The Philomath High School boys basketball team not only posted another victory on Friday night in the Oregon West Conference, but did it in convincing fashion on the road over an opponent with a winning record.
En route to a 52-24 victory at Sisters, Philomath’s defense frustrated the home club by allowing just seven baskets and on the other end, four players hit double figures to keep the Outlaws guessing who would score next.
“We played real well on the defensive end when we had a hard time finishing. Rebounding was very good,” PHS coach Blake Ecker said. “We put a lot of pressure on them defensively and it gave them some fits. Also having four players score in double digits is fantastic.”
Warriors junior Cole Beardsley finished with a game-high 16 points, a performance that included three 3-pointers in the fourth quarter to put an exclamation mark on the team’s fourth win against no losses in the league.
Junior Ty May, senior Carson Gerding and sophomore Jacob Peters each scored 10.
Philomath’s offense had some issues scoring over the first three quarters but with that stingy defense in top form, the Warriors held a 20-10 lead at halftime and 31-18 going into the fourth quarter. The Warriors hit their stride over the final eight minutes by outscoring the home team, 21-6.
Senior Max Palanuk scored 10 points to lead Sisters (7-7 overall, 1-3 Oregon West).
The Philomath boys have not lost a game since Dec. 17 against Redmond in a tournament at Coos Bay. That adds up to seven straight victories to put the team’s overall record at 10-3 on the season.
The Warriors, sitting at No. 4 in the OSAAtoday coaches poll and No. 5 in the OSAA rankings, will now get some time at home with six of the next seven in the PHS gym. Philomath has played out of town in 10 of its 13 games so far this season.
Up next will be Stayton on Tuesday in a battle for first place in the Oregon West. The Eagles will bring a 4-1 league record into the contest — their lone loss coming on the road to Cascade by four points. Stayton is ranked No. 6 in the coaches poll and No. 4 by the OSAA. Tuesday night’s tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m.
Philomath 52, Sisters 24
Friday, Jan. 21, at Sisters HS
TEAMS (RECORDS) 1 2 3 4 FINAL Philomath (10-3, 4-0) 9 11 11 21 52 Sisters (7-7, 1-3) 2 8 8 6 24 PHILOMATH FG FT-FTA PF TP 10 Cameron Ordway# 0 0-0 1 0 11 Cole Matthews# 2 0-0 0 4 13 Ty May# 4 2-4 3 10 30 Cole Beardsley# 6 1-1 0 16 53 Chad Russell# 1 0-0 4 2 4 Logan Carter 0 0-1 0 0 22 Preston Kramer 0 0-2 1 0 23 Carson Gerding 5 0-1 1 10 25 Jacob Peters 5 0-1 2 10 33 Isaac Lattin 0 0-1 1 0 32 Kaden Muir 0 0-0 0 0 TOTALS 23 3-9 13 52 # Starter SISTERS FG FT-FTA PF TP 3 Adam Maddox-Castle# 2 3-5 2 7 10 Jamen Schwartz# 0 0-0 2 0 11 Richard Huffman# 1 0-0 4 2 20 Max Palanuk# 3 4-6 3 10 24 Jessey Murillo# 0 2-2 1 2 22 Noah Pittman 1 1-2 0 3 23 Patrick Silva 0 0-0 2 0 30 Mehkye Froehlich 0 0-0 1 0 44 AJ Scholl 0 0-0 0 0 21 Taine Martin 0 0-0 1 0 TOTALS 7 10-15 16 24 # Starter 3-Point Goals: Philomath 3 (Beardsley 3), Home 0
Fouled Out: None
Total Fouls: Philomath 13, Sisters 16
Technicals: None
JUNIOR VARSITY
Philomath 55, Sisters 39
Friday, Jan. 21, at Sisters HS
TEAMS 1 2 3 4 FINAL Philomath 13 11 17 14 55 Sisters 9 9 12 9 39 JV GAME NOTES Philomath’s JV team improves to 5-3 with the double-digit victory. … Freshman Hudson Raab scored in every quarter and finished with 13 points on three field goals and 7 of 11 free throws. … Sophomore Conner Harms had 10 points with six coming in the first quarter. … Sophomore Simon King had nine points, including a 3-pointer in the fourth quarter. … Sophomore Elijah Smith also had a 3 in the fourth. … The JV team is scheduled to play at 4 p.m. Tuesday at home vs. Stayton.
JUNIOR VARSITY 2
Philomath 45, Sisters 37
Friday, Jan. 21, at Sisters HS
TEAMS 1 2 3 4 FINAL Philomath 11 7 16 11 45 Sisters 8 9 17 3 37 JV2 GAME NOTES The JV2 team’s record improves to 6-4 with the road win. … The Warriors led just 18-17 at halftime and the game was tied 34-34 going into the fourth quarter. … In the game-deciding fourth, Philomath hit just one basket but made 9 of 11 free throws. … Freshman Brady Russell scored 17 points, which included 6 for 7 at the foul line in the fourth. … Freshman Grant Niemann scored 12 on four field goals and 4 of 6 free throws. … The JV2 team is scheduled to play at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday at home against Stayton.