After battling back from a double-digit first-quarter deficit to take a brief lead in the third quarter, the Philomath boys basketball team couldn’t sustain its momentum in a 45-33 home loss Tuesday night to Class 5A South Albany.
“There were some moments when we looked good,” longtime PHS coach Blake Ecker said afterward. “In the second quarter, we did a good job of coming back, getting the ball inside and finishing.”
South Albany shot out to a 10-point lead by the end of the first quarter and extended the advantage to 12 in the opening seconds of the second quarter before the Warriors started to put some offense together. Philomath went on a seven-point run to cut its deficit to five on a Jamin Peters basket, Ace Gerding 3-pointer and Nathan Seits free throws.
In the final two minutes of the first half, Philomath pulled to within 23-22 after back-to-back hoops by Peters.
The momentum carried into the second half when Cole Barron scored inside to give Philomath its first lead of the game at 24-23. After the teams traded points, Barron scored again in the paint to put the Warriors up 28-27.
But South Albany responded with an eight-point run to retake the lead for good. The RedHawks outscored Philomath 12-5 in the fourth quarter to seal the victory.
With 2:12 remaining and Philomath trying to mount a comeback, Hamish McConnell appeared to slam home a teammate’s miss that could have provided crucial late-game momentum. However, officials ruled offensive goaltending, determining the ball was in the cylinder when McConnell touched it.
Peters led Philomath with 13 points on five field goals and a 3-for-4 performance at the free-throw line.
Griffin Zink paced South Albany (1-4) with 16 points.
“We had some moments when we looked OK, we’d fly around,” Ecker said. “We’ve got to be more consistent.”
As for positives, Ecker said Peters was having some success inside and McConnell was flying around and making things happen.
Beyond the need for consistent play, Ecker expressed concern about his team’s game preparation and overall approach.
“We need to prepare ourselves mentally to play,” Ecker said. “Even after the game, I hear guys laughing. If I’m a player and as a coach, I’m not happy with the outcome and that’s not the way to act. I don’t understand the culture right now.”
The Warriors (1-3) will look to regroup this week at the South Coast Les Schwab Tournament in Coos Bay. Philomath opens tournament play Thursday against Hidden Valley at Marshfield High School.
“We’ve got to find some leadership on the team that’s going to make something happen,” Ecker said. “Hopefully this week we’ll be able to come together as a team and figure some things out at the tournament on and off the court.”
Also competing in the tournament will be host Marshfield, Crook County, North Bend, North Marion, Redmond and Sutherlin.
South Albany 45, Philomath 33
Tuesday, Dec. 16, at Philomath HS
SOUTH ALBANY (45)
Kash Hallberg 1 0-0 3, Griffin Zink 6 4-7 16, Brody Terrell 3 2-2 8, Nate Beaver 2 0-0 6, Marshall Miller 0 0-0 0, Jett Zink 1 6-7 8, Nash Drushella 1 2-2 4, Zayden Schofield 0 0-0 0, Reid Neuschwander 0 0-0 0, Tyson Moss 0 0-0 0. Totals 14 14-18 45.
PHILOMATH (33)
Dreyton Nuño 1 0-0 2, Kaden Howard 1 0-3 2, Esias Sapp 2 0-0 5, Cole Barron 2 0-2 4, Jamin Peters 5 3-4 13, Ace Gerding 1 0-0 3, Hamish McConnell 0 0-2 0, Lucas Lewetag 0 0-0 0, Nathan Seits 1 2-2 4. Totals 13 5-13 33.
Team 1 2 3 4 F South Albany (1-4) 19 4 10 12 45 Philomath (1-3) 9 13 6 5 33
3-Point Goals—South Albany 3 (Beaver 2, Hallberg), Philomath 2 (Sapp, Gerding). Fouled Out—Sapp. Total Fouls—South Albany 15, Philomath 17. Technicals—None.