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Abby's bounces back with win over
Southridge
Trio of Newberg High School
wrestlers goes national
NHS
thumps Vikings;
look forward
to winter |
The boys summer league team hammers Forest
Grove in its final game of the season |
By B. Scott Anderson, Newberg
Graphic Sports Editor
Email Scott at banderson@eaglenewspapers.com
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 HILLSBORO — Things
really couldn’t have ended any better for the Newberg High School boys summer league
basketball team Tuesday.
The Tigers used an early first-quarter lead and outscored Forest Grove 28-19
in the second half for a 65-42 triumph. The win ended the summer season for the Tigers and
came on the heels of a three-day stint at a team camp at the University of Oregon. The
Tigers went to the same camp last year but didn’t play a game after it. Newberg coach
Rod Cook wanted to make a little change this year.
“It’s a great way to end the season,” he said. “It’s
kind of why I wanted to play an extra game after the team camp, because last year I saw
how we came together so much and I wished we played a few extra games after the camp to
see where we were at. With this game, we are exactly where I want us to be.”
Josh Brown hit back-to-back 3-pointers in the final two minutes of the first
quarter to grow a slim lead to a 26-16 advantage after the first quarter. With 2:34
remaining in the second quarter, Brown dished the ball to Jeremy Quinby in the corner for
another trey to give the Tigers a 37-21 lead.
Newberg’s lead ballooned in the third quarter. With 2:31 left, post
David Lee grabbed an offensive rebound and scored to put the Tigers up 48-28 and the rout
was on. Forest Grove was never able to get closer than 20 points the rest of the way.
Brown led the Tigers with 18 points, three rebounds and four assists. Post
Ian Roholt chipped in 12 points and 11 rebounds. Forward Brad Johnson added four points
and six rebounds, while Lee recorded four points and six rebounds. Guard Fran Stoller
contributed six points and four assists in the triumph.
Normally the Vikings are a disciplined and respected team. On Tuesday, Forest
Grove, Cook said, was “a mess.” With the game out of reach in the fourth
quarter, a player received a technical foul for arguing a call.
“They don’t have a head coach right now. ... They’re kind of
in disarray, but my kids didn’t get caught up in any of that stuff they were
doing,” Cook said. “We came to play basketball and we wanted to get some things
done and we did that. Every single guy who stepped on the floor contributed tonight and
when everybody steps up and is ready to play, we’re a pretty good ball team.”
Technical fouls have been a problem for Newberg during the past few seasons.
Whether it’s a poor call or a non-call from a referee, a few players have had trouble
maintaining their composure. Cook said that type of behavior will not be tolerated come
winter season.
“Basically, kids are going to lose playing time and then they’re
going to lose uniforms if it doesn’t stop,” he said. “We’ve talked
about it and they know it’s coming.”
Cook said technical fouls became a hindrance last year in a few games. He
said it was difficult to take care of those players who were getting whistled for
technicals without diverting attention from the remaining players.
“I’m not going to take away my focus on these 12 kids to turn all
this negative energy toward the one kid who is doing all the bad stuff,” he said.
“And it’s just not fair and we’ve talked about that. The kids are willing
to change and do what’s best for the team.”
With the summer season over, four months will pass until the first day of
practice of the winter season for the Tigers. Cook said while a majority of the players
compete in fall sports, he wants this season’s summer league season to be in the back
of their minds.
“I told them that everything they learned this summer to file it away so
when Nov. 1 comes and we start Day 1 of basketball practice, that we’re ready to jump
back in that mode of play,” he said.
Cook has high aspirations for this season. He said he hopes to have a repeat
performance of last season’s first few weeks of practice when players came ready for
action.
“I think that stemmed from the way we finished our summer season and
that’s what we’re hoping this year,” he said. “We hope the kids come
with that same excitement and that knowledge to be able to get things done.”
That shouldn’t be a problem with the way the Tigers played this summer.
“We got better from Day 1 to the end of the season and as the season
progressed we really started playing team basketball and that was one of our goals,”
Cook said. “If we come in and play as a team and like we’ve done the last couple
of weeks, we’re going to be able to be competitive and win some ball games. But if we
come in and have to start all over again and not play team basketball and play individual
basketball, we’re going to struggle and I don’t think this group is going to
allow that.”
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From July 5,
2003, Newberg Graphic
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