DUFUR – In 11 of 16 games, the Dufur Rangers have beaten their opponents by 20 points or more.
With those lopsided scores, head coach Ron Townsend has been afforded a chance to utilize his bench players for critical minutes on the hardwood.
When it is crunch time, that may prove to be beneficial for the Rangers as the playoffs approach.
Travis Lucas scored eight points and Tabor McLaughlin tacked on seven, as the Ranger reserves combined for 27 points in a 75-38 boys’ hoops win Friday over Ione.
“It is great to have a deep bench, because it allows the starters to get a little rest every now and then to stay fresh,” said senior guard Connor Uhalde. “We need to have someone else come in, put in some good minutes and score some buckets. It is great to have those guys ready to contribute when we need them.”
Dufur led by an 18-12 margin through the midway part of the first quarter, but then found a groove on offense and defense.
Ahead 26-14 after one quarter, the Rangers finally put the Cardinals away, using a 21-3 second-quarter run to extend the lead to 47-17 at the half.
In that second period, Uhalde notched six points, Ethan Wetherbee tacked on five, Derek Frakes and McLaughlin added three points apiece, and both Kolbe Bales and Lucas chipped in baskets.
The Rangers then added a 22-6 spurt in the third quarter for a 69-23 cushion, and in the final period, Cole Morrison, Pork Chop Anderson, and Tanner Masterson each hit field goals, as Dufur was outscored, 15-6.
Through the first three quarters, the Dufur defense held Ione to 10 baskets and three free throws.
“Defense was big for us in this game,” Wetherbee said. “We pressured their guards and our posts were able to front their posts to keep them down. We started off rusty because it was senior night and emotions were high, but, after the first quarter, we took off. We put the pedal to the metal and never looked back.”
Bailey Keever notched 15 points, Uhalde finished with 13, and Bales had 12 points for the Rangers, who tallied 30 field goals and shot 9 of 14 from the line.
For the Cardinals, Austen Carter led with 10 points, and Donald McElligott and Wyatt McNerney dropped nine apiece, as the team wound up with 16 field goals, two 3-pointers, and converted 4 of 6 free throws.
Before the game, Dufur seniors Morrison, Bryan Jim, Lucas, Wetherbee, Bales, Keever, Uhalde and Anderson were honored for their years of dedication to the Ranger sports program.
Wetherbee takes away much more than just the games and competition, he leaves with life skills.
“Playing on a team, it has had its ups and downs, but the most important thing is being a leader and working well within a group,” Wetherbee said. “It has also taught me how to be a better person in general, caring, supporting and being there through times of frustration. You still got to push through and be a good leader and role model.”
As it stands, the Rangers have a 14-2 record and a second-place 9-1 standing in league play.
Over the next week, Dufur faces four road dates against Horizon Christian, Sherman, Condon-Wheeler and Arlington, teams with a combined 48-31 record.
“We just got to keep playing our game,” Keever said. “We play well as a team, we play hard and we have a lot of energy. We just got to keep playing and challenging ourselves to want more from each other. Since this is our last season in basketball, the seniors want to go out with some great memories. We are playing well and this season has been incredible, especially the way we have been playing so well of late.”
At 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Dufur heads to Moro to take on No. 2 Sherman (15-5).
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