by Scott Sacry
On Tuesday, February 7th, the girls and boys basketball teams from Corvallis and Hamilton squared off in a packed house in Corvallis. The atmosphere was electric as fans from both communities filled the stands.
The boys opened the show and Hamilton, the #3 Class A team (406mtsports.com), won handily, 56-31. The game was a mix of strong defense and cold shooting as Corvallis shot 23% from the floor, while Hamilton shot 36%. The low scoring first quarter ended with Hamilton leading 8-4. The 2nd quarter turned into the Eli Taylor show. In that quarter, the Hamilton guard scored 18 points, hit 4 three-pointers, and had 4 steals to give Hamilton a 31-12 lead at halftime. The second half was mostly even and both teams played solid defense and fought hard, but Corvallis was never able to chip away at Hamilton’s lead. Hamilton’s Taylor led with 21 points, 6 steals, and 5 rebounds. Asher Magness (who threw down a crowd pleasing two-handed dunk in the 3rd quarter) had 16 points and 10 rebounds, and Max Cianflone had 6 points and 3 assists. For Corvallis, Tyler Weis had 10 points and Cameron Whiteley had 7 points and 9 rebounds.
Next came the girls game. On paper, Hamilton was the favorite, but the Lady Broncs were without All State player Layne Kearns and starter Lavana Wetzel. The other Lady Broncs picked up the slack. Hamilton got up early, leading 19-6 after one quarter, but Corvallis rallied in the second, outscoring Hamilton 20-18, and trimming the Hamilton lead to 39-24 at the half. Corvallis fought hard in the second half but Hamilton had too much firepower and rolled to a 73-48 victory. For Hamilton, Taylor McCarthy had a big game with 18 points, Ashlyn McKern had 14 points, and Taryn Searle and Lexi Brenneman each added 13. For Corvallis, Ava Loran led with 18 points, Tylin Sorensen played strong and scored 16 points, and Brecklyn Jessop added 9.
The Corvallis boys’ task didn’t get much easier the next night as they traveled to Butte Central to face Class A’s #2 ranked team. Central jumped out to an early 51-19 halftime lead, then Corvallis found their mark in the 2nd half, but it was too little, too late, as they were defeated, 53-82. Aaron Powell led the Blue Devils with 18 points, Derek Criddle had 13, and Cameron Whiteley added 8. On Saturday, they closed out their regular season with a 61-38 victory over Stevensville.
The Corvallis girls hosted Butte Central on Wednesday and lost 42-48 in a hard fought game. Corvallis jumped out to an 11-5 first quarter lead, but struggled in the second quarter and trailed 19-24 at half. Corvallis played Central even in the 2nd half but couldn’t make up the difference. Corvallis’s Tylin Sorensen led with 10 points, followed by Brecklyn Jessop with 9, and Ava Loran with 8. On Saturday, they closed out their regular season in Stevensville with a loss, 32-49. Ava Loran led with 9 points, Tylin Sorensen had 8, and Olivia Lewis and Farah Wyche each added 6.