COTTAGE GROVE
■ Tipping off: The Lions (1-7) are No. 29 in Class 4A. On Tuesday, Jan. 6, the Lions welcome the Creswell Bulldogs (5-3). On Saturday, Dec. 20, these two teams matched up in the consolation bracket of the Battle of I-5 Tournament. The Bulldogs won 74-33; Emerson Velarde and Ace Arnold led with 17 points apiece. Creswell hit 12 3-pointers in that matchup, easily surpassing its previous season-high of seven.
CRESWELL
■ Tipping off: Creswell (5-3) is No. 23 in Class 3A. On Saturday, Jan. 3, it welcomes the No. 20 team in Class 4A, the North Bend Bulldogs. Creswell is hoping to continue the offensive success it had when scoring a season-high 74 points against Cottage Grove. Emerson Velarde will look to build off two consecutive impactful games for Creswell. With a win, North Bend would have its best nine-game start since 2022.
SPRINGFIELD
■ Tipping off: The Millers (1-6) are No. 29 in Class 5A. The Millers 2026 season starts right after New Year’s day, when they travel to face the Willamette Wolverines (3-6) on Friday, Jan. 2.
The Wolverines are No. 37 in Class 6A. These two have played three times in the past three years, with the Wolverines winning all three low-scoring battles. Before that, the two were in the 5A Midwestern League for four years together, with the Wolverines winning seven out of eight matchups during that time.
On Tuesday Jan. 6, the Millers welcome the Cascade Cougars (3-3), the No. 11 team in Class 4A. The Cougars have won 20+ games each of the past four years, including two state championships. The Cougars defeated the Millers 81-45 last season in Springfield.
THURSTON
■ Tipping off: The Colts (6-4), No. 18 in Class 5A, travel to face the No. 26 Mountain View Cougars (3-7) on Tuesday, Jan. 6. Both will be well-rested, because this matchup comes eight days after each team’s previous game. The Cougars have won this matchup three years running. Lucas LaBounty scored 20+ points in all four games last week, and Leo Filipe had 10+ in each.
– Eli Thomas, The Chronicle
