The Philomath High boys basketball team struggled to find any offensive rhythm in a 36-28 season-opening loss Thursday night to Crescent Valley on the Warriors’ home floor.
Philomath managed just nine field goals for the game and went through a lengthy scoring drought in the second half that proved costly against the 5A Raiders.
Gallery: PHS boys basketball vs. Crescent Valley (Dec. 4, 2025)
A collection of photos from Philomath High’s 36-28 boys basketball loss at home to Crescent Valley on Thursday, Dec. 4.
The physical nature of the game disrupted Philomath’s flow from the start.
“Right from the get-go, they were putting a lot of pressure on us and grabbing and holding,” said Ecker, who was critical of the officiating. “We had a lot of turnovers so we didn’t have many opportunities to even shoot. Plus with the physicality, it really took us out of what you’re trying to do.”
The Warriors committed 22 turnovers compared to 12 for Crescent Valley.
Senior Kavanaugh Jensen, a 6-foot-5 all-conference honorable mention pick last season, led all scorers with 11 points for the Raiders, who are coming off a 20-7 season and state tournament appearance.
Seven players scored for Philomath, led by juniors Jamin Peters and Hamish McConnell with six points each. Peters scored all of his points in the first quarter. McConnell came off the bench and hit a 3-pointer in the fourth quarter. Sophomore Dreyton Nuño and junior Esias Sapp also connected on 3s.
Neither team led by more than four points in the first half. The Warriors were down 13-9 in the second quarter and put together a 9-4 run to take an 18-17 lead at halftime. Sapp’s 3-pointer midway through the quarter got Philomath to within one and then sophomore Cole Barron sank a couple of free throws to give the Warriors the lead.
With 15 seconds left in the first half, McConnell scored on a putback to give Philomath an 18-15 lead. Crescent Valley sophomore Dushawn Stephens scored at the buzzer to bring the Raiders back to within one.
Senior Josiah Peters hit a long 2-pointer early in the third quarter to push Philomath’s lead to 20-17, but the Warriors didn’t make another basket until just 2:46 remained in the game. Over those 12-plus minutes, Philomath’s only points came from a handful of free throws as Crescent Valley pulled away.
“We had good opportunities right there underneath the basket and could not finish,” Ecker said.
Both teams struggled from the free-throw line, with Philomath shooting 46.7% (7 of 15) and Crescent Valley at 43.5% (10 of 23).
“I was disappointed in the turnovers, I was disappointed in our talking to the opponent and we had a couple kids taunting the other team,” Ecker said. “That’s going to stop, I’m not going to let that happen. We got a technical foul, that shouldn’t happen.”
Despite the opening night struggles, Ecker sees room for improvement.
“We could be so much better than what we played,” he said. “We’ve got to get better.”
Philomath will take the home court again this coming Tuesday with a 6:30 p.m. game against Marist Catholic. The Spartans opened Thursday with a 54-52 win over Creswell.
Crescent Valley 36, Philomath 28
Thursday, Dec. 4, at Philomath HS
Team 1 2 3 4 F Crescent Valley (1-0) 11 6 12 7 36 Philomath (0-1) 9 9 5 5 28
CRESCENT VALLEY (36)
Simon Patel 0 1-2 1, Eli Adler 2 1-6 6, Jefferson Sand 3 1-2 7, Kavanaugh Jensen 3 4-7 11, Alex Mattson 2 0-0 4, Dylan Catz 0 0-0 0, Dushawn Stephens 1 0-2 2, Justin Zhu 0 1-2 1, Asher Watkins 1 2-2 4, Sterling Holland 0 0-0 0. Totals 12 10-23 36.
PHILOMATH (28)
Dreyton Nuño 1 2-4 5, Kaden Howard 1 0-0 2, Josiah Peters 1 0-2 2, Cole Barron 0 2-2 2, Jamin Peters 3 0-1 6, Hamish McConnell 2 1-2 6, Esias Sapp 1 2-4 5, Lucas Lewetag 0 0-0 0, Ace Gerding 0 0-0 0, Nathan Seits 0 0-0 0. Totals 9 7-15 28.
3-Point Goals—Crescent Valley 2 (Adler, Jensen), Philomath 3 (Nuño, Sapp, McConnell). Fouled Out—Sapp, Jensen, Ja. Peters. Total Fouls—Crescent Valley 22, Philomath 24. Technicals—Sapp.
Junior Varsity—Philomath 56, Crescent Valley 52 (OT). PHS Scoring—Seits 19, Jones 14, Hood 13, Arndt 8, Bettencourt 2.