Editor's note: This story was updated at 8:21 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 28, with information on Philomath's next opponent.
The Philomath High School boys basketball team got off to a positive start at the Clarke Cochran Christmas Classic Ketchikan, Alaska, with a 62-44 victory over Houston.
The win puts the Warriors (3-6) into a semifinal matchup against the host school at 8:30 p.m. Saturday. The Kings defeated Haines, 39-29, in a late Friday game and bring a 3-1 record into the game against PHS.
“Tomorrow (Saturday) will be a tougher game,” PHS coach Blake Ecker said. “The kids will see tonight (Friday) what kind of crowd it is and understand why we take them up here.”
Houston, which plays out of Big Lake, Alaska, and has an enrollment similar to Philomath, came into the contest vs. Philomath with a 1-0 record. The two teams stayed fairly close to one another in the first quarter but the Warriors began to pull away in the second and had a 38-21 lead at halftime.
“We were able to attack them inside — that was kind of our bread-and-butter for the most part,” Ecker said, adding that it’s always a challenge to get used to the differences in officiating when playing in Alaska. “Overall, we did a good job getting out in transition and getting some easy baskets.”
In the second half, Philomath held on to its double-digit advantage to end up with an 18-point spread at the final buzzer.
PHS senior Caleb Russell had his top offensive game so far this season with 14 points on four field goals, including a 3-pointer, and 5 of 6 on free throws. Sophomore Esias Sapp came off the bench to score 11 on four field goals, including a 3, and 2 of 4 on free throws. Senior Grant Niemann finished with 10 points on four field goals — two of those being 3-pointers. Senior Zack Powers scored eight on three baskets and a couple of foul shots.
“Esias did well and Grant had a pretty good game on the offensive end,” Ecker said. “We got the ball inside to Zack and he did a good job finishing.”
Philomath had five 3-pointers in all with senior Kaden Wenger also hitting one in the second quarter.
Houston senior Noah Whitted had a big game for the Hawks with 25 points on eight field goals and 9 of 19 on free throws. Junior Billy Rusher added 11.
