Lions fared at the
tournament
PHOTOS BY CG SENTINEL/ZACH SILVA
Cottage Grove's Keara Murphy drives by a Philomath defender at home on Wednesday night.
Cottage Grove girls basketball
team falls to another top team
By Zach Silva
zsilva@cgsentinel.com
In a game that the Lions were never able to get into
an offensive rhythm, it was Philomath that was able to
capitalize and get a road victory Wednesday night in
Cottage Grove.
For Cottage Grove, the team was playing their sec-
ond game in as many days. Head coach Kevin Yoss
noted that after their away loss at Madras on Tuesday
night he did not get home until 3 a.m.
“We had a tough game last night… And [Philomath
is] a good team. They’re much improved from last year
but we can’t use excuses though, either. We’ve got to
play with what’s in front of us and we’ve got to do a
better job,” said Yoss.
From the start, it was both teams struggling to get
their offense going. Philomath took the lead from the
free throw lines and didn’t score from the fi eld until a
three halfway through the quarter that put them up 8-2
in the early goings.
But down 18-8 in the second quarter, Cottage Grove
was able to respond. Through intensifi ed defensive
pressure, especially from point guard Tara Child, the
Lions created turnovers and put together a 10-1 run to
get within one point late in the second quarter. Before
the Lions could close out the quarter on a high note
it was the Warriors stepping up and hitting a pair of
threes to go up 25-19 at the half.
From the start of the second half the Lions looked
to get the ball to their one offensive bright spot in
post Reilly Kelty. As Kelty worked for position on the
block, often double-teamed, the Lions worked the ball
around the perimeter but struggled to fi nd their intend-
ed target, Kelty, and turned the ball over on multiple
possessions. Kelty fi nished the game with a game-high
18 points.
“Until we can get it so we bend our knees, recog-
nize that we can dribble – we’re allowed to dribble and
attack the rim sometimes – then we’ll be better off.
But until we get that mentality that we can dribble and
attack the rim we’re going to struggle to score. And I
think that’s a little of what you saw tonight,” said Yoss.
In the early minutes of the fourth quarter the Lions
cut the lead to nine but were never able to get any clos-
er. The Warriors continued to get to the free throw line
and fi nd ways to score as they closed the game.
Reiley Reichhuber led Philomath with 14 points.
Of the Lions four losses to teams from Oregon (their
other loss is to a team from Washington that they
played at the Seaside Tournament), all four are cur-
rently ranked in the top 10 of the 4A rankings.
The team now has a break in their schedule and will
Cottage Grove's Reilly Kelty powers past the defense for a
bucket.
not have another game until January 2 when they trav-
el to South Umpqua.
Wickman
guides Eagles
to win
Behind Ted Wickman's triple-
double, Yoncalla defeats Rogue
River
By Zach Silva
zsilva@cgsentinel.com
With poise and ease, it was Yoncalla’s Ted Wickman
who secured a triple-double Tuesday night and led the
Yoncalla's Ted Wickman comes up with a block in the second half on Tuesday.
Eagles to a 71-59 victory over winless Rouge River.
Wickman fi nished the game with 28 points, 14 re- at the block. 14 of Lopez’s 16 points came in the fi rst Wickman who took over the game scoring 15 points
bounds, 11 assists and six blocks – including two that half.
including three three-pointers. The Eagles continued
were hit against the backboard – for good measure.
“Laaron had a really good game. You know, we’re to build their lead but after a two-minute stretch in the
“I was just trying to get everyone involved early,” going to have to depend on him with his size like that. fourth quarter with no points scored, the Chieftains
said Wickman.
Ted was more of a facilitator tonight and I think he rallied back and cut the lead to nine points before Yon-
“Just getting everyone involved opens it up for me.” could have defi nitely went off but that’s the type of calla could close the door on a win.
A 6’4” guard, Wickman, whose game straddles the dude Ted is, he realized the matchup with Laaron and
“I’ve never been caught up with blowing teams out,
line between appearing disengaged and ready to rip the that just worked,” said Yoncalla head coach Jarred [winning by] one or 40, it’s a win. Yeah, a little close
heart out of an opponent at any given time, is the en- Eakin.
for comfort but I’d rather get the bodies in and get
gine that gets the Eagles going. From fast break outlet
After trailing 31-28 In the middle of the second ready for conference because through our conference
passes that are reminiscent of his quarterback play on quarter it was Yoncalla’s Elijah Allen off the bench it’s going to take every single one of them,” said Eakin.
the gridiron to directing teammates where to be on the who hit three three-pointers on consecutive trips down “That to me is more valuable to me than keeping our
court, as he goes, so too, does the team.
the fl oor to give the Eagles a lead that they would nev- fi ve on and get it up to 30, 40 points. That doesn’t real-
In the early going, it was Wickman in the role as er relinquish.
ly accomplish anything for me and for us.”
distributor as he found his 6’4” big man Laaron Lopez
With a lead heading into the second half, it was
Athlete of
the Week
This week's athlete of the week is
North Douglas' Abby Whipple.
Whipple, who is averaging 9.8
points per game this season, had
15 points, 10 steals and seven
assists last Tuesday in a win on the
road at Crosshill Christian.
Abby Whipple runs the fast break in a practice earlier this season.
CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK
zsilva@cgsentinel.com