After falling in four of its first five games, the Philomath High School boys basketball team started to right the ship and show promise by winning a couple of tournament games, beating Junction City in its own gym, remaining competitive in a couple of losses to top teams and then this past weekend, defeating Astoria on the road.
All of that progress appeared to be coming to a screeching halt, however, in a Tuesday night home matchup against a 4-10 Gladstone squad. As the game reached the late stages of the third quarter, the Gladiators had a seven-point lead.
The Warriors needed a spark.
Gallery: PHS boys basketball vs. Gladstone (Jan. 13, 2026)
A collection of photos from Philomath High’s 64-55 boys basketball win at home over Gladstone on Tuesday.
“We didn’t play with a lot of energy (in the first half) so we just wanted to make sure we came out and played as a team and had a lot of energy on defense,” junior Kaden Howard said after Philomath rallied for a 64-55 victory to even its record at 6-6. “I think coming out after halftime, everyone started playing together, making that extra pass.”
The Warriors went on a 16-2 run and turned their seven-point deficit into a seven-point lead by the midway point of the fourth quarter. Howard had a steal and a hoop near the beginning of the run and later gave Philomath a 49-48 lead with a hoop and plus-one with a drive in the lane.
“We changed up defenses a little bit and were doing some trapping out of it and it seemed to bother them a bit,” PHS coach Blake Ecker said about the late-game surge. “Then we were able to get a little bit of transition and make extra passes to get a nice little run going there. So that was good.”
The team upped its defensive pressure a notch to bring the Gladiators out of their comfort zone.
“We were able to get some tips and that’s what we concentrate on — just get a tip, just get a tip,” Ecker said. “Somebody else may get the steal but maybe you get the dunk down at the other end.”
Several players contributed to the team’s success over the final eight minutes.
“Later in the game in the fourth quarter with me and Esias (Sapp) getting in foul trouble, guys like Nathan Seits and Ace Gerding were coming into the game and making plays,” Howard said. “Seits had a couple of buckets in the fourth quarter to really bring us back and got our hopes up.”
With 4:47 remaining, the Warriors forced a turnover and sophomore Dreyton Nuño quickly got the ball to Seits, who was able to score in transition. Moments later, Seits provided another flash of his athleticism with a drive to the basket for a 56-49 lead.
Philomath was not able to establish any sort of rhythm on offense in the first half.
“We’ve got to do a better job of coming on with energy and effort like we did in the fourth quarter,” Ecker said about his team’s earlier play. “I mean, midway through the fourth, we really stepped it up. Sometimes guys weren’t where they were supposed to be but at least they had energy flying around.”
Junior Jamin Peters played a huge role in the win with his work in the paint, quietly scoring 19 points to go along with 13 rebounds.
“Jamin’s always so tough inside and physical and he’s just a rock in there,” Ecker said. “He’s a big, strong kid. It was trouble without him in the middle because some of our guys aren’t as physical as he is. No. 50 (Gladstone’s Rohnen Schlenker) was a big strong boy and he was able to at least keep in front of him — and he got into foul trouble at the end.”
Schlenker, who had a game-high 20 points, was scoreless in the fourth quarter.
Peters kept the Warriors within striking distance in the first half when he scored a dozen points. The scoring was more balanced over the final two quarters. Junior Hamish McConnell, who started for the first time this season, finished with 11 points, including a steal and a dunk in the first and a 3-pointer in the third. Nuño had eight, both Howard and Seits finished with seven and Sapp added six. Howard also had a team-high four assists.
In addition to Schlenker’s 20, the Gladiators also got 11 points from junior Max McKee and 10 from senior Rylan Fisher.
Philomath can now turn its attention to the Oregon West Conference. The Warriors will play at home this coming Tuesday against Sweet Home.
“I wouldn’t say there’s any surefire winner of league,” Ecker said. “I think we have every opportunity. Newport is ranked No. 1 but I think they’re very beatable. Anybody can beat anybody, so we just have to get on our game a little bit more and be more consistent.”
Howard said the team has shown that it can work through adversity.
“You can’t get down on yourself and have more energy in practice and bounce back from the losses,” Howard said. “We’ve got to come on strong coming into league and get a win.”
Philomath 64, Gladstone 55
Tuesday, Jan. 13, at Philomath HS
GLADSTONE (55)
Lucas Ingram 3 0-0 8, Max McKee 4 2-3 11, Rylan Fisher 3 2-4 10, Eli Jackson 0 0-0 0, Rohnen Schlenker 8 4-7 20, Ezra Meyer 0 0-0 0, Russell Gleason 3 0-0 6, Dixon Fisher 0 0-0 0. Totals 21 8-14 55.
PHILOMATH (64)
Dreyton Nuño 3 0-2 8, Kaden Howard 3 1-1 7, Hamish McConnell 5 0-0 11, Cole Barron 1 0-0 2, Jamin Peters 5 9-16 19, Ace Gerding 2 0-0 4, Lucas Lewetag 0 0-0 0, Esias Sapp 2 2-2 6, Nathan Seits 3 1-3 7, Hudson Jones 0 0-0 0. Totals 24 13-24 64.
Team 1 2 3 4 F Gladstone (4-11) 13 21 14 7 55 Philomath (6-6) 12 16 18 18 64
3-Point Goals—Gladstone 5 (Ingram 2, Fisher 2, McKee), Philomath 3 (Nuño 2, McConnell). Fouled Out—None. Total Fouls—Gladstone 21, Philomath 19. Technicals—Ingram.