DUFUR sophomore Levi Morris (left) dribbles down the baseline while South Wasco Couny forward Ellis Rager plays defense in the second half of Saturday’s Big Sky Conference boy’s basketball contest in Maupin. The eighth-ranked Rangers rode a 15-6 first quarter run to a 69-49 victory over the Redsides.
DUFUR sophomore Levi Morris (left) dribbles down the baseline while South Wasco Couny forward Ellis Rager plays defense in the second half of Saturday’s Big Sky Conference boy’s basketball contest in Maupin. The eighth-ranked Rangers rode a 15-6 first quarter run to a 69-49 victory over the Redsides.
All-league post Jake Kortge scored 14 of his game-high 20 points in the first half and the No. 8-ranked Dufur Rangers outscored South Wasco County in every quarter of play in a 69-49 Big Sky Conference boys’ hoops contest Saturday evening in Maupin.
Most of the Ranger damage came in the first quarter, when Kortge dropped four baskets and Bailey Keever added a 3-pointer and a two-point shot for a 15-6 run.
In the second quarter, Dufur senior Bryson Caldwell flexed his muscles with eight points and Kolbe Bales checked in with a 3-pointer and a short jumper to pace Dufur’s 19-14 spurt for a 34-20 halftime lead.
“I like the way we started this game against a very good ball club,” said Dufur coach Tony White. “We wanted to get off to a fast start and we were able to do so with scoring from a lot of different players. It was good to see us spread the scoring out the way we did.”
In the third quarter, Dufur (12-6 overall, 8-1 league) maintained its double-digit lead 51-36, but the Redsides had a quick rally in the first two minutes of the fourth quarter to inch to within a 53-45 deficit.
Colton Nannini had a layup, Travis Hayes sank two technical foul free throws and Nannini notched a rebound and a putback to make it a 51-42 game with seven minutes left.
Keever ended the run with two free throws, but on SWC’s next time up the floor, Hayes rattled home a 3-pointer to draw his squad to a 53-35 score.
Over the next three minutes, the Rangers got a layup from Kortge, and consecutive baskets and foul shot, three-point plays from Caldwell to swell the advantage to 61-47 with 4:03 left.
In the final 3:38, Kortge hit a basket and the team went 6 for 6 from the free throw line, as SWC managed just one field goal on its final seven shot attempts.
Hayes led the Redsides (9-8, 5-4) with 16 points and Brody Myers was good for nine points and three rebounds.
Loreto Morelli and Nannini had eight points apiece, and Ellis Rager picked up four points for SWC, which shot 21 of 61 from the field.
“We work hard. We work hard from beginning to end,” Hull said. “The biggest thing that we probably need to work on is just winning a little of the mental battle of the game and keeping everything together. If we wouldn’t have had some of those mental mistakes early, the game probably would have been a lot closer.”
Dufur hit on 24 of 46 on field goals tries, as Kortge finished with 20 points and Caldwell tacked on 16.
Keever had 13 points, Caleb Morris chipped in 11 and Bales had five points.
“We still have a long way to go, but this team is finding ways to win these ball games,” White said. “You are seeing a team that is quickly maturing and making the right plays in pressure situations. When you get all of those things working together, a lot of good things can happen for them.”
After Friday’s home game versus Sherman, the Redsides head to Condon (4-13, 1-7) for a league matchup at 5:30 p.m. Saturday.
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