The Horizon Christian Boys Basketball team had a victorious weekend as they took care of business Friday and Saturday with wins over the Dufur Rangers (57-42) and the South Wasco County Redside (47-41). The Hawks improved to 12-1 in the league after the weekend.
Friday’s game was at home and a close contest through the first half, with the score 29-25, Dufur up. Both teams shot well from two-point range, but the Rangers fell away at the three-point line, hitting only two of 15 shots from beyond the arc; the Hawks went eight for 20.
Horizon defenders swarm the paint and box out opponents as a Dufur player pulls up for a shot during Friday’s game.
Photo by Kirby Neumann-Rea
“We came back in the second half and played really well,” said coach Darrin Lingel. “We did solid in the post and on-ball pressure.”
It was two strong quarters in the second half that sealed the game for the Hawks. They outscored Dufur 15-8 and 18-6 in the third and fourth, and tightened up their defense to ensure the Rangers couldn’t keep up. Derek Johnston led Horizon’s efforts with 17 points and seven rebounds, with Alex Petshow and Caleb Lingel putting up 14 and 12 points themselves, respectively.
“I think we had better shot selection,” said Lingel. “We attacked the basket better and did a good job overall on offense.”
While the Hawks had a strong offensive showing against Dufur, they were lackluster the next day against South Wasco, shooting 35 percent from the field, including zero for 10 from three.
“We knew we wanted to play a high level game with a lot of energy,” said Lingel. “We did that and played well, but the ball just wasn’t falling for us.”
Though the shots weren’t falling for Horizon, they made up for it on defense, snagging 35 rebounds and stealing the ball 19 times. While they struggled to convert the turnovers into points, the Hawks did keep any offensive push by South Wasco at bay.
Coming off this successful weekend, the Hawks have their eyes set on Wednesday’s rematch against Sherman, this time at home. The first match was a tough loss for Horizon, but with smart adjustments and an eagerness to redeem themselves, the Hawks will look to come out on top.
“There are a lot of things to work on for that game,” said Lingel. “We’re going to be better.”
Following the Wednesday game against Sherman, Horizon will host Mitchell/Spray on Friday and then travel to Arlington on Saturday.
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