BOYS BASKETBALL
RECAPS
■ Cottage Grove blew out the Junction City Tigers 73-54 at home last Tuesday. Nathin Lemon crashed the scoreboard with 31 points – his highest this season. Following him was Josh Bruner with 13 points, and Trevor Cooper recorded 12 points.
■ Creswell edged out the Sister Outlaws 58-54 last Tuesday. Luke Bailey led the Bulldogs with 22 points on the board. Tyler Whitson recorded a double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds. Following him was Mason Schartz, who recorded 10 points and 2 blocks. The Bulldogs then beat the Harrisburg Eagles 66-51 on the road on Friday. Whitson recorded another double-double with 25 points and 10 rebounds. Bailey scored 17 points.
■ Pleasant Hill edged out Harrisburg 46-43 on Tuesday. It was not without challenge though as the Billies had to rally from a 10-point deficit in the second half. Following, they won their league rematch against Sisters 50-46. These two league rematches have been the closest point games for the Billies in the league thus far.
■ Thurston downed the North Eugene Highlanders 57-46 at home last Tuesday. Lucas LaBounty led the Colts with 16 points and 7 rebounds. Following him was Noah Blair with 15 points, and Nate Stiffler recorded 13 points. The Colts then skated past Eagle Point 78-29 on Friday. LaBounty led again by recording 18 points against the Eagles. Following him was Treyson Hill with 13 points and Grady Saunders with 12 points.
PREVIEWS
#16 COTTAGE GROVE (9-11)
■ Tipping off: The Lions set their sights on the Marist Spartans for one last time before Sky-Em wraps up. So far, the Spartans are 2-0 against the Lions. With a third matchup, this might be the opportunity the Lions need to create a postseason berth. Look for Nathin Lemon,who recently scored 31 points in Cottage Grove’s win against Junction City.
#8 CRESWELL (14-7)
■ Tipping off: The Bulldogs host the No. 2 Pleasant Hill Billies on Friday for a fierce rematch. In their last game, Creswell lost by a 30-point margin to the Billies on the road with Tyler Whitson carrying the team with 28 points during a 73-43 loss. Coach Jesse Thomas said sickness was a factor in the Bulldogs’ performance, though. Now that the players have recovered, it might be a tougher fight for the Billies.
#2 PLEASANT HILL (19-3)
■ Tipping off: The Billies hit the road to face their biggest rival in the Mountain Valley Conference: The Creswell Bulldogs. In their first game, the Billies’ dynamic duo – Gavin Inglish (27 points) and Landen Melvin (25 points) – overwhelmed the Bulldogs and combined for eight 3-pointers. However, with the Bulldogs being healthier, they might present a tougher challenge than they did at the last game. The Billies should expect a tighter game this time around.
#30 SPRINGFIELD (0-18)
■ Tipping off: The Millers go to Eagle Point where they’ll face the Eagles again on Friday. In their previous matchup, the Millers lost to the Eagles by a 13-point margin (66-53). Watch for top scorer Vinnie Trinka, who lights up the board in each game despite the score.
#2 THURSTON (17-3)
■ Tipping off: The Colts head to Crater to face the Comets on Friday. With a 23-point margin of victory in the last matchup, this should be a walk in the park for the Colts. With only three games left, the Colts are close to being perfect in the Midwestern League for the 2025 season.
GIRLS BASKETBALL
RECAPS
■ Cottage Grove continues to struggle in the Sky-Em league and is now 0-8. Last week, it went 0-2, losing to the Junction City Tigers 47-20 and North Bend Bulldogs 59-36. Makya Alsup led against the Tigers with 5 points and 7 rebounds. Emmy Bickford had 5 rebounds and Kylee Cordin recorded 3 points and 4 rebounds. Against the Bulldogs, Mariah Bailey led with 17 points. Lily Cross had 9 points and 4 rebounds.
■ Creswell went 2-0 last week, downing the Sisters Outlaws 56-41 and the Harrisburg Eagles 47-35. Against the Outlaws, Mila Nguyen led with 20 points and 8 rebounds. Following her was Raelee Green with 14 points and Elliette Kinney with 10 points. Against the Eagles, Nguyen led the Bulldogs again by recording 15 points. Following her were Kinney, Green, and Kylie Leonard with 10 points each.
■ Pleasant Hill lost in a league rematch to Harrisburg on Tuesday 31-26. Brooke Weimer led with 9 points and 7 steals. The Billies went on to win against Sisters on Monday though, 48-41. Karsyn Stapleton led with 14 points and Weimer with 13 points.
■ Springfield dominated Churchill 80-22, last Tuesday. Sailor Hall led the Millers with 18 points and 5 steals. Following her was Kuna Filipe with 14 points and 7 rebounds.
■ Thurston went 1-1 in the Midwestern League last week, downing the North Eugene Highlanders 50-38 but losing to the Eagle Point Eagles 47-32. They are now 4-4 in league and are in fourth place. Fortunately, the Colts have four more games to grab a top-three spot in the league.
PREVIEWS
#21 COTTAGE GROVE (7-13)
■ Tipping off: The Lions welcome the Marist Catholic Spartans to their home court on Thursday. The Spartans are 2-0 against the Lions with a 24.5-point average winning margin. With a third rematch and the home-court advantage, this might be the best opportunity for the Lions to get a more competitive game with the Spartans. Makya Alsup and Sienna Wagner lead the Lions.
#12 CRESWELL (14-7)
■ Tipping off: The Bulldogs await the Billies’ arrival at their home court on Friday. In the most recent matchup, the Billies ended the Bulldogs’ eight-game winning streak and undefeated run in the league with a 44-21 victory. The Bulldogs should be better prepared for the Billies’ physicality and strength, though. Look for the plays of Mila Nguyen, Kylie Leonard, and Brooke Moehlmann.
#6 PLEASANT HILL (16-6)
■ Tipping off: The Billies make the short drive to Creswell this Friday. In their previous encounter, the Billies bulldozed the Bulldogs with their physicality on the defensive end. They notched a plethora of turnovers and held the Bulldogs to only five points in the first half. The Billies should expect a more forceful Bulldogs team, though.
#7 SPRINGFIELD (13-6)
■ Tipping off: The Millers jump on the bus to drive to the Eagle Point Eagles. Earlier in league play, the Millers beat the Eagles 58-27. This should be a walkover for the Millers. Look for the plays of Darissa Romero-Ah Sam, Sailor Hall, and Ikunaday Filipe.
#18 THURSTON (9-10)
■ Tipping off: The Colts travel to Crater to face the Comets on Friday for the second time this season. The No. 1 Comets are a challenging Midwestern league foe and are on an undefeated streak. This may be a difficult rematch for the Colts, who lost by almost a 50-point margin (74-28) last time. Bridgette Nault, Gracie Nissen, and Payton Tove will need to rally their troops.
WRESTLING, SWIMMING & CHEER
RECAPS
WRESTLING
■ Cottage Grove boys and girls took 9th place at the Cottage Grove Invitational. Boston Kent (135) took home first place. State champ Allison Palluck (125) returned to the mat to grab 2nd place. Jeffrey Conklin (132) placed 3rd. Cross country 4A champion Carter Bengtson (144) took home 3rd. Lastly, Second Team All-State football player Clayton Dewitt (175) took home 6th.
■ Pleasant Hill boys took 3rd place at the Cottage Grove Invitational with 28 teams. Dean Scott was the champion in the 106 weight class. Boone Marquess (144) and Vedder Anderson (157) placed 2nd in their classes. Following them was Jack Quinones (106) and Bryson Boyles (113) with 3rd. The girls team placed 17th with Zaira Duarte (130) placing 4th and Mattie Peacock (155) placing 6th.
■ Creswell boys took 14th at the Cottage Grove Invitational; the girls team took 15th. Brandon Church (285) took home 3rd in his weight class. Following was Maverick Wells (175), who took home 4th, and Lyosha Mitchell (126), who placed 5th.
SWIMMING
■ Springfield boys and girls won their meet vs. Thurston. The Millers boys (8-3) scored 148 total points against the Colts’ 108. The Millers girls edged out the Colts 156-146. Standouts of the Millers were Olivia Romero with a 5.01% in the 100 Free and Anthony Ortiz with a 3.17% in the 100 Free. Standouts for the Colts were Wayko Sanders, who posted a 5.24 time in the 500 Free. Following was Griffin Hagemeyer with a 2.02 time in the 200 Free. For the girls, Madi Del Castillo achieved a 1.02 time in the 100 Fly and Sofia Scott achieved a 27.8 time in the 50 Free.
CHEER
■ Thurston won second place at the Go Cheer event last weekend.
