WINTER SPORTS
■ Cottage Grove will compete on Friday and Saturday at the Bay City Duals at Marshfield HS. Nathan Abrams (285) has been a leader for the Lions boys, and is currently ranked 10th in the state in Class 4A boys at 285 lbs.
■ Creswell and Pleasant Hill will compete at the Screamin’ Eagle at Santiam Christian HS. For the Creswell boys Lyosha Mitchell (113) and Kaleb Sanders (138) have been two of the top performers. Meanwhile for Pleasant Hill Gavin Hoellrich (152) and Brazen Ellis (195) are both ranked second in their weight classes in Class 3A.
■ The Thurston girls travel Friday to Dallas HS to compete at the Lady Dragon Duals. Kaylee Annis (117) and Kristal Zamora (137) both went undefeated at duals last week and should look to do so once again at Dallas.
GIRLS BASKETBALL
Cottage Grove:
3-11, ranked #31
■ In the bonus: Cottage Grove begins league play this week with a home game on Friday against No. 4 Marshfield and a game Tuesday at North Bend. Despite the slow start, the Lions sit 2.5 games back of third place in the Sky-Em League. Head coach Pete LeMay has benefited from freshman Mariah Bailey’s scoring so far, but will need consistent production from upperclassmen Summer Lebow and Payton Anlauf.
Creswell:
9-4, ranked #16
■ In the bonus: Creswell has a chance this week to slingshot into second-place in the Mountain Valley Conference. The third-place Bulldogs face Sisters (5th), Elmira (2nd), and Harrisburg (4th). If Creswell goes 2-1 in the three games it could put itself in a spot to grab the final automatic playoff qualifier from the MVC.
Pleasant Hill:
12-1, ranked #7
■ In the bonus: The Billies continue to roll and find themselves on a 10-game win streak, the second-longest active streak in Class 3A. Pleasant Hill has a packed MVC week with three games in six days. The Billies travel to Harrisburg Friday, host Siuslaw on Monday, and travel to La Pine on Wednesday. Pleasant Hill is the favorite in all three, and the favorite to win the MVC thanks to team defense and balanced scoring from a starting five of Shyanne Fenley, Cheyenne Green, Kiley Campos, Brooke Weimer, and Claire Crawford.
Thurston:
7-7, ranked #17
■ In the bonus: With new head coach Macy Youngbauer at the helm the Colts went 1-1 last week and have two Midwestern League games this week. Thurston travels to No. 12 Eagle Point on Friday before hosting rival No. 1 Springfield on Tuesday. Youngbauer will need production from top players Bailey Tovey, Addison Nelson, and Stella Hall to upset either team.
BOYS BASKETBALL
Pleasant Hill: 12-3, ranked #9
■ In the bonus: The Billies have three Mountain Valley Conference games in six days. First up on Friday at No. 13 Harrisburg, then Monday vs. Siuslaw, and away at La Pine. The Billies already beat La Pine 63-29 this season, and should be able to handle Siuslaw as well. A win against Harrisburg would put Pleasant Hill in a great spot to finish top-2 in the MVC this season.
Cottage Grove: 7-7, ranked #19
■ In the bonus: The Lions finally begin Sky-Em League this week with a home matchup against No. 16 Marshfield on Friday and an away game at No. 19 North Bend on Tuesday. While No. 2 Junction City are the clear league title favorites, the second slot is wide open, and a 2-0 start for head coach Seth Hutchison’s team would be massive.
Creswell: 10-3, ranked #6
■ In the bonus: Creswell sits in first place in the Mountain Valley Conference thanks to stellar play from seniors Max Velarde and Connor Hanson. The Bulldogs have also gotten great minutes recently from junior Carson Williamson, who has been filling in for injured starter AJ Hodge. Creswell faces Sisters, Elmira, and Harrisburg over the next week, and will be the favorites to win all three.
Springfield: 2-9, ranked #29
■ In the bonus: Springfield has two away rivalry games, both of which are must-wins if the Millers hope to sneak into the postseason. Springfield travels to face Class 4A Marist on Friday before facing cross-town rival Thurston on Tuesday. Isaiah Navarrete will need to carry the scoring load for Springfield as he’s done, but head coach Crosby Green will need others to step up as well.
Thurston: 7-7, ranked #11
■ In the bonus: The Colts have two Midwestern League games, first on Friday at Eagle Point and then next Tuesday at home against rival Springfield. Eagle Point and Springfield have the two worst records in the MWL, and Thurston needs to win both or risk falling behind for the third and final playoff spot in the Midwestern League. The Springfield at Thurston game will happen after The Chronicle’s Tuesday morning deadline, so catch the game story on Wednesday online at Chronicle1909.com.
– Pierre Weil
