Tayler Forsman scores on a drive to the hoop with under a minute remaining to bring the Bulldogs within heel-nipping distance of the visiting Billies. GINI DAVIS
A 1-1 week included a tough 54-56 loss to visiting Pleasant Hill on Jan. 9 and a decisive 78-52 victory over host Glide on Jan. 12
Creswell trailed 6-15 after the first quarter against P-Hill, but went on an 11-5 run to close to 17-20 less than five minutes into the second quarter, ending the half up 26-20.
The Billies pounded back in the third, and Creswell ended the period down 35-40.
In the final two minutes of the game, the Dawgs’ pressure defense netted some steals for lay-ins that brought Creswell within two with 15 seconds remaining.
Victory was within reach after Chance Bellew grabbed a steal off an inbounds pass with five seconds on the clock; the Billies closed around Bellew, who pitched the ball to Tayler Forsman for a three that just missed as the buzzer sounded. ”It was a tough pass to catch and he had to adjust, but he got a good look; it just didn’t go in,” said Creswell Head Coach Jesse Thomas.
Trey Magnuson paced Creswell with 16 points, seven rebounds and four assists. Forsman added 12 points and four assists, and Tyler Frieze had 11 points.
Inconsistent shooting and defense both contributed to the loss, Thomas said.
”It came down to two bad quarters – we only scored six points in the first and nine in the third,” Thomas noted. ”Pleasant Hill did a good job of taking away our driving lanes. They made us shoot from the perimeter; we got good looks but just didn’t make enough to win it.”
While employing their full-court press, the Dawgs ”didn’t rotate well; we just didn’t execute well on defense all game, really – especially in the paint,” Thomas added.
The Bulldogs came out stormin’ at Glide, quickly overpowering the Wildcats. With the score initially tied 6-6, Creswell went on a 23-6 run to lead 29-12 after the first quarter, 52-24 at halftime and 70-32 after three.
”We came out on fire; the guys were really motivated after the loss,” Thomas said. ”Glide really struggled with our full-court press that we kept up until midway through the third quarter. We steamrolled them right from the beginning and were able to keep it up the whole game.”
Glide conceded midway through the third period, putting in their reserves, and the Bulldogs followed suit, sitting their key players for the remainder of the game.
Creswell got balanced scoring in going 23-for-34 from the field and 10-of-22 from beyond the arc: Bellew scored a game-high 19 points; Eli Ream added 13 points, five rebounds and four assists; Frieze had 12 points and Magnuson had 10.
Forsman provided eight assists; reserve Gauge Smith added four points and six rebounds; and Jack Callahan grabbed five boards.
