The Main Event: Boys and Girls Basketball
THE BATTLE OF 1-5 TOURNAMENT
■Tipping off: The 2nd annual I-5 Tournament begins this week with Cottage Grove, Creswell, and Pleasant Hill boys and girls teams all participating, along with other area schools. … Admission: $3 for students, $5 for adults.
■Watch2Watch4: The Pleasant Hill boys and girls teams won the tournament titles last year. The Bulldogs-Billies boys matchup is among the highlights.
– McKenzie Days, The Chronicle
Boys Basketball Recaps
■ Cottage Grove (1-3) earned its first win at Sweet Home, pulling away 53-45. Trevor Cooper led with 19 points; Nathin Lemon with 10; and Landon Vaughn and Josh Bruner at 8 points.
■ Pleasant Hill swept the Dayton Tournament (3-0) against Douglas (56-44), Caitlin Gabel (64-38) and De La Salle North Catholic (54-40).
■ Springfield fell in the Centennial Tip-Off Tournament 2-0 last weekend losing to Centennial (76-45) and Hillsboro (79-59). The Millers face a winless preseason thus far and have been losing by more than an average of 20-30 points per game
Boys Basketball Previews
#20 COTTAGE GROVE (1-3)
■ Tipping off: The Lions gear up for the Battle of I-5 this weekend. After a difficult start, this is a good opportunity for the Lions to reassess and evaluate before the beginning of league games. Look for recent leaders on the scoreboard Trevor Cooper and Nathin Lemon.
#1 CRESWELL (4-0)
■ Tipping off: The Bulldogs head to the Battle of 1-5 leading in Class 3A. Though they enter the tournament as strong contenders, the Bulldogs will battle with Pleasant Hill’s powerful team, who grabbed the tournament title last year. Tyler Whitson, Darien Dewey, and Mason Schartz help power CHS.
#5 PLEASANT HILL ( 6-1)
■ Tipping off: After sweeping the Dayton Tournament last weekend, the Billies host a Battle of 1-5 tournament game. With the home-court advantage and the strength of Gavin Inglish and Landen Melvin, this is an opportunity for the Billies to build on their record.
#29 SPRINGFIELD (0-6)
■ Tipping off: The Millers went 0-2 in the Centennial Tip-Off last weekend and face a winless preseason thus far. Up next, they play host to Sheldon, who has also had a rocky start. If the Millers wish to turn things around, they’ll need the help of Vinnie Trinka and Jonte Arellano.
#1 THURSTON (4-0)
■ Tipping off: The Colts soared through the preseason. They hit the road to face Putnam, a final-four team in the Class 5A state playoffs last year. If the Colts want to win, Matthew Newell, Noah Blair, and Lucas LaBounty will have to demonstrate their teamwork.
Girls Basketball Recaps
■ Cottage Grove went 3-1 last week by breezing past Hidden Valley 49-38 and Sweet Home 45-25. There were several leaders for the Lions against Hidden Valley: Makya Alsup with 26 points and 20 rebounds; Mariah Bailey with 8 points; Kylee Cordin with 4 points; Abbi Hemenway with 4 points; Lily Cross with 3 points; Valerie Aura with 2 points; Sienna Wagner with 2 points and 4 rebounds; and Rylie Reeder with 6 rebounds. Against Sweet Home, Alsup led again with 16 points, 12 rebounds, and 8 blocks: Bailey with 10 points; Wagner with 5 points, Emmy Bickford with 4 points and 6 rebounds; Hemenway with 3 points; Reeder with 3 points; Cross with 2 points; and Cordin with 2 points.
■ Creswell championed Santiam Christian 45-30 and Oakland 49-28 last week. Against Santiam Christian, Elliette Kinney led with 16 points and 10 rebounds: Brooke Moehlmann with 16 points, and 5 rebounds; and Kylie Leonard with 7 points and 4 assists. Against Oakland, Mila Nguyen was the
leading scorer with 17 points: Kinney with 11 points and 5 rebounds; and Moehlmann with 9 points and 7 rebounds.
■ Pleasant Hill went 2-1 at the Dayton Tournament last weekend. For the Billies’ 48-29 win against Regis, Claire Crawford led with 14 points: Cheyenne Green with 13 points; and Anna Crawford
with 7 points and 8 rebounds. In their 37-29 loss against Banks, Crawford had 11 points and 7 rebounds, and Green had 9 points and 5 rebounds. In their 55-43 win against Dayton, Green led with 24 points and 9 rebounds: Crawford with 16 points and 9 rebounds; Karsyn Stapleton with 9 points, 7 assists, and 3 rebounds; and Brooke Weimer with 5 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists and 4 steals.
■ Thurston edged out the Ridgeview Ravens 29-25 and 6A private school St. Mary’s Academy 30-25 at home last weekend.
Girls Basketball Previews
#7 COTTAGE GROVE (3-1)
■ Tipping off: The Lions prepare for the Battle of I-5 this weekend. This tournament can give the Lions a respite before the league games begin. Look out for top scorers Makya Alsup, Mariah Bailey, and Kylee Cordin and what they may do.
#13 CRESWELL ( 3-1)
■ Tipping off: The Bulldogs look to the Douglas Trojans as their first opponents for the Battle of I-5 this weekend. The Bulldogs have been on a roll recently with their top scorers, Brooke Moehlmann, Kylie Leonard, and Elliette Kinney. However, their biggest obstacle for the 1-5 title remains the Pleasant Hill Billies.
#9 PLEASANT HILL (4-3)
■ Tipping off: The Billies are the returning champions of the Battle of I-5. Though, they started their preseason on a tumultuous note. Their biggest opponents remain to be the Creswell Bulldogs, who they edged out 53-46 last year in the final match. Seniors Cheyenne Green, Claire Crawford, and Katie Dutton will have to make the big plays as they did in their previous season.
#7 SPRINGFIELD (2-1)
■ Tipping off: The Millers head off to the annual Nike Tournament of Champions in Arizona. Without Daneja Romero-Ah Sam and Ryan Kelley, this regional tournament may be quite the challenge for this season. Leading scorers Sailor Hall and Darissa Romero-Ah Sam will need to lead the team.
#6 THURSTON (3-2)
■ Tipping off: The Colts head to face Class 6A Liberty Falcons this weekend. Against a bigger school, Bridgette Nault, Gracie Nissen, and Payton Tovey will need to work together offensively for shooting.
Wrestling & Swimming Recaps
WRESTLING
■ Cottage Grove girls and boys competed in the Coast Classic last weekend. Allison Palluck (125) brought home a third Coast Classic title as she pinned her way through the tournament winning each
match in the fi rst round. Jeffrey Conklin (132) grabbed third place.
■ Pleasant Hill girls and boys competed in the Culver Invitational last
weekend. The boys placed 10th and the girls placed 11th. Vedder
Anderson (157) grabbed 1st followed by Boone Marquess in 2nd place.
■ Creswell and Springfield girls and boys competed in the Warrior
Classic on Friday. On the boys side, Creswell grabbed 2nd place and
Springfield 9th. On the girls side, Creswell grabbed 5th, and Springfield
8th. Creswell’s Andrew Terry (215) 1st place: Logan Keppler
(285) 1st place; Paige Ledgerwood (120) 1st place; and Chantell
Noffsinger (145) 1st place. Springfield’s Alex Nicholas (285) 2nd
place: Haley Siders (125) 1st place followed by Ruby Arellano in 2nd.
■ Thurston boys took home 2nd in the Rose City Tournament last
weekend. Michael Salas Sanchez (113) placed 1st in his weight class.
SWIMMING
■ Springfield girls (1-0) won their meet against North Eugene with
a total of 105 points compared to North’s 45 points. Meanwhile,
Springfi eld boys (0-1) lost against North Eugene when the
Highlanders fi nished with 119 points and the Millers 37. The stand-
outs of the meet were Anh Roemen, who got a 2.89%, in the
200 IM and Nick Grace, who got a 6.39% in the 100 Breast.
