BY ELI THOMAS
THE CHRONICLE
CRESWELL – Creswell Bulldogs junior Mason Schartz intercepted a North Bend Bulldogs pass during the first quarter like a free safety in football and raced down the floor, dumping the ball to teammate Ace Arnold for an easy layup. The steal and score was part of a 12-0 run for Creswell, in which it took the lead and never gave it back, winning 62-50 on Saturday, Jan. 3.
Creswell has not been fully healthy yet this season. Cottage Grove transfer Landon Vaughn is finally 100% after a knee injury troubled him early on, and Mason Schartz, who was honorable mention all-league last season, played in only his second game after an ankle injury. Just when Vaughn was healthy and Schartz returned, albeit not yet back to full strength, leading scorer Ace Arnold hurt his ankle against Newport.
Constantly dealing with injuries makes it hard for players to develop chemistry and have defined roles.
Creswell has struggled this season to protect the ball, make plays, and in its perimeter shooting. Those all interweave and affect each other; taking care of the ball and making good decisions puts ball handlers in position to make plays, either for themselves or their teammates, which gives shooters easier looks that they will convert at higher rates. Against North Bend, Creswell had its best assist-to-turnover ratio of the season and set a season high in assists with 15. Coach Jesse Thomas said he was especially proud of the way his team was able to exploit North Bend’s full-court press, which it has struggled with during this season.
“There were countless times tonight where we broke (the press) with ease and got a great look near the rim and we missed it. We did exactly what we were trying to do. We just have to make the layup and then it’s a 30-point game,” he said.
The other reason the game was not a 30-point blowout was the perimeter shooting of North Bend. The visitors hit nine 3-pointers, including five by junior Brody Kyllo.
Still seeking shooters
Thomas said that the lack of a true knockdown shooter on his own team makes it hard to prepare for teams who do have such a player. He also said that it comes back to struggling with on-ball defense, which has resulted in many of Creswell’s opponents’ best players having big games. In this case, when the North Bend ball handlers beat their man, it forced help defenders to collapse and resulted in open 3-pointers.
Creswell has been average to slightly below from beyond the arc on offense, which is mostly due to the lack of playmaking. Vaughn has helped with that as he has gotten healthy, as has Schartz in his first two games. The real shooting woes for Creswell have come from the free throw line. A 10-for-18 shooting night from the charity stripe was par for the course; Creswell does not have a single game this year where, as a team, it has shot above 70% from the free throw line.
Schartz, still shaking off some rust, impacted the game. Within the first few minutes, he found Arnold on a cross-court pass for an open 3, then executed a two-on-one fast break perfectly to find Arnold for a layup. He finished with five points, but also had six rebounds, four assists and three steals. Off the stat sheet, his leadership was on full display. Schartz was diving for loose balls, making passes up the floor for transition opportunities, and always talking to teammates when there was a lull in play.
“He’s highly competitive and he’s vocal. He absolutely cares, as far as the amount of time he puts in and how hard he works,” Thomas said.
Right now, Schartz said he is still playing through some pain in his ankle, and is not at peak endurance. Thomas has been limiting the junior wing’s minutes as a result; he has played 16 and 18 in his first two games. When healthy, Schartz is a player that can exploit mismatches. At 6-foot-5 he is bigger than nearly any wing he faces, and his experience of playing in the post growing up helps him use that to his advantage. His athleticism is also well above average. Schartz said he has been running track since he was young, and it shows on the court in his first-step explosiveness.
Vaughn also put his fingerprints all over the game. Vaughn made multiple shots from the perimeter, was able to find his teammates in advantageous positions, and made things difficult for North Bend offensively. He finished with 10 points, five assists and four steals. Vaughn has moved into the starting lineup in the past two games after a nice performance against his former school. In his past three games, Vaughn is averaging two made 3s per game on 50% shooting, four assists and 3.7 steals. Those are all areas where Creswell needs more production, so Vaughn getting healthy has been vital. “I’m just glad that I can play pain-free, and actually help my team out more,” Vaughn said.
Non-league play is usually where teams are able to figure out an identity and a consistent rotation. With so many players in and out of the lineup, Thomas has not had that luxury. He will have to do so on the fly, as his team has its first league matchup coming up on Jan. 13 against La Pine.
Creswell is getting healthy at the right time, and will have every opportunity to challenge for a league championship.
