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Tigers take home third at NW Duals
Bruins take a bite out of Wolfpack, 74-40
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Tigers put a scare into Highlanders |
The NHS boys basketball team nearly pulls off an
upset of the Class 5A's No. 1-ranked team |
By B. Scott Anderson, Newberg
Graphic sports editor
E-mail Scott at banderson@eaglenewspapers.com
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KEIZER — North Eugene’s Markus Baker
scored 24 points and post Brian Conklin scored 18 points and added
10 rebounds Friday in a 60-48 win over the Newberg High School boys
basketball team in the championship game at the McNary High School
Boys Basketball Holiday Tournament.
Newberg, which got into the finals via a 56-51 win over McNary the
night before, was outscored 15-8 in the final quarter.
“I
thought they were mentally tougher than we were in the second half,”
Newberg coach Mark Vernon said. “It wasn’t so much their physical
play that was better than us, but mentally they were a little bit
tougher than us in the second half. A lot of it though was that we
were pretty spent. We were pretty tired. It took a lot of energy to
beat McNary.”
Newberg had North Eugene, ranked No. 1 in Class 5A, on the ropes in
the first half, though. Newberg senior Josh Stoulil hit his first
three three-pointers and four of his first five attempts as Newberg
lept to a 17-13 lead with 5:49 remaining in the second quarter. Tony
Torres hit a three-pointer with 4:08 to play in the half and Newberg
stretched its lead to 28-21.
But the Highlanders rallied. A basket with 1:43 remaining in the
half by 6-foot-9 sophomore Joe Kammerer brought North Eugene within
32-31 before a basket by Cameron Swinehart with six seconds
remaining gave the Highlanders a 34-31 halftime lead.
Newberg’s offense sputtered in the second half as North Eugene
seemed poised to pull away and led by as many as eight. A
three-point play by Torres with 3:12 left in the quarter brought
Newberg within 43-37 before his three-pointer from the corner with
49 seconds left in the quarter cut the North Eugene lead to 45-40 to
start the final quarter.
The Highlanders pulled away in the fourth quarter. Markus Banks hit
a three-pointer with 5:51 remaining to give the Highlanders a 52-40
lead and Newberg never got closer than 10 points the rest of the
quarter.
“I thought their toughness got to us,” Vernon said. “I’m concerned
about that, but I was hoping it was more about fatigue than
anything. We don’t play any more back-to-back games, so it shouldn’t
be a concern.”
Despite the loss, Vernon said he was thrilled with the way Newberg
played.
“I’m so proud of the team that I can’t even tell you,” he said.
“After all the energy they expended (in Thursday’s win over McNary)
and then to come back here and really give the No. 1 (5A) team in
the state a great, great game ... I’m just really proud of them.
But as good as Newberg’s offense was, it was on the defensive end
where it shined. Newberg held the 6-foot-8 Conklin, who scored 41
points the night before to take over a 29-year-old North Eugene High
School scoring record from former NBA great Danny Ainge, to two
points in the first half.
“I was even more proud of our defense, though,” Vernon said.
“(Conklin) is 6-8 and so we know we’re going to have to guard a guy
like (Canby’s 6-foot-10 Clint Chapman), so that gives us a little
bit of hope. We did a very good job on that kid and he’s very good.”
Stoulil led Newberg with 19 points. Torres added 15; Lonny Gardner
added eight.
The game concluded Newberg’s preseason schedule. The Tigers
finished 3-6.
“That far exceeds where I thought we might be,” Vernon said. “I’m
so happy with the way they’re playing.”
Newberg starts Pacific Conference play with a 7 p.m. game Friday at
McMinnville. |
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From
Jan. 3, 2007, Newberg Graphic
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