THURSTON (7-4)
■ Tipping off: The Colts start league play this week with two games. First, the Colts welcome No. 31 Eagle Point (2-8) on Friday, Jan. 9. The Colts have won four consecutive games coming into this matchup; the Eagles have lost four in a row. The Colts have won six consecutive league matchups in this series by an average of 23.7 points. The Colts second league matchup should be stiffer competition, when it travels to North Eugene on Jan. 13.
The Highlanders (11-1) are No. 2 in Class 5A, with the best record in the Midwestern League. These two have topped the Midwestern League both of the past two seasons, and each won a league title. The Highlanders have won four of the past six matchups, but the Colts won both last year.
Treyson Hill will look to build off a season-high 25 points in the Colts’ last game, while Lucas LaBounty will hope to continue his early season dominance as league play begins.
PLEASANT HILL (8-3)
■ Tipping off: The Billies fell one spot to No. 4 in Class 3A after losing to Burns in overtime. This week, the Billies have three games. The week starts with traveling to face No. 4 in Class 2A Oakland (9-1) on Friday, Jan. 9. Oakland coach Jeff Clark is 9th all-time in wins among Oregon high school boys basketball coaches with 666. Clark has won three state championships in his 32 years with the Oakers.
The Billies edged the Oakers 61-59 last season. The next day the Billies welcome No. 21 in 2A Toledo (5-2). Second-year coach Kyle Wolf has led the Boomers program to its best start since going 8-0 in COVID-shortened 2020-21. That 8-0 start was part of a three-year stretch where the Boomers were 61-5 (.924) from 2019-21 and won a state title in ’20. The Boomers have gone 36-67 (.349) in the five seasons since. On Jan. 13 the Billies travel to No. 12 Elmira (8-3) for the start of league play.
Pleasant Hill has won all six league matchups between these two by an average of 16.2 points since Elmira moved down to the Mountain Valley Conference. Billies senior Landen Melvin is playing like one of the best players in the state right now, with 27, 29 and 27 points in the Billies past three games.
CRESWELL (6-4)
■ Tipping off: The Bulldogs are No. 14 in Class 3A and close to full health for the first time all season; Landon Vaughn, Mason Schartz, and Ace Arnold played a full game together for the first time against North Bend on Jan. 3. Creswell starts off its week by welcoming No. 43 Coquille (0-9) on Jan. 9. Coquille has lost its nine games this season by an average of 25.9 points.
On Jan. 13 the Bulldogs will travel to face No. 38 La Pine (3-8) for the first game of Mountain Valley Conference play. The Hawks have lost six games in a row. The Bulldogs will have a clear size advantage, with six players listed at 6-foot-3 or taller. The Bulldogs have won all six matchups in the past three years by an average of 33 points, holding the Hawks to only 36.5 points per game.
SPRINGFIELD (1-10)
■ Tipping off: The Millers travel to Churchill (5-5) on Tuesday, Jan. 13 to begin league play. The Millers are No. 33 in Class 5A; the Lancers are No. 18. The Millers have lost seven in a row. Churchill has won eight straight over Springfield. The Lancers are led by first-year coach Tyler Coleman, who has the defense rounding into form; two of Churchill’s three lowest opponent point totals have come in the past three games.
COTTAGE GROVE (2-9)
■ Tipping off: The Lions are No. 29 in Class 4A. On Friday, Jan. 9 they travel to Coos Bay to face No. 10 Marshfield (6-4) in its league opener. The Pirates have lost two straight after starting 6-2. The Pirates are averaging 72.3 points per game in victories, but have averaged only 51.5 in losses. The Lions are hoping to end a seven-game Pirates winning streak in this series.
On Tuesday, Jan. 13 the Lions host No. 13 Junction City (7-4). The Tigers are led by Bart Rothenberger, who is 30th all-time in wins among Oregon high school boys basketball coaches with 448. After starting 6-1, the Tigers have lost three of the past four games. Rothenberger’s team tries to create low-scoring, defensive battles. None of its opponents have scored 70 points, while the Tigers have only done so once. The Lions won two out of three matchups last season, but before that, the Tigers had won 12 in a row.
– Capsules by Eli Thomas, The Chronicle
