COSS BAY — The 7th seed Creswell Bulldogs went into halftime against the 2nd seed Cascade Christian Challengers relatively optimistic. They had scored 14 points, a first half season-low and their only game below 20. Despite that, they were only down eight points.
“They were like, ‘man, we played so bad and we’re only down eight. We can get back in this thing,’” coach Jesse Thomas said.
When Ace Arnold hit a floater with 1:49 left in the third quarter, it was the Bulldogs’ first points of the half. The Challengers eight-point halftime lead had ballooned to 23, and the Bulldogs were completely stifled offensively.
The game finished 56-37 in favor of the Challengers.
The Bulldogs competition was as tough as could be. The Challengers were the top remaining seed, and before a quarterfinal exit last season, had won three straight state titles. They also carried a 17-game win streak into Thursday’s game, which spanned more than two months. The Bulldogs came the closest of any team to beating the Challengers in that stretch, when they lost 53-49 on Jan. 17. In that game, Thomas said turnovers and inefficient shooting were his team’s downfall. In Thursday’s rematch, both got worse. The Bulldogs turned the ball over 14 times, while shooting 27.7% from the field. They not only struggled shooting from the perimeter, but also on easy looks inside.
“We had some questionable shots in the first half, but for the most part we were getting good looks,” Thomas said. “We missed a lot, we missed a bunch of layups. I think at halftime we were 3-for-16 (on two-point shots).”
The Challengers are a long and athletic team, similar to the Bulldogs. What made the difference was the discipline and basketball IQ of the Challengers.
“They’re a really good team. They don’t make that many mistakes. They just don’t,” Thomas said. “They have really good basketball players, and when we’re just struggling to put the ball in the hoop like that, it’s hard for us to keep up with them. Good defense lasts for a while, but when the other team doesn’t make mistakes and can make open shots, it doesn’t matter what defense you’re in.”
When a team is struggling, it can feel like everything is going against them. Some questionable calls from the referees did not help with the frustration that the Bulldogs fans, coaches and players were already feeling. Thomas and junior guard Tanner Frieze got technical fouls late in the game for voicing their frustrations.
Thomas said his players were quickly ready to move on and play the next two days in pursuit of a fourth place finish.
They went on to play Blanchet Catholic on Friday morning, ultimately winning that game to earn the spot in the fourth-place game against Pleasant Hill.
“They’re angry that they didn’t perform well. I didn’t have to tell them that they didn’t perform well,” Thomas said before the game. “And so, they’re angry, and they’re upset, and they’re disappointed in their performance. So, I would expect a different vibe from them in the morning.”
