Kai Apo hauls down a rebound for the Bulldogs during Creswell’s fast-paced game against Salem Academy. Gini Davis/The Chronicle
BOYS’ BASKETBALL
Recap vs. Salem Academy: After taking a week off, the Bulldogs played host to Salem Academy on Dec. 30 in a rematch. ”It was one of those situations that you worry about when you play a team for the second time and you’ve already beaten them. We got complacent,” said head coach Jesse Thomas. Thomas thought that after taking the lead early in the third quarter, it would get the team rolling but they ended the third quarter trailing 45-36. ”We just didn’t play hard, that’s all it came down to,” he said. The Bulldogs had 19 turnovers, shot 38.5% on field goals and 33.3% from three-point range, adding up to Creswell’s first loss at home this season, 50-48. Senior Gauge Smith was an exception, Thomas said, with effort and 9 rebounds.
Reflections: ”We were playing like every shot was the last shot,” Thomas said. ”It’s always a good learning experience when we go through these situations. Take the lessons and get better.”
Recap vs. Junction city: The game on Saturday, Jan. 4 was the first matchup in 11 years for the schools. Looking at the postgame stats, one would think the Bulldogs won. They didn’t, losing 50-48. Field goal percentage? CHS 57%, JC 42%. Free-throws: CHS 65% to JC’s 42%. Deflections? CHS had over three times as many as JC, the Bulldogs with 13 and the Tigers with 4. You get the picture. … The key factor was shooting. CHS was 1-of-15 and JC was 3-of-17 from three-point range and JC attempted eight more FGs in the game. … Kai Apo was out after spraining his Achilles tendon during the Salem Academy game. ”Kai is our primary ball-handler, he’s our point guard and he has the ball most of the time,” Thomas said. ”When he’s not in there, it puts guys in different positions that maybe they’re not necessarily used to being in and they’ve got to figure it out.” … The Bulldogs started strong, outscoring the Tigers 17-11 in the first quarter. Tyler Frieze led the way, scoring 12 of his 21 points and shooting six free throws in the first eight minutes. Frieze ended the game with 21 points and 7 rebounds, Dallton Dewey had 12 points, 5 rebounds and the only three-pointer made by Creswell. Riley Sangermano led the way for the Tigers with 15 points and 9 rebounds.
Reflections: ”Junction City did a good job applying pressure in the right spots, testing our ability to handle it, and we didn’t do it as well as we needed to,” Thomas said. ”Our losses have more to do with us beating ourselves and less to do with us not being good enough, which means we can correct it so I think we’ll be difficult to beat.”
GIRLS’ BASKETBALL
Recap vs. Salem Academy: The Dawgs beat the Sabers 37-19, avenging a season-opening loss.Head coach Tyler Hollingsworth said that first-game jitters were a factor in the season opener. ”I definitely think that first loss had a lot to do with that, but it’s nice to come back and win by double digits,” he said.
By the numbers: Brea Dapron led the Dawgs with a double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds, and added 4 steals. Makaela Seiber had 6 points and 5 rebounds, Samairah Quinoes had 5 points and 6 rebounds and Emme Whitson had 5 points, 3 assists and 2 steals.
Reflections: ”No competitor wants to lose. Nobody who’s driven by competition wants to lose, but it’s inevitable,” Hollingsworth said. ”It drives you to get better. These girls show that every week and that’s the most important part.”
Recap vs. Junction City: Creswell traveled to Junction City to face an old Sky-Em rival on Jan. 4. Despite leading for most of the game, Junction City took the lead in the fourth quarter and won 43-39.
By the numbers: CHS’ Whitson had 17 points for the Bulldogs as well as 3 rebounds and 4 assists. Dapron had more rebounds than points, pulling down 9 boards and 7 points. Seiber had 6 points and 3 rebounds, Claire Vaughn had 6 points and Karinna Leonard added 3 points for the Dawgs.
Reflections: ”They played really hard against Junction City and I’m really proud of them,” Hollingsworth said. ”I wish I could have that fourth quarter back so I could coach them up a little bit differently.”
WRESTLING
Recap at Elmira: Elmira hosted one of the first sanctioned girls tournaments on Jan. 4. With 17 teams ranging from 1A-5A, it had five more participating than the boys varsity tournament. The Bulldogs were represented by five of the 58 girls competing and tied with Churchill for 9th place and a score of 41 points. … With 12 schools varying from 2A to 5A, Creswell had its work cut out. Ending in last place with 33 points, the Bulldogs had seven wrestlers compete and three place in their weight classes .. In addition to the varsity tournaments, the Bulldogs had one athlete, Grant Marshall, compete in the JV tournament and took second in his weight class … See complete results on trackwrestling.com.
– Compiled by Jordan Lampe, The Chronicle
