Seth Thompson
The Chronicle
CRESWELL – The Creswell Bulldogs hosted the No. 6 in Class 4A North Bend Bulldogs on Friday afternoon. North Bend entered this game 8-1, with its only loss coming to the No. 6 team in Class 5A, Crook County.
Now, North Bend sits at 8-2.
Creswell escaped on Friday, winning 45-44, rallying from a rough first half when the Bulldogs trailed the first two quarters. When Creswell finally took the lead in the second half, North Bend never got it back.
“That first quarter wasn’t very good,” Creswell coach Tyler Hollingsworth said. “We were finding a way to claw back in the second quarter, but it still wasn’t great. The third quarter, we were able to settle down and do what we wanted defensively, and I think some of that attributes to the game being faster and we got them a little bit more fatigued. But they came out guns blazing, so we’ve got to give them lots of credit for putting all that pressure on us.”
Creswell has played up to its competition this year, with two wins against Top 15 teams in Class 4A. Despite the big wins, Creswell is focused on the Mountain Valley Conference games around the corner.
“Preseason matters for ranking points, but really you can’t get there unless you do well in league,” Hollingsworth said. “So we’re just trying to get better day by day. We’re trying to get 1% better every day and we’ll just keep building on that. We have a good senior group that’s been there before, and so hopefully they’re able to establish themselves further.”
One of the main reasons for that growth is the offensive development of senior Elliette Kinney. Kinney has averaged 16.9 points per game so far this season, and had 26 against North Bend.
“She’s our most consistent scorer and she leads our team in rebounding, so she’s done a lot for us. We’re asking a lot of her, but we appreciate all the hard work,” Hollingsworth said. “She’s left-handed and everybody knows it … she still finds a way to get to her left hand.”
Alongside Kinney offensively this year has been Mila Nguyen, who had 13 points against North Bend. Nguyen is averaging 11.6 points this season, and has been a reliable option beyond the arc for Creswell. This was on display Friday afternoon, as she knocked down two 3-pointers.
“Mila is a phenomenal athlete and she has an engine that’s 100 miles an hour. She’s quicker than most people on the court, so she’s able to do some things that other people can’t,” Hollingsworth said. “She’s a great shooter as well, so that kind of creates maybe a tough dynamic where she can shoot the 3, or she can drive by you.”
Creswell begins league play Jan. 13 against La Pine.
