by Scott Sacry
On Tuesday, January 17th, Corvallis made the short trip south to Hamilton for a tripleheader in front of a raucous crowd from both communities. First, the girls’ basketball teams played, then the wrestling teams dualed, and finally, the boys’ basketball teams provided the nightcap. The Hamilton Broncs won all three events.
The girls started out the night. It was close early, but Hamilton’s defensive pressure, both in full court and in the half court, wore down Corvallis, forcing turnovers and leading to easy points for the Lady Broncs. The 1st quarter ended with Hamilton up 24-11, and it was 40-19 at halftime. Corvallis competed hard, but, in the end, Hamilton had too much firepower and won, 73-38. For Hamilton, Layne Kearns was all over the court getting rebounds, assists, steals, and scoring 19 points. The cousin duo of senior Taryn Searle and freshmen Emilee Searle each had 10 points, and Lovana Wetzel added 9. For Corvallis, Ava Loren led with 13 points, and Tylin Sorensen and Farah Wyche each added 6 points.
Next, the wrestlers took center stage for a Corvallis vs. Hamilton dual. There were some spirited matches and Hamilton edged out Corvallis, 39-36. Hamilton’s coach Ted Adams said it was the first time Hamilton has defeated Corvallis in a wrestling dual in years. At 170, Hamilton’s Andrew Fredrick defeated Corvallis’s Bodee Davis (Fall 1:39). At 182, Hamilton’s Clayton Beall defeated Corvallis’s Colton Snyder (Fall 0:52). At 103, Hamilton’s Colton Morgan defeated Corvallis’s Kiera Davis in a 9-6 decision in a thrilling match. At 132, Hamilton’s Jesse Anson defeated Corvallis’s Seth Allen (Fall 2:35). At 152, Corvallis’s Brandon Mosbrucker defeated Hamilton’s Liam Ralph (Fall 1:27).
To finish off the night, the boys’ basketball teams squared off in front of a surly crowd. Hamilton, ranked No. 4 in the latest 406mtsports.com Class A poll, got up early and led 20-8 in the 2nd quarter. Corvallis went on a run to close the gap before halftime, and Hamilton held a precarious 26-20 lead. After halftime, Hamilton showed why they are a top five team. With a mix of suffocating defense and hot shooting, the Broncs pulled ahead, outscoring Corvallis 38-17 in the 2nd half, and winning, 63-37.
Hamilton defense was the key as they had 19 steals versus 1 for Corvallis and Hamilton forced 27 Corvallis turnovers. Hamilton’s Taylor Searle led with 6 steals. Hamilton’s Cole Dickemore got hot and made 5 3’s and led Hamilton with 17 points. Asher Magness had 14 points and 9 rebounds, and Eli Taylor had 10 points, 4 assists and 4 steals. For Corvallis, Aaron Powell led with 10 points, while Dillen Potter had 10 rebounds and 8 points, and Ryan Hutchison had 6 rebounds and 4 assists.
On Saturday, the Hamilton boys hosted No. 2 Butte Central and lost, 51-62. A competitive game throughout, Hamilton was unable to get a foothold and gain the upper hand against Butte Central. The Maroons shot an impresive 65% from the field, compared to a respectable 48% by Hamilton. Individually for Hamilton, Eli Taylor had 15 points, 4 assists, and 3 steals. Asher Magness had 15 points and Liam O’Connell had 8 points, going 2 of 3 from the 3-point line.
The Corvallis boys hosted Polson on Friday and lost in a tight contest, 67-72. Ryan Hutchison led the way with 17 points, Aaron Powell had 13, Derek Criddle had 12, and Dillen Potter added 11 points.
The Corvallis girls played Polson on Friday and lost, 38-60. Corvallis fell behind 17-42 at halftime and was never able to claw back into the game. Ava Loren had a solid game with 17 points, Farah Wyche had 8, and Ella Varner added 7.
The Hamilton girls thumped Butte Central on Saturday, winning, 71-28. Hamilton exploded out of the gate, leading 27-9 after one quarter, and they never looked back. Taryn Searle led all scorers with 20 points, Layne Kearns had 19, and Ayda Griffin added 9.