In the first meeting this boys basketball season between Philomath and North Marion three weeks ago, the game went down to the wire with a blocked shot and key free throw in the final 20 seconds helping the Warriors to a four-point victory on their home floor.
The rematch in Husky territory went down Saturday and nobody expected anything other than another close one. Despite a 1-5 record in the conference, North Marion had been competitive in all of its games and along with Philomath remained in the top-10 of the Oregon School Activities Association’s rankings.
The Huskies came through in front of their home fans for a 51-48 win in a game that had been pushed back a day because of the weather and road conditions.
The Warriors (11-9 overall, 5-2 Oregon West) got off to a slow start offensively with three baskets and a couple of free throws through the first eight minutes. The second quarter wasn’t much better than another three hoops — one of those a 3-pointer by senior Grant Niemann — and four successful shots.
The Warriors trailed 26-19 at halftime.
In the third quarter, Philomath saw more success around the hoop and trailed by just one point going into the final frame. Senior Zack Powers was a force underneath over those eight minutes with five baskets, which accounted for 10 of the 13 points he scored in the contest. Sophomore teammate Jamin Peters was also getting inside and had a couple of hoops in the third.
In the fourth, Peters had three more baskets in the fourth and ended up with a team-high 15 for the game. But North Marion had enough answers to pull out the win in the end.
Philomath missed out on scoring opportunities at the free-throw line by making just 9 of 20. But the Huskies weren’t much better at 9 for 18.
North Marion (13-8, 2-5) senior Reece Hartenstein was a key factor for the home team’s success on offense in the game with 20 points. Hartenstein buried four 3-pointers — two in the fourth quarter — along with another field goal and 6 of 9 from the foul line. Senior teammate Jaxon DeFabis also hit a key 3-pointer in the fourth and the team as a whole had eight for the game.
With the trip to North Marion rescheduled, only a varsity game was played.
Philomath is scheduled to play back on the home floor at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday against Cascade. The No. 2-ranked Cougars will be a challenge as the first-place team in the league with a 6-0 mark, which included a 61-33 win over Philomath on Jan. 28.
