Editor’s note: Below are the weekly capsules for the Dec. 7 edition of the High School Sports Zone. Included in the capsules are: Boys and girls basketball previews and recaps, wrestling recaps, the conference call, and results/schedules for all area teams.
THE MAIN EVENT: BOYS BASKETBALL
■ Game facts: Willamette at Thurston (1-1 ranked #9), Thursday, Dec. 7, 6:45 p.m.
■ Tipping off: Junior Nate Stiffler showed his scoring prowess last week, putting up 25 points in the first half of Thurston’s win over Milwaukie. Stiffler looks to keep the ball rolling this week as the Colts host two Class 6A Eugene teams in Willamette and South Eugene.
■ Pierre’s take: Stiffler and senior guard Walker Bonar are one of the best one-two punches in the Midwestern League, and the Colts have a plethora of good role-players around their two stars. Willamette was 9-15 in 6A last season, including a 53-35 loss to Thurston, so the Colts will be favorites this time around as well.
BOYS BASKETBALL
Pleasant Hill coach Darwin Terry talks to the team during a preseason practice.
PREVIEWS
Cottage Grove Lions: 1-0, ranked #5
■Tipping off: The Lions head to the Marist Catholic tournament Friday and Saturday. Cottage Grove is scheduled to face Gladstone and Henley, the No. 11 and 3 team’s in the preseason coaches poll, respectively. Two tough early season opponents will give coach Seth Hutchison a good idea where his team stands in the first month of the season.
Creswell Bulldogs: 2-1, ranked #11
■Tipping off: Creswell hosts Class 4A’s North Bend on Friday as the Bulldogs try to continue their hot start to the season. Sole returning starter junior Tyler Whitson is expected to lead the team this season, and looks to build off a good opening week where he scored in double figures in every game.
Pleasant Hill Billies: 2-0, ranked #10
■Tipping off: The Billies’ biggest game of the week is Thursday as they host Class 2A No. 1 Western Christian. Standout junior Gavin Inglish scored 49 points across two blowout wins last week and looks to build off that. One of the bigger early season stories for the Billies is the growth, quite literally, of sophomore sharpshooter Landen Melvin, who is listed at 6-feet this season after a freshman campaign played at 5-foot-8.
Springfield Millers: 1-2, ranked #17
■Tipping off: The Millers host preseason No. 12 Silverton on Friday in their biggest game this week. While new head coach TC Combs tries to figure out what the Millers have, the bonus for him is a veteran Springfield team that has nine seniors on the roster. Springfield’s 55-43 win over Silverton on Dec. 10 of last season was its final win of the year, so Combs will be hoping for the same game, but not the same season, result as last time.
RECAPS
■ Cottage Grove’s only game last week was a 60-55 win over Sweet Home on Friday. Senior Cole Kishen had a team-high 21 points to go along with 8 rebounds and 3 blocks, while freshman Trevor Cooper had a double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds.
■ Pleasant Hill opened the season with two dominant wins, scoring 80+ in both games. The Billies traveled to Amity and won 81-49 behind 29 points from Gavin Inglish. Pleasant Hill then hosted Lakeview on Friday and won 86-35; Inglish led the way again with 20 points, while Matthew Nguyen had 19 and Landen Melvin added 15.
■ Springfield opened its season last weekend at the Centennial Tip Off, losing 53-39 to host Centennial before earning coach TC Comb’s first win with a 61-40 victory over Hillsboro.
■ Thurston fell in its opener 58-38 against preseason No. 14 Parkrose, and bounced back in Milwaukie with an 87-51 win. Junior Nate Stiffler led the way with 29 points, including 25 in the first half, and 5 rebounds. Walker Bonar finished with 15 points and 10 rebounds, and Grady Saunders added 14 points and 11 rebounds for the Colts.
GIRLS BASKETBALL
Springfield’s JB Robinson (3) pressures a Canby player during the team’s 67-37 win last week.
PREVIEWS
Cottage Grove Lions: 1-0, ranked #12
■ Tipping off: Cottage Grove had a great start to the season with a 71-13 win over Sweet Home. The Lions highest-scoring output last season was 45 points. The Lions attempt to keep the momentum going this weekend at the Marist Catholic tournament where they face off with preseason No. 2 Henley and No. 11 Gladstone.
Creswell Bulldogs: 1-2, ranked #20
■ Tipping off: Creswell faces two Class 4A opponents this week as the Bulldogs are at Junction City on Wednesday and at home against North Bend on Friday. Senior captain Dakota Carson was the leading scorer in Creswell’s games last week, and will likely be the one leading the Bulldogs on offense for much of the season.
Pleasant Hill Billies: 1-1, ranked #22
■ Tipping off: The Billies continue their tough non-league schedule this week as they host Class 2A No. 1 Western Christian and 3A No. 8 Coquille. Freshman lefty Karsyn Stapleton was Pleasant Hill’s top scorer last week, and Stapleton will likely continue to lead the scoring efforts, along with defending Mountain Valley Conference Player of the Year Claire Crawford.
Springfield Millers: 1-0, ranked #3
■ Tipping off: Springfield begins its streak of 10 straight games away from home this week as the Millers travel to face Class 6A No. 8 Sherwood and 5A No. 4 Silverton. Sheldon transfers Diamond and Kimora Wright both scored in double figures for the Millers last week, and join top scorers Danaeja Romero-Ah Sam and JB Robinson to create a potent attack for the defending 5A champs.
Thurston Colts: 0-3, ranked #20
■ Tipping off: New coach Kevin Durfee’s campaign got off to a slow start with an 0-3 week to open, but the Colts have a bounceback opportunity on Friday as they travel to Class 6A McNary. Six-foot senior Bailey Tovey, a 1st-team all-league player a year ago, will continue to be key for Durfee and the Colts.
RECAPS
■ Cottage Grove got its season started with a 71-13 win over Sweet Home. Three Lions players finished in double figures: sophomore Makya Alsup led the team with 19 points, Mariah Bailey had 13, and Jaylee Lima finished with 10.
■ Creswell went 1-2 in a tough slate of opening games. The highlight of the week was the 50-47 overtime win over No. 5 Lakeview. Dakota Carson led the way with 18 points – including the buzzer-beater three to win it in overtime – and 6 steals. The Bulldogs fell to No. 8 Coquille 42-41 and Class 2A No. 1 Western Christian 59-51. Lizabelle Osborn scored 9 points and 11 rebounds against Coquille and 8 points, 16 rebounds, 5 assists, and 5 steals vs. WC.
■ Springfield opened its season with a 67-37 win over Canby, a playoff team last season. Danaeja Romero-Ah Sam led the way with an all-around performance, finishing with 20 points, 7 assists, 5 steals, and 3 rebounds. Sheldon transfers Diamond and Kimora Wright each finished with 10 points and 5 rebounds in their first game as Millers.
■ Thurston got off to a tough start in the Kevin Durfee era, losing all of its opening-week games. The Colts lost 48-38 to South Eugene, then fell twice at the Central Oregon Tip-Off – a 63-49 loss vs. Midwestern League foe Eagle point and a 49-43 defeat against host Ridgeview.
WRESTLING
■ Cottage Grove‘s Carter Bengtson and Jayden Davis finished 5th on the boys side at the Perry Burlison tournament, and Allison Palluck took second on the girls side. Palluck was undefeated last season.
■ Creswell and Pleasant Hill both wrestled at the Deven Dawson Memorial Invite. The Billies took 10th as a team out of 30 teams thanks to Vedder Anderson finishing second on the boys side and Payton Buckely taking third for the girls. Creswell finished 15th overall, led by Chantell Noffsinger’s 1st-place on the girls side and Bradyn Roberts’ second on the boys side.
■ Springfield competed at the Devon Dawson Memorial Invite and the Willie Wilkinson Memorial. At the Dawson tournament, Lydia Stewart finished third in the girls’ 115 to lead the Millers, while Jamen Love led the boys at the Wilkinson tournament with a 4th-place finish in the 175-pound bracket.
■ Thurston opened its season at the Kelly Bledsoe Invitational, winning both the boys and girls competitions. The girls had six winners: Eily Asher (100 pounds), Rubie Winterburn (110), Kassidy Hadden (130), Kristal Zamora (145), Izabella Castlebery (155), and Katelyn Dow (190). The boys beat out Castle Rock of Washington by 15.5 points thanks to four winners: Michael Salas Sanchez (106), Sean Regas (138), Colton Annis (144), and Holton Halstead (150).
CONFERENCE CALL
Weekly tidbits from around our area team’s conferences:
N. Eugene boys lose thriller to North Marion
■ Class 5A preseason No. 3 North Eugene fell at the Holiday Inn Wilsonville Invitational Tournament in the semifinals to Class 4A No. 7 North Marion in a 68-66 overtime thriller. India Mohiuddin led the Highlanders in the loss with 19 points, Joey Banry added 15, and Elias McKinnis chipped in 10.
North Eugene won the third-place game over Redmond as senior captain Jonas Spencer scored 16; North Marion faced host Wilsonville in the title game and nearly beat the defending Class 5A champs before falling 62-54.
Marist girls vs. Henley highlights
■ The Marist Catholic girls basketball team, ranked No. 9 in the preseason, opens its season this week with a tournament that the Spartans host. The highlight of the tournament is Marist against No. 2 Henley on Friday.
Last season, the Spartans went 17-7 and won the Sky-Em League, but will need to replace now-graduated Paige Doerr, an honorable mention all-state player a season ago.
RESULTS AND SCHEDULES
RESULTS
BOYS BASKETBALL
Wednesday, Nov. 29
■ Pleasant Hill 81, Amity 49
Friday, Dec. 1
■ CGHS 60, Sw. Home 55
■ Creswell 61, Coquille 27
■ Pleasant Hill 86, Lakeview 35
■ Centennial 53, Springfield 39
■ Parkrose 58, Thurston 38
Saturday, Dec. 2
■ Creswell 76, Lakeview 34
■ Springfield 61, Hillsboro 40
■ Thurston 87, Milwaukie 51
Monday, Dec. 4
■ Western Chr. 68, Creswell 52
■ Sheldon 63, Springfield 45
GIRLS BASKETBALL
Wednesday, Nov. 29
■ Amity 62, Pleasant Hill 41
■ Springfield 67, Canby 37
■ South Eugene 48, Thurston 38
Friday, Dec. 1
■ CGHS 71, Sw. Home 13
■ Coquille 42, Creswell 41
■ Pleasant Hill 40, Lakeview 25
■ Eagle Point 63, Thurston 49
Saturday, Dec. 2
■ Creswell 50, Lakeview 47 (OT)
■ Ridgeview 49, Thurston 43
Monday, Dec. 4
■ Western Chr. 59, Creswell 51
SCHEDULES
BOYS BASKETBALL
Thursday, Dec. 7
■ Willamette at THS, 6:45 p.m.
■ W. Christian at PHHS, 7 p.m.
Friday, Dec. 8
■ Cottage Grove vs. Gladstone at Marist Tourn., 5:30 p.m.
■ Silverton at SHS, 6:45 p.m.
■ North Bend at Creswell, 7 p.m.
Saturday, Dec. 9
■ Coquille at Pleasant Hill, 11 a.m.
■ Cottage Grove vs. Henley at Marist Tourn., 1:30 p.m.
■ S. Eugene at Thurston, 7 p.m.
Tuesday, Dec. 12
■ Cottage Grove at Sisters, 6 p.m.
■ Thurston at Mountain View, 6:30 p.m.
Thursday, Dec. 14
■ Taft at Cottage Grove, 6:30 p.m.
■ Douglas at Creswell, 6:30 p.m
■ Stayton at PHHS, 6:30 p.m.
■ SHS at Grants Pass, 7 p.m.
GIRLS BASKETBALL
Thursday, Dec. 7
■ Western Christian at Pleasant Hill, 5:30 p.m.
Friday, Dec. 8
■ Cottage Grove vs. Gladstone at Marist Tourn., 4 p.m.
■ N. Bend at Creswell, 5:30 p.m.
■ Springfield at Sherwood, 7 p.m.
■ Thurston at McNary, 7 p.m.
Saturday, Dec. 9
■ Cottage Grove vs. Henley at Marist Tourn., noon
■ Coquille at Pleasant Hill, 1 p.m.
■ Springfield at Silverton, 7 p.m.
Tuesday, Dec. 12
■ Mtn. View at THS, 6:45 p.m.
■ CGHS at Sisters, 7:30 p.m.
Thursday, Dec. 14
■ Taft at Cottage Grove, 5 p.m.
■ Douglas at Creswell, 5 p.m
■ Stayton at Pleasant Hill, 5 p.m.
■ SHS at Grants Pass, 5:30 p.m.
■ Thurston at Woodburn, 7 p.m.
WRESTLING
Friday, Dec. 8
■ Cottage Grove at Coast Classic Tournament (N. Bend HS), 1 p.m.
■ Springfield at Warrior classic (Philomath), TBD
■ Thurston at Rose City Championship (Westview HS), TBD
Saturday, Dec. 9
■ Cottage Grove at Coast Classic Tournament (North Bend High School), TBD
■ Thurston at Rose City Championship (Westview HS), TBD
Thursday, Dec. 14
■ North Eugene at Pleasant Hill Dual Meet, 6 p.m.
