CRESWELL – Senior Night. Rivalry game. An unbeaten record on the line. The stakes could not have been higher for Friday’s matchup between the Pleasant Hill Billies and Creswell Bulldogs in boys basketball.
The defining moment came in the second quarter, courtesy of Billies star Landen Melvin. His wide-open 3-pointer capped a 16-2 run that had featured a swarming defense and lightning quick ball movement to take control of the game. Melvin’s shot swished through the net as he stood in front of the Bulldogs student section, which let out a groan almost as loud as the Billies’ fans cheering wildly.
“They’re very athletic. They know how to pressure,” said Bulldogs coach Jesse Thomas. “And once they smell blood, they jump all over you. If you don’t handle it well and attack the pressure and get the ball into the right spots and then make shots and make free throws when they foul and things of that nature, it’s really hard to beat them.”
In that second quarter, the Melvin brothers and Jacob Neely, who might as well be part of the Melvin family given how much time he spends with them, accounted for all 23 points. On the night, the foursome scored 61 of the Billies’ 69 points as they won 69-56 for a seventh straight victory over their rivals.
Defensive intensity
Defense has been key to the Billies winning streak in this series. The Bulldogs have averaged only 49.6 points per game over those seven games.
Friday’s point total would have been significantly lower for the Bulldogs if not for the efforts of 6-foot-5 junior Emerson Velarde, who scored 16 of his season-high 21 points in the second half, including four 3-pointers in quick succession.
“I think he’s getting more comfortable being aggressive,” Thomas said.
The Creswell coach said his team knew what to do, but couldn’t execute consistently.
“We have a tendency to either forget or we kind of get panicked and we don’t run our actions properly,” Thomas said. “It’s frustrating, quite honestly. What we talked about at halftime was like, look, ‘I don’t have anything else new to give you. You guys know exactly the actions that you’re running, you know where you’re supposed to be and when you’re supposed to be there and we’re not doing that.’”
Keeping emotions in check has been something the Bulldogs have struggled with throughout the season, and given all of the storylines and implications of this game, it would have been a real feat if that was not the case Friday.
“I think that sometimes the game gets a little bit too competitive and they place too much on the outcome of the game and not all the little things you have to do to help control the outcome,” Thomas said.
Billies coach Luke Jackson was feeling a lot of emotions as well. “It’s always tough to play Creswell because I’m rooting for them. I’m an alum, and I know everyone in the stands. I think Jesse Thomas is an amazing coach. I root for them every single game that they’re not playing us. So I always have mixed emotions coming in here. But I’m coaching for the kids, and it’s not about me,” Jackson said.
Jackson may have struggled with a variety of emotions, but his players were calm, cool and collected. The Billies are 20-0 in Mountain Valley Conference play in two years under Jackson, and clinched a third straight league title Friday. Jackson found it hard to pinpoint just one reason for the Billies’ success.
“I think it’s a combination of things. We talk a lot about giving a perfect effort and obviously we’re small, so it’s heart over height,” he said. “We’ve been injured and sick and hurt all season and these guys just answered the call. I have to tip my cap to the guys because I think they realize what it means to play for one another, and that’s what you wanna do as a coach is eventually get to the point where they take ownership in what it is. When that happens, there’s joy in the game.”
The MVC league playoffs loom, with the Bulldogs hosting Elmira on Wednesday in a battle of 2nd and 3rd place. The winner of that game meets the Billies. The top two finishers in the league gain automatic bids to state playoffs, with three at-large bids available for teams who don’t automatically qualify. There’s a good chance that the Billies and Bulldogs will see each other again at least once.
