Sports Zone

Billies hit Bulldogs with their best shot

PLEASANT HILL – The long-anticipated showdown between crosstown rivals Creswell and Pleasant Hill didn’t live up to its billing.

This one was all Billies.

An overflow crowd looked on as Pleasant Hill pummeled Creswell 73-43 in Luke Jackson’s first game as head coach of the Billies against his alma mater. Jackson was a star player at Creswell, winning a state title with the Bulldogs in 2000. 

“From ‘86-‘90 we packed the stands, it was standing room only all the time,” Billies assistant coach Travis Trafton said. “I haven’t seen a crowd like this since 1990. My dad is here tonight. He doesn’t have a kid he’s watching, but he shows up. When my younger son was playing, it got pretty packed then; we went to state then, too.”

Even though the score was never close, the crowd was treated to quite a shooting exhibition. Pleasant Hill’s dynamic duo – Gavin Inglish (27 points) and Landen Melvin (25) – combined for eight 3-pointers. Creswell’s Tyler Whitson drilled five 3-pointers while netting a game-high 28 points. 

Bulldogs coach Jesse Thomas expressed that the Bulldogs played hard but struggled to execute.

“We needed to execute on both ends,” Thomas said. “Also, Gavin (Inglish) and Landen (Melvin) are very, very, high-level offensive players, and are hard to stop. They shot the ball well tonight. They made the right reads, and when the shots are going in, there’s not a whole lot you can do.”

It was that kind of night for the Billies. 

Gavin Inglish remains the leading scorer for the Billies and scored 27 points on Tuesday night
CRAIG STROBECK / THE CHRONICLE PHOTO

“Seven guys scored, and we shot the 3-ball really well,” Trafton said. “But the biggest thing was being disciplined. We ran the offense really well – we had specific things we wanted to do on defense and they did everything we asked them to do “ 

The victory was especially sweet for Pleasant Hill senior forward Riley Smith, who transferred from Creswell during the offseason. 

He said playing against his former teammates didn’t feel too unusual once the game started. 

“I didn’t feel weird because I know my team had my back and I had theirs,” Smith said. “We went out and fought, and we know it’s our league, and we know what it meant for our season and winning state. … Those are my old teammates, but I don’t care,  This is just another win for us.”

The Billies and Bulldogs high-fiving before the start of the game.
CRAIG STROBECK / THE CHRONICLE PHOTO

Smith said the Bulldogs tried to rattle him with some smack talk. 

“Creswell was talking a lot because we punched them in the mouth and that’s all they had to come back with,” Smith said. . . 

While playing for Creswell last season, Smith had two of his best games against the Billies, pretty much owning the boards in each game. 

Smith played OK on Tuesday night – not one of his best games – but that didn’t matter.

“I dominated against Pleasant Hill last year,” Smith said. “But I don’t care about me. It’s hard to beat a great team. We’re going to have a state-run. And I’m looking forward to beating them again in two weeks. They’re over-ranked. We proved that tonight.” 

No.23 Riley Smith transferred from Creswell during the offseason and was one of the top scorers for the Bulldogs.
CRAIG STROBECK / THE CHRONICLE PHOTO

Aside from Whitson, the Bulldogs scored just 15 points. They shot 7 of 17 from two-point range, missed 8 of 16 free throws, and had 10 turnovers. Thomas also pointed to some easy missed opportunities and turnovers on fast breaks.

 “And then once we were bleeding a little bit, they finished us off,” Thomas said, noting the Billies’ 23-10 fourth-quarter advantage.

Thomas said that the role players’ performance was not for lack of shooting but due to the way the game unfolded.

“Some of it is that Tyler obviously draws a lot of attention,” Thomas said. “So they’d pay attention to Tyler, run the pick and roll, and get the ball exactly where they want to, and they missed the layup or travel. That happened multiple times in the first half, so we kind of dug ourselves a hole there. And for the second half, some of the young guys – who are in that situation for the first time – some nights they make them, and some nights they don’t.”

No.12 Tyler Whitson owned the board with 28 points on Tuesday night.
CRAIG STROBECK / THE CHRONICLE PHOTO

Creswell has also been riddled with health issues ever since the Cascade Christmas Classic tournament in December. Thomas explained that the team’s health status is day-to-day, with players like Mason Schartz returning but others still missing. Schartz is still struggling to get back into the flow of the game, highlighting the need for more recovery. Thomas hopes that the team will get fully healthy and finish the second half of the league strong.

 “It’s just part of the deal,” Thomas said. “Every team deals with it, and it’s just been kind of unfortunate that it stacked up the way it is, but that’s still no excuse. Hopefully, we’ll move forward.”

And hopefully, this crosstown rivalry will keep attracting sellout crowds. 

“I know for a fact that my dentist is here, and he doesn’t have any kids in the school,” Trafton said. “He played for Pleasant Hill when Luke played for Creswell. People showed up to see this rivalry.” 

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