Down by two and working up a final play with 0.6 left on the game clock, Philomath High School freshman Preston Kramer had an open look at the basket on a three-point attempt. The shot didn’t fall on this occasion and the Warriors dropped a 57-55 decision Tuesday in their opening game of the Emerald Cup tournament against the host school, Churchill.
The 6-foot-1 Kramer will likely have many more opportunities in the future for such heroics in a Warriors uniform. He was among the younger athletes in coach Blake Ecker’s program thrown into significant court time against the 5A school with several varsity players not in uniform for the culminating week tournament.
“We were missing a handful of players who at the last second decided not to play,” Ecker said. “I’m really happy for the guys who came out here and participated. For the guys that opted in to play, I think it was a great opportunity.”
Philomath held a 27-20 lead at halftime with sophomore Ty May scoring 12 of his 20 points in the first quarter alone. Senior Chase Beardsley, senior Dillon Olsen, Kramer and May all had 3-pointers in the first half to help build a lead.
But in the third and fourth quarters, Churchill started to light up the scoreboard with 3-pointers of its own. The Lancers hit six from long range in the second half.
“It was a fun game and I think we improved and saw some things from our younger guys,” Ecker said. “ The kids really came together and played ball together … It was fun to watch.”
In addition to May’s 20, Chase Beardsley finished in double digits for scoring with 15, which included three 3-pointers. His younger brother, sophomore Cole Beardsley, had 10 points and had a pair of 3-pointers in the third quarter.
Samaje Morgan scored 26 for the Lancers (8-7).
Philomath (9-4) saw a four-game winning streak come to an end with the loss. The Warriors will try to regroup for a Wednesday afternoon game against North Eugene, which dropped a 67-51 decision to Willamette on Tuesday. The game is scheduled for a 2:15 p.m. tip-off.
In other Emerald Cup results, Marist Catholic slipped past Thurston, 65-62, and Sheldon edged Springfield, 54-51.
Churchill 57, Philomath 55
Tuesday, June 22, at Churchill HS, Eugene
| TEAMS (RECORDS) | 1Q | 2Q | 3Q | 4Q | HT | FINAL |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Philomath (9-4) | 17 | 10 | 19 | 9 | 27 | 55 |
| Churchill (8-7) | 10 | 10 | 19 | 18 | 20 | 57 |
| PHILOMATH | FG | FT-FTA | PF | TP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10-Ty May | 7 | 5-6 | 0 | 20 |
| 13-Chase Beardsley | 6 | 0-0 | 3 | 15 |
| 22-Dillon Olsen | 2 | 0-0 | 2 | 5 |
| 30-Cole Beardsley | 4 | 0-0 | 0 | 10 |
| 32-Isaac Lattin | 0 | 0-0 | 1 | 0 |
| 33-Caleb Jensen | 0 | 0-0 | 0 | 0 |
| 40-Preston Kramer | 1 | 0-0 | 1 | 3 |
| 42-Owen Heiken | 0 | 0-0 | 0 | 0 |
| 53-Chad Russell | 1 | 0-0 | 0 | 2 |
| TOTALS | 21 | 5-6 | 7 | 55 |
| CHURCHILL | FG | FT-FTA | PF | TP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0-Danny Womack | 1 | 1-2 | 0 | 3 |
| 1-Bugsy Jensen | 4 | 0-0 | 0 | 11 |
| 2-Ty Weiskind | 0 | 0-0 | 1 | 0 |
| 4-Samaje Morgan | 10 | 3-5 | 1 | 26 |
| 10-Matthew Forsyth | 5 | 0-0 | 1 | 13 |
| 22-Pete Pennington | 0 | 0-0 | 1 | 0 |
| 24-Rylan Carson | 0 | 0-0 | 0 | 0 |
| 33-Austin Mills | 0 | 0-0 | 0 | 0 |
| 44-Mason Case | 1 | 0-0 | 1 | 2 |
| 11-Cooper Case | 1 | 0-0 | 2 | 2 |
| 14-Carson Luna | 0 | 0-0 | 0 | 0 |
| TOTALS | 22 | 4-7 | 7 | 57 |
| 3-Point Goals: Philomath 8 (Ch. Beardsley 3, Co. Beardsley 2, May, Olsen, Kramer), Churchill 9 (Jensen 3, Morgan 3, Forsyth 3) Fouled Out: None Total Fouls: Philomath 7, Churchill 7 Technicals: None |
Did you enjoy this content? The news site has no paywall but we do rely on voluntary memberships. If you’re already a member, thank you. To join our community as a member or to make a one-time contribution, please CLICK HERE.