Henley boys basketball dropped a close one and Henley girls basketball faced possibly their toughest test of the season so far in their opening games at the Sisters Shootout Thursday. Here’s how each matchup unfolded.
Boys: Madras 54, Henley 49
A litany of missed opportunities in the final two minutes derailed Henley’s (6-3) fourth quarter comeback attempt.
With 1:48 left in the game, Chris Janney hit a contested floater to cut what had been as much as a 12-point Madras (4-2) lead to 51-46. The Hornets would go on to miss four consecutive free throws and turn the ball over on a traveling violation before Lane Frank drained a three to get them back within 52-49 with :29.6 remaining. Henley was gifted a chance to tie the game after the White Buffaloes turned it over on a double-dribble almost immediately following the ensuing inbound, but the Hornets rushed into a contested three with 15 seconds on the clock. Madras got the rebound and made both free throws with 9 seconds left to seal the game.
“We will adjust and figure it out,” Henley head coach Luke Hammond said. “No option but to move forward.”
Playing without 6-foot-7 big man Markus McCreadie, who was injured during practice Wednesday, the Hornets controlled the game for most of the first half. They outscored the White Buffaloes 10-5 over the final 5:15 of the first quarter to take a 12-9 lead into the second and didn’t fall behind again until Skytus Smith nailed a triple with 1:03 left in the half to give Madras a 20-19 lead heading into the break.
As it turned out, that 3-pointer was just a warmup for Smith, who sank three more in the third quarter–the last of which pushed the White Buffaloes’ lead to 38-27 with 3:02 remaining. Madras led 42-33 entering the fourth quarter.
“Obviously, playing without Markus is a challenge,” Hammond said. “We haven’t even had time to practice without him on the court, so it was a challenge.
“I thought we played hard though and gave ourselves a chance late.”
Owen Harper led Henley with a double-double, finishing with 13 points, 12 rebounds and 2 steals. Luke Bennett also scored 13 points to go with 8 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 steals. Bryson Montag–who made his first start in McCreadie’s absence–excelled on the defensive end, putting up 7 points, 5 steals, 4 rebounds, 3 blocks and 2 assists. Aiden Hayes and Lane Frank finished with 7 points each, and Chris Janney had 2 points, 5 rebounds and 2 assists.
For Madras, Skytus Smith ended up with 20 points, including six threes; Seneca Ball had 16 (half of which came from the free throw line); Maikel Poland had 10; Matthew Suppah-Scott had 5; Michael Picard had 2; and Jevarre Meither had 1.
Henley faces Junction City on the second day of the Sisters Shootout at 7 p.m. Friday.
Girls: Henley 57, La Grande 45
It seemed like Henley (9-0) was on track for yet another blowout win after taking a 20-8 lead over La Grande (7-4) at the end of the first quarter, but things got a bit dicey when the Tigers started living up to their 4A No. 5 ranking.
The Hornets started the second half with a 31-22 lead and led 35-28 with 4:47 to go in the third before La Grande went on an 11-0 run. Trailing 39-35 with 2:32 remaining, Henley punched back with a 7-0 run to end the quarter, giving them a 42-39 lead heading into the fourth. In the final eight minutes, the Hornets clamped down defensively and used free throws to rebuild their lead, allowing two field goals and scoring 8 of their 15 points from the foul line.
“We had some defensive missed assignments [in the third quarter],” Henley head coach Randy Denson said. “La Grande hit some shots. We settled down and made the adjustments we needed to make.
“Proud of our girls in getting through the adversity and pulling out a victory.”
The Tigers became just the second team to hold the Hornets under 60 points this season (Marist Catholic held them to 54 at the Marist Classic Dec. 8). Henley’s Kennedi Modin–who finished with 17 points, including four threes–said La Grande threw some unfamiliar looks at them on defense.
“We haven’t really seen anyone who’s pressured us in the face much,” Modin said.
Annie Campos led the way for Henley with her third straight double-double, finishing with 19 points (including 9 in the first quarter), 13 rebounds, 5 assists and 2 charges taken. Other contributors for the Hornets were Senia Campos with 10 points; Anna Harper with 6 points, 8 rebounds and 2 steals; Lily Fussell with 5 points, 6 rebounds and 4 steals; and Prestyn Schade with 5 rebounds and 2 assists.
For La Grande, Maddie Seavert had 12 points (all in the first half), Rowan Evans had 10, Olivia Pennington had 6, Kayle Collman, Carlee Strand and Maezie Wilcox each had 5, and Peyton Daggett had 2.
Henley faces Madras on the second day of the Sisters Shootout at 7 p.m. Friday.
