Senior Clayton Cook’s two free throws with 12 seconds remaining clinched Hood River Valley’s, 69-64, boys basketball win Friday against visiting Mt. View of Vancouver.
The non-league win evened the Eagles’ record at 1-1. HRV lost its opener, 66-61, Dec. 1 at Gladstone.
Cook, who finished with 21 points, had plenty of help Friday, including double-doubles from senior Ryles Buckley and Emanuel Romero. Both games were back-and-forth affairs and weren’t decided until the closing minutes. HRV led at Gladstone by as many as 10 points in the second half, but the Eagles couldn’t close out the Gladiators. Subtle tweaks helped Hood River two days later at home. The Eagle players moved their feet better on defense against Mt. View and, for the most part, limited the Thunder to one shot per possession – especially in the second half.
Of the Mt. View game, HRV Coach Christopher Dirks said: “The turning point in the game came in the third quarter. We started playing defense the right way and slapping at the ball less. As the season goes on, we need to keep working on limiting our fouls. In the third (quarter) we did that.
“Playing better defense generated some easy offense in transition. When our defense fuels our offense, we can put teams away. We have to keep working on the details, but that is the style we want to play with.”
Buckley fueled the second-half burst. He finished with 21 points and 13 rebounds, but it was his aggressive play at both ends of the floor which turned the game in HRV’s favor.
“Ryles Buckley really got the momentum on our side with his defense and attacking the hoop,” Dirks said. “Zak Poole, Micah Poole, Emanuel Romero, and Clayton Cook all hit outside shots during our run in the third and early fourth quarter.”
The Eagles made a small adjustment on perimeter defense in the second half, playing Mt. View straight up one-on-one. HRV also did a better job of rebounding. “Once we force a tough shot, we have to finish the play by getting the rebound and we were not doing that in the first half,” Dirks said. “I think we did a much better job in the second. We also made a few defensive adjustments that helped us generate more steals.”
Buckley led in that category with five, while Romero had 11 assists to go along with his 11 points and seven rebounds.
Romero led the way with 24 points, seven rebounds and six steals, against Gladstone, but poor game management cost the Eagles the win. “We have a lot to learn about how to manage the end of the game,” Dirks said. “We let one guy get hot in the fourth quarter and did a bad job finding him in transition.”
Gladstone hit three 3-pointers and took advantage of HRV fouls to swing momentum into the home team’s favor. “Fouls got us into a lot of trouble,” Dirks said. “We put them at the line 24 times, which is too much. We actually did a good job taking care of the ball with only 12 turnovers, but our overall field goal percentage was well below where it should be.
“I have confidence that we will figure out our shooting and be dangerous once we hit our stride.”
Dirks said the next stretch for HRV will be a good one - competition-wise. “Moving forward we need to continue to improve on the defensive end. Our effort has been outstanding, but there are a few technique things that we need to change to keep getting better. With three 6A matchups this week I think it will be a good challenge for us. We are looking forward to the competition.”
Hood River continued its non-league schedule Dec. 7 with a home game against Class 6A Sandy (0-2). The Eagles play this weekend at Centennial High in Gresham; vs. Portland’s Lincoln (1-0) on Friday and vs. host Centennial (0-2) on Saturday.
IMC watch: League games in the Intermountain Conference don’t begin until January, giving the six teams a chance to test themselves versus competition from throughout the state. Pendleton and Redmond played this past weekend in the Wilsonville Invitational Tournament. Pendleton went 0-3 against Liberty, North Eugene and Springfield. Redmond (2-2) won one of three games at Wilsonville, after winning its opener vs. 4A Sisters. Ridgeview sits at 2-1 after wins over 4A Madras and 5A Dalles, and a loss to 6A McMinnville. The 2021 league champion, Crook County, is 0-2 after lopsided losses in its own tip off tourney to 6A teams, Summit and Bend.
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