When the new Hamilton High School opened, Riley Bradshaw of Corvallis was just a young tyke. But he was still out on the court at half time, shooting baskets and then following the Blue Devils when they played Hamilton or in any tournament game. Fast forward to Friday. This game may be the last time the senior will play in the gym that holds almost as many great memories as the Corvallis gym.
“It is a little bittersweet. I’ve had a lot of good games in here, intense games,” he said at the conclusion of the game Friday night between Hamilton and Corvallis. “There were Divisionals, semi finals, championships. And regular games were pretty intense too.”
Friday night’s game was no exception. As in any rivalry game, the students were intense, the crowd loud and the bleachers were nearly full. Hamilton was looking for an upset while Corvallis just wanted a win and move up in the standings.
The Broncs played right with the larger Blue Devils throughout the first half in a very physical game. By the end of the half, Corvallis had a seven points lead. But, the Blue Devils also were in foul trouble. Brandon Butt, Stuart Landis and Chase Walker, the players in the paint, each had three fouls going into the break. Hamilton’s Jeremy Johnson and Denny Hoselton also had three fouls each.
“I thought we played a little sloppy,” said Bradshaw. “But Hamilton came out and played hard. We knew they were going to play hard; we just had to come out and try to match it.”
With Bradshaw running the show, the Blue Devils built their lead. When he was open, he shot baskets but when he could, he dished to Beau Maus or Colby Henderson. Bradshaw finished with 19 points in the 60-47 win.
Hamilton senior Brad Palin finished with 21 points. He was pleased with his team’s efforts but frustrated by the size difference. “We play as hard as we can every game,” he said. “And whether we win or lose, as long as we play as hard as we can, I’m happy and I think the coach is happy.”
Both Bradshaw and Palin, who have been starters since they were freshmen, know their teams need to keep improving. Bradshaw credits a tough schedule for keeping the Blue Devils on their toes and playing a physical style game. Palin feels that although his team isn’t as experienced as some teams, they are improving and will be a team to watch at the end of the season.
Corvallis 60, Hamilton 47
Corvallis – Riley Bradshaw 19, Beau Maus 7, Colby Henderson 10, Brandon Butt 4, Stuart Landis 2, Jansen Jessop 3, Chase Walker 15.
Hamilton – Brad Palin 21, Eli Rogers 14, Reese Isherwood 3, Jesse Bartels 6, Seth Mason 3.
With Darby dropping down to Class C this year, a new ‘old’ rivalry has been rekindled with Victor. Friday night saw the Victor Pirates traveling to Darby for a District 13C match. Darby jumped out to an early lead and maintained it through the first half and went to the locker room with a two-point lead in a close match. Darby had a seven-point lead going into the fourth quarter. However Victor’s Kyle Ball got hot and scored 10 of his 23 points in that period and pushed the Pirates to a three point lead as the clock ticked down. With less than half a minute left in the game, Darby’s Jeremy Campbell, who finished with 25 points, drained a trey to tie the game and send it to overtime. Victor went on to win, 53-49, in overtime.
Victor 53, Darby 49
Victor – Kurt Manley 3, Kyle Ball 23, Corey Deering 16, Randy Miller 8, Matt Kittel 3.
Darby – Garrett McCormack 4, Jeremy Campbell 25, Dylan Leidner 5, Devin Thomas 13, Matt Robbins 2.
Victor traveled to Drummond on Saturday to battle the league-leading Trojans. Although Victor led by five at the end of the first quarter, the Trojans took the lead in the second and went on to win, 53-44. Ball had 13 points and Corey Deering added 10 more. Victor is now 6-2 in conference play and 6-5 overall. They are sitting in third place behind Drummond and Lincoln.
Victor – Kurt Manley 6, Kyle Ball 13, Corey Deering 10, Randy Miller 4, Derrick Cavill 3, Matt Kittel 8.
Drummond – Ben Lyons 6, Joe Mannix 10, Darius Pool 8, Mac Bignell 19, Danny Mannix 4, Kevin Oberweiser 3.
Darby was host to Lincoln on Saturday. The Lynx jumped out to a commanding lead in the first quarter and never looked back. Lincoln won, 66-44. Campbell had 13 points along with Devin Thomas. Ryan McCrossin added 10 more. Darby is in fourth place in the conference with a record of 4-4 and an overall record of 5-6.
Lincoln 66, Darby 44
Lincoln – Rhett Jorgensen 2, Josh Erickson 8, Ward Roberson 23, Harley Schau 14, Zane Tams 19.
Darby – Ryan McCrossin 10, Garrett McCormack 5, Jeremy Campbell 13, Dylan Leidner 6, Dylan Knox 2, Devin Thomas 13.