Riverhawk boys head coach Jordan Rowland watches the play intently during the final minutes of Tuesday’s home game against Stayton. Mark B. Gibson photo
Riverhawk boys head coach Jordan Rowland watches the play intently during the final minutes of Tuesday’s home game against Stayton. Mark B. Gibson photo
The Dalles High Riverhawks got a split of their final two Class 4A boys basketball nonleague games last week.
The Riverhawks (4-7) won, 36-34, at home over the Stayton High Eagles (11-2) Jan. 10. The Riverhawks, guided by first-year Coach Jordan Rowland, followed with 65-49 road loss to the North Marion High Huskies (11-1) Jan. 13.
“They (Huskies) are real solid team, and they had some kids that could light it up from the three-point line,” said Rowland. “They just shot the ball really well against us and they had a total of nine three-pointers.”
The Dalles capitalized on its home-court advantage of Kurtz Gym while playing strong defense and jumping out to a 14-6 lead against Stayton after one quarter. The advantage was 25-12 at halftime, but the Riverhawks struggled offensively in the second half with 11 points.
“That was probably the best and most complete game (versus Stayton) that we’ve played said Rowland. “We played a tough two-three zone defense and they weren’t really hitting many shots in the first half. They made a comeback in the second half and obviously, both teams struggled offensively at that point. It was the best defense that we’ve played in any game this year. We still have some room for improvement offensively.”
The Riverhawks scored five third quarter points and the Eagles trimmed the margin to 30-25. The Riverhawks’ 36 points marked the fewest that they’ve scored in a game this year.
“Well, I guess there’s two ways to look at that game,” said Rowland. “Both teams played really good defense, and both played really bad offensively.”
The Dalles was led in scoring by junior Andre Niko with 16 points. Junior guard Cooper Cummings played in his first game since the season opener Dec. 2 (a 73-57 loss to Banks) after recovering from a leg injury.
The Riverhawk win snapped Stayton’s five-game road win streak. The Riverhawks’ strong defensive limited Stayton’s offense to 27-points fewer than the Eagles’ average of 61 points per game. The 34 points allowed marked the second fewest points for a Riverhawk opponent this season. The Dalles won 43-31 Dec. 30 over the Class 3A Elmira High Falcons.
“Everyone is understanding that playing good team defense is something that we need to do, because that’s what helps us win games,” Rowland said.
The Riverhawks started their 10-game Tri-Valley Conference schedule Jan. 17 against the Crook County High Cowboys (6-7) in Prineville (result was after the printed edition deadline). The Riverhawks play their next game Friday at 6:30 p.m. at home versus the Estacada High Rangers (7-5).
“We’re in a tough conference and I think all the teams are pretty evenly matched because we’re all in the top-20 of the OSAA rankings, except for one team (Molalla),” said Rowland. “I think the boys are looking forward to starting league play and having the opportunity to face each team twice.
“We’re ready to compete and we’re starting to get healthy, too. It was nice having Cooper back in the lineup last week and I’m working him back into the rotation. I think with every game, we’re starting to improve and get stronger and we’re playing together better as a team.”
Another key player who is expected to return to the lineup for the Riverhawks soon is 6-foot-4 senior center Braden Schwartz. Rowland said Schwartz could possibly return to the lineup next week.
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