Huskies earmark fourth straight Baker trip

“Just like anything, going back to Baker is a surreal feeling,” Treve said. “One time is awesome, another time you feel really blessed, and with this third time, I am up on Cloud 9. We have worked extremely hard for it and we deserve it. With the time that we have put in since as long as I can remember, this is what it has led up to. For Jacob and me, this is what we have been working toward for our whole lives.”

Treve Martin scored 22 points and Jacob Justesen added 19, as the No. 2-ranked Sherman Huskies outscored Grand View Christian Academy by a 56-24 margin over the final three quarters to secure a 75-40 victory Saturday for another Baker City berth.

Things were a little dicey in the opening quarter with the visiting Eagles matching the Huskies shot-after-shot, four of their six baskets coming from long range, but still trailed 19-16.

Grand View managed only 10 field goals the rest of the way, however, two of those were 3-pointers.

“It has been all year, we start turning things around by playing really hard defense,” Treve Martin said. “In the first half, our shots weren’t falling the way we wanted to, mine especially, but I just trusted my teammates and they got it going and Jacob got it going with the other guys by distributing the ball around. Then it just started flowing from there. We got some steals and easy baskets and we had guys running up and down the floor. Our hard work, we just trust it and keep on going. Eventually, we just wear our opponents down, just like we did tonight.”

Staked by seven second-quarter points by Jacob Justesen, six from Luke Martin and four out of Keenan Coles, the Huskies opened up their lead on the Eagles with a 21-7 spurt to go ahead 40-23 at the break.

Treve and Luke Martin accounted for all 14 of Sherman’s third-quarter points, eight from Treve, to spark a 14-10 run, making it a 54-33 cushion entering the final period.

In the fourth, Grand View could only muster three field goals and a free throw for seven points, but Justesen busted loose in the paint for 10 points, Treve Martin added five, Coles chipped in four and Caleb Fritts added a fall-away jumper to finish off the team’s 21-7 run.

Many of the main guns get all the praise and flash, but the Huskies have made a point to highlight the key reserves and their contributions to the team.

Senior forward Makoa Whitaker is one of those players that does the dirty work in the paint.

“Our bench is pretty deep. Very rarely does a team have more than just its five starters, who you can pick and choose to get on the court to help the team and benefit them in the best way. It is nice that it is not just all-star players, but players that handle the block, who can shoot, drive and pass the ball well. It is nice to have that mix of people and not have to worry about just relying on your starters to get stuff done.”

All told, Sherman sank 34 field goals, one 3-pointer, and made 6 of 10 free throws.

After Justesen and Treve Martin, Luke Martin tallied 18 points, Coles dropped eight, Blake had six and Fritts had two points.

Angel Pacheco posted a team-high 12 points, three in the second half, Sam Amador tacked on 11, and the tandem of Danny Torres and Daniel Villegas were good for seven points each and had a combined five second-half points, for the Eagles, who hit on 16 field goals, six 3-pointers, and went 2 of 6 on free throw attempts.

“You have to credit Grand View. They came out and shot the ball very well in the first quarter. We told our guys that there was no way they were going to be able to sustain that,” Sherman coach Gary Lewis said. “We did a great job of making the adjustments and forcing them to work for every shot attempt on every possession. Once we got them a little frustrated, we were able to use our defense to get our transition game going.”

Treve Martin couldn’t put into words what it meant to see a capacity crowd creating an electrified backdrop for his final game.

He shared the stage with Justesen, Blake and Whitaker in a final standing ovation in the last few minutes of regulation.

“You look up at the crowd and it is an amazing feeling the amount of love and support they have shown us,” Treve said. “You can’t believe how loud they can get our gym just for one basketball game. That means everything to us. Every time they go crazy, it gets us ready for the next play. Our adrenaline is through the roof and we feed off that energy to play our best. We can’t thank them enough.”

Now with a 25-2 record and a five-game winning streak heading into opening-round action at 8:15 p.m. Thursday against seventh-seeded Prairie City, Justesen said the scenario and what is at stake is not going to cloud the team’s view of what needs to be done.

It is one game at a time.

If things go well, the Husky faithful can share in a moment that may never be captured again.

“This feeling is indescribable. Over the last few years, we are looking at some of the best teams, not only in Sherman County history, but in 1A history, so it is pretty unbelievable to see what we have accomplished,” Justesen said. “We are looking to get one more, but we just need to keep doing the things we have done in practice and give it everything we have.”