SPORTS: Local hoops shoot and score

4 days ago 2

By PAUL MATLI

The Astorian

Though the rain storm saw some games get cancelled or rescheduled, local basketball teams still had a busy week.

Knappa boys and girls had two games, Warrenton was on the road, Seaside and Astoria girls stepped on their home courts for the first time and the Fishermen boys had a big test against The Dalles. Here’s what happened this week in local hoops.

Third quarter explosion leads Seaside girls to a win

The Friday night cage match of Seaside and Banks girls lived up to the billing.

With both teams ranked high in the 3A and 4A classifications, this game had all the makings of a testy non-league affair. The 3A state runners-up, Banks was looking to spoil the home debut of Seaside. After playing tough competition in Crook County, the Seagulls were looking forward to playing in front of their home crowd. This was the girls first game back in their arena since they won a playoff game a year ago.

Friday night was a physical game from start to finish. Banks lost guard Jade Janecek to an injury early in the game and the Braves continued to take a beating at the hands of Seaside’s defense. The physical play of Seaside kept an explosive Banks offense at bay for much of the night.

After starting fast and going up 7-3 after the first quarter, the Seaside girls found themselves down at the half, 14-13. Like they so often do, the girls came out in the third quarter with an even higher level of intensity. The Seagulls play in the third quarter overwhelmed the Braves as Seaside outscored them 13-1. Seaside would hold onto their 26-15 third quarter lead and coast home to a 31-26 victory.

The hard-fought win moved Seaside to 2-2 and helped them prepare for defending 4A State Champion Stayton on Monday and the Seaside Holiday Classic on Thursday.

Lili Miller led Seaside in points with 10 and fellow senior Carly Corder had eight. Seaside played 11 girls on Friday night and will see the services of two freshmen in their rotation. Talented freshman guard Jahzara Marshall and freshman post player Berkeley Sturgell both played for head coach Marla Olstedt along with the Seagulls rotation from last season.

Warrenton girls back in action

The Warrenton girls had to wait nine days in between their first and second games of the season due to a last minute cancellation and weather.

The Warriors won their first game of the year on Friday against Willamina, 48-42, then lost 54-35 to Cascade Christian in the Dayton Holiday Classic. Warrenton continued their road trip with a Monday game against Faith Bible/ Life Christian and then host Ilwaco on Thursday.

Knappa girls upended

Knappa girls had an 0-2 after losing to Naselle (Wash.) and Crosshill Christian by a margin of just three points.

The Loggers lost to their Washington neighbors 43-42 on Wednesday night and then lost 44-42 to 1A No. 4 team Crosshill Christian on Saturday afternoon. With the losses, Knappa fell to 1-3 in the early season. They will look to get back on track Tuesday against Neah-Kah-Nie.

Astoria girls get on the board

After two losses to start the season, the Astoria girls basketball team got on the board with a blowout win over Willamina on Thursday night.

The Fishermen put up a season high 56 points in their 56-29 victory. Though Willamina is a 2A opponent, the Fishermen scoring 56 is a good step; nonetheless they scored just 20 points in their previous game against Banks.

Saturday wasn’t so kind to the Fishermen, though, in their home opener.

With standout sophomore Kyah Gohr playing in a volleyball tournament, the Fishermen went into Saturday’s game shorthanded. This led them to lose 57-30 to The Dalles and fall to 1-3 in the early season.

The Fishermen’s road will not get any easier as they host defending state champions Stayton on Friday night. Stayton brings with them a towering shot blocker and girls who can shoot from well beyond the three point line. This will be a really good test for a Fishermen team fielding four sophomores and six freshmen this season.

Warrenton boys win thriller

The Warrenton boys basketball team ran a winning streak to three in a row after their one point victory over Willamina on Friday night. The Warriors 48-47 victory improved their record to 3-1 in the early season. The new-look Warriors are ranked No. 11 in the early 3A rankings and will look to continue their momentum Monday against Faith Bible/Life Christian.

The Warriors are set to return home on Thursday to play Ilwaco (Wash.).

Knappa boys rolling

After a good early test against 3A powerhouse Valley Catholic to open the season, the Knappa boys basketball team found their shooting legs.

The Loggers have now won four consecutive games after a perfect week. Knappa defeated Naselle (Wash.) easily on Wednesday 70-43, then played a classic game against Crosshill Christian. The Loggers came out on top in that one 54-51 to push their record to 4-1.

Knappa currently is ranked No. 11 in the 2A pool and will look to move up more with a win against a tough Neah-Kah-Nie team on Tuesday.

The Dalles puts on a show at The Brickhouse

The talented Dalles boys basketball team made Astoria gym their own personal playground on Saturday afternoon.

Multiple dunks, three pointers and fancy dribbling moves was the story for The Dalles on Saturday. With the 4A division being wide open, it’s possible fans in attendance were watching one of the best teams in 4A.

From talented senior guard Calder Morrison, as well as contributions from Derek Goulart and Oliver Stevens, the Riverhawks catapulted up to No. 3 in the 4A rankings after their 75-45 victory over Astoria.

Despite leading by double digits for much of the game, The Dalles saw their lead dip to seven midway through the third quarter after the Fishermen had a big four-point play. But it wasn’t to be for Astoria as they ran into a buzz saw after that.

Cooper Jones was the leading scorer for Astoria with 14, while Quin Gohr and Magnus Kryzanek each had 10.

Though the Fishermen came up short, they have to be happy with the improvement of their 6-foot-8 sophomore Kryzanek. The big man is looking more comfortable each game and is becoming more confident as a low post scoring option. The Fishermen have two games this week against Gladstone and Stayton.

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