Inspired play on the road against league leader Wilsonville on Feb. 21 was a precursor of things to come for the Hood River Valley boys basketball team last week. It followed that performance vs. the second-ranked Wildcats with a free-and-easy win two days later at Hillsboro.
Coach Christopher Dirks’ team started last week with a Feb. 20 nonleague 75-53 home win against Class 4A St. Helens. The Eagles used momentum from that victory against Wilsonville the next day, hanging with the Wildcats (21-3, 15-0 league), before eventually losing 58-40.
The 18-point spread was misleading from the standpoint that HRV was within 11 early in the final period, but the Eagles couldn’t get any closer. Hood River held its last lead at 11-9 in the opening period on a Matthew Fauth 3-pointer. Wilsonville used scoring spurts to end both the first and second periods to build small cushions — 23-13 after one period and 34-19 at halftime.
Hood River outscored Wilsonville 10-3 to end the third period and start the fourth. Aidan Smith had two baskets in the run, Fauth made a trey, Sawyer Clemett added a free throw, and Deacon Ybarra scored after Ethan Rivera forced a Wildcat turnover by taking a charge — his 29th charge of the season.
Wilsonville turned the ball over on its next possession, but HRV couldn’t capitalize. Rivera added a basket to make the score 48-37, but Hood River didn’t score again until just under two minutes remained and Wilsonville had built a 21-point lead.
Fauth finished with 11 points and Clemett added 10 for HRV. Kallen Gutridge led Wilsonville with 24 points.
Two days later, Hood River played some of its best team ball all season at Hillsboro in handling the Spartans on their home floor, 65-48. The Eagles assisted on half of their field goals and seemed to answer every Hillsboro spurt with one of their own.
Clemett was the catalyst early with 17 of HRV’s 20 first-quarter points. The opening tip play-by-play read like this: Fauth taps toward Smith; Smith pivots left; feeds Clemett for a two-handed jam.
Hillsboro, 0-15 in NWOC contests, played with a sense of urgency itself. The Spartans outscored Hood River 10-4 to close out the first half and pull within 31-28. Five different players scored for HRV over the first five minutes of the second half and the Eagles led by at least nine points the rest of the game. Clemett, who finished with 25 points, made one of two free throws; Ybarra scored twice; Fauth added a bucket; Smith nailed a 3-pointer; and Rivera added a field goal.
Smith added 15 points, including three 3-pointers, and Fauth chipped in with 11. Ybarra had ten assists and Rivera added four.
Commented
Sorry, there are no recent results for popular commented articles.