BOYS BASKETBALL CONFERENCE PREVIEWS
SPRINGFIELD
The Millers (1-6) are No. 30 in Class 5A. Apart from an impressive 19-point victory over Dallas, it has been a familiar story for the Millers. A -23.1 net rating – which measures margin of victory or defeat per game – is indicative of the Millers’ lack of competitiveness in most games.
Seniors Lejhaun Henderson and Noah Solo will have to be consistent as offensive focal points if the Millers are to compete. … Offense has been a struggle for the Millers. Getting over the 40-point mark in only two of seven games this year is not going to cut it in league play.
However, the Millers defense has improved. After allowing 73.7 points per game over the first three, Springfield has allowed only 60 points per game in its past four games. … North Eugene and Crater look like the favorites in the Midwestern League. Both are ranked in the Top 6 of 5A and have 9-1 records. Springfield has the worst record in the league, but Eagle Point is ranked lower than the Millers because of strength of schedule.
The Millers play in the SCTC Holiday Tournament at Stayton High School and against two other opponents before beginning league play by travelling to Churchill on Jan. 13.
THURSTON
No. 18 in Class 5A, the Colts (6-4) are getting hot at the right time. Three wins in a row, with two non-league matchups remaining, is exactly the kind of momentum head coach Blaine Liberatore’s team needs. Lucas LaBounty has been excellent all season, but has turned his level of play up another notch recently. He’s totaled 22, 33, and 28 points in his past three games, including a 24-point second half against a Class 6A Top 10 team in North Medford.
Thurston has won four of its past five games, and has allowed only 47.8 points per game in that stretch. The Colts allowed 59.8 in the first five games, and a 2-3 start was the result. North Eugene and Crater are the clear leaders in the Midwestern League. Both get by on the strength of quality offense. The Highlanders are first in points scored at the 5A level and the Comets are third.
The league is fast-paced, high-scoring. The Colts, fresh off an undefeated 12-0 league record last season, have not lost a league game since February 13, 2024. LaBounty, along with teammates Treyson Hill and Leo Filipe, will need to consistently create good shots if the Colts are to defend their league title and make a run.
COTTAGE GROVE
The Lions (1-7) are No. 29 in Class 4A. Changes will need to be made if the Lions are to finish with its second winning record under Seth Hutchison. A 30-point victory over Brookings-Harbor seemed a sign of good things to come, but then the Lions lost to Class 3A Pleasant Hill and Creswell in the Battle of I-5 Tournament.
Trevor Cooper has been a one-man wrecking crew for the Lions. The junior needs some help though, and point guard Tai Lam has been the only other bright spot thus far. … The Class 4A Sky Em League is up for grabs. No team in the Sky Em is within the Top 8 of 4A. Junction City, Marshfield and Marist Catholic are all within the 9-13 range of the 4A rankings. North Bend is next at No. 22, and the Lions are last at No. 29.
Before league play, the Lions have the SCTC Holiday Tournament at Stayton High School and a rematch with Creswell, who beat the Lions 74-33 on Dec. 20. The Lions’ first league test will be on Jan. 9, when Marshfield comes to the Grove.
CRESWELL
The Bulldogs (5-3) are No. 21 in Class 3A, but there is reason for optimism. Despite losing two of its past three games, Creswell is getting healthy and starting to become more well-rounded. Junior Mason Schartz, an honorable mention all-conference selection as a sophomore last season, could return soon, head coach Jesse Thomas said. Landon Vaughn, a junior transfer from Cottage Grove, felt the best he had all season in the Battle of I-5 Tournament as he recovers from a knee injury. Vaughn had a season-high 5 assists against his former team.
Vaughn’s shooting and ball handling could provide assistance for a team lacking in both areas. In the game against the Lions, the Bulldogs hit a season-high 12 3-pointers and scored 74 points, also a season-high. Schartz’ health will allow the Bulldogs to be the long, athletic team that Thomas envisioned before the season. Ace Arnold leads the team with 14.3 points per game on terrific efficiency.
Creswell is fourth in the Mountain Valley Conference, but Elmira, Harrisburg, Sisters, and the Bulldogs are all close in the 2nd-5th spots. All four are within 16th and 21st place in the 3A rankings. Pleasant Hill, the No. 2 team in 3A, is the favorite in the conference and a contender for the state title. Creswell still has four non-league games before league play starts on Jan. 13, when it will travel to La Pine. The Bulldogs conference season ends with Senior Night vs. the Billies.
PLEASANT HILL
The Billies (8-2) are No. 2 in Class 3A, fresh off a runner-up finish in 3A last year. A 94-16 victory to start the season was a harbinger of the dominance the Billies have shown so far. In Luke Jackson’s second year as head coach, the Billies are the only team at the 3A level that has scored more than 600 points.
Returning first team all-league senior Landen Melvin is starting to get hot after an ankle injury limited him early in the season. He totaled 29 and 27 points in the semifinal and championship games, respectively, of the Battle of I-5 Tournament. Those were the two biggest wins of the Billies season so far, and Melvin rose to the occasion. Junior Doug Green, who was injured for the team’s playoff run last season, has also been shooting well and is averaging over 10 points per game.
There’s a close race between the 2nd-5th spots in the Mountain Valley Conference, but none of those four teams are close to the Billies in terms of ranking. A date with No. 7 Burns on Dec. 29 will be a great test for the Billies heading into league play. After an undefeated league season last year, it will have been more than two years since the Billies have lost a regular-season league game by the time this year’s first game rolls around. The Billies’ first chance to keep that streak alive will be Jan. 13, when Jackson’s team travels to Elmira.
– Eli Thomas, The Chronicle
