COTTAGE GROVE – The No. 15 Cottage Grove Lions lost to No. 4 Marist 67-50 on Friday night, falling to 10-6 on the season and third place in the Sky Em League.
The Lions struggled from long range on Friday, managing to make 1-of-12 3-point attempts. Marist’s defense played a significant role in those shooting numbers; the Spartans’ high-pressure style didn’t give the Lions much room to breathe.
“They gave it all they had, and the shortcomings were not because of lack of hustle,” Cottage Grove coach Kim Beer said. “They worked hard and I don’t feel I can ask for anything more than that. Some nights you just don’t hit shots.”
The Lions’ Mariah Bailey played the entire 32 minutes for the Lions, and was the primary ball-handler. She finished with 13 points.
“She’s really our leader, and we count on her for a lot of things,” Beer said. “She’s our point guard so we count on her to get the ball down the court, and we count on her for some 3-point shots. She never complains, she never asks to come out; she wants to win. Things tend to fall apart when she’s out, so we really can’t afford to have her out.”
The Lions kept the game close in the first half, closing the Spartans’ lead to six points seconds before halftime. The Spartans, however, scored a buzzer-beating 3-pointer to take a 9-point lead halftime.
With back-to-back league losses – the first being a 45-42 loss to No. 7 North Bend – the Lions’ spot in the playoffs is slipping. For Beer, ranking position is the top focus for the team.
“Beating a team like Marist would’ve done a lot for us in the rankings. I don’t think this loss will hurt us too much because Marist is ranked high, but we’re thinking about it a lot. We want to at least make the playoffs,” Beer said.
The coach’s words rang true after this week’s OSAA rankings came out, with the Lions dropping only one spot from the week prior.
Coming up, the Lions begin a prolonged stretch of four road games on Friday at No. 21 Junction City. This road trip will last until Feb. 17, when the Lions return home.
