Wednesday, January 30, 2008

Sports at a Glance

All stories by Jean Schurman

Rock the Gym a treat for everyone Lady Pirates pick up win Victor clinches conference Boys Basketball results

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The Corvallis gym was filled to the rafters with wrestling fans from across the Bitterroot Valley for the annual 'Rock the Gym' night on Friday. The event featured raffles and door prizes but the stars of the night were the wrestlers from Hamilton and Corvallis. Rock the Gym is a fundraiser for the Corvallis Little Guy Wrestling Program and was sponsored by Subway of Corvallis and Wild About Pets as well as Dr. Luke Channer. According to coach Jeff Nagel of Corvallis, this was the 10th anniversary of this fun-filled evening.

Corvallis' Taylor Allen gets into position to make a pin on Hamilton's Kaleb Ledford during the Rock the Gym dual against Hamilton. Jean Schurman photo.

This is an intense but friendly rivalry as was evidenced several times during the Face Off. Every so often during the introductions, one of the wrestlers would make a point of shaking someone's hand from the other side or giving an extra hug to an opposing coach.

"We don't hate each other," said Nagel about Hamilton. "It's not that type of rivalry. But we know we're going to get a good draw." And some good competition too.

The excitement in the air fired up wrestlers from both sides and also served to prepare them for Divisionals which will be this weekend in Dillon.

Most of the matches went the way Nagel expected them to go. There were three toss up matches which Corvallis won but Nagel declined to say which ones these were. He was pleased with Steven Jessop’s effort at 119 and Danny Gates at 171. Brent Goodsell hadn’t wrestled since early January and Nagel was happy with his efforts as well.

“I thought we were the benefactors of some quick pins,” he said. “But that’s the way it goes sometimes.”

One of the closer matches of the evening was at 145 with Alex Martin and Andy Jessop facing off. The two battled to a 0-0 tie at the end of the first period and then Jessop took a one-point lead midway through the next period. But Martin was patient, and took his time sizing up Jessop. A quick turn by Martin at the beginning of the third period gave him three points and the lead in the match and the eventual win.

“Alex is a tough kid,” said Hamilton coach Skip Rosenthal. “So they really coached him (Andy Jessop), that kid that wrestled against him.”

Hamilton's Brady Anderson, currently ranked No. 1 in the state at 189, won a major decision over Chris Jessop. The two battled back and forth but Anderson's patience and tenacity won him point after point.

"Brady, he's a good athlete and a tough kid," said Rosenthal. "I think he's a real classy wrestler, he just went out there and wrestled that kid."

Brock Anderson and Danny Gates also had a close battle in the 189 division. Brock Anderson, hampered by a sprained ankle, held Gates scoreless in the first period. But the uninjured Gates made a quick move at the end of the second period which brought the Corvallis crowd to its feet. With that move, Gates took control of the match and took the 8-3 win.

Rosenthall summed it up. “When you lose and you walk away wanting another chance, that's what you're hoping for. They get more fired up for us than anyone else.”

From that aspect and from everyone’s viewpoint, Rock the Gym was a success.

Corvallis 55, Hamilton 22

119 - Steven Jessop, C, major dec. Troy Haake, 13-0; 125 - Seth Pelke, C, pinned Matt Skaw, 4:16; 130 - Taylor Allen, C. pinned Kaleb Ledford, 3:26; 135 - Landon DellaSilva, C, pinned Dillon Wood, 1:12; 140 - Nathan DuBose, C, pinned Leif Holm, 4:27; 145 - Alex Martin, H, dec. Andy Jessop, 3-1; 152 - Trevor Capp, H. dec. Brett Goodsell, 3-0; 171 - Danny Gates, C, dec. Brock Anderson, 8-3; 189 - Brady Anderson, H, major dec. Chris Jessop, 21-7; 215 - Dennis Jessop, C, pinned Paul Donaldson 3:28; Hwt - Wes Sherman, H, pinned Jeff Markett 4:22. Forfeits: 98 - Corvallis; 105 - Corvallis; 112 - Corvallis; 160 - Hamilton.

Lady Pirate Britney Mitcham makes a lay up while an Alberton defender looks on. Victor defeated Alberton, 44-36, in District 13 C action. Jean Schurman photo.

Lady Pirates pick up win The Lady Pirates of Victor picked up their second win of the season against Alberton on Saturday night, winning 44-36. Playing an aggressive style of ball, Victor got on the board early when Katie McCormick hit a short jumper and then Britany Mitcham hit another bucket. Another basket by McCormick and one by Taylor Ruark and the Lady Pirates were out to a six-point lead. The margin stayed the at about five or six points throughout the first half with Victor playing team ball. The Lady Pirates kept their focus even when starting forward Katie Morozumi took a hit in the mouth and actually lost a tooth, according to coach Michelle Widder. “Her braces actually held the tooth in place.” Morozumi came back into the game and wound up scoring seven points and pulling down several rebounds. Victor continued their run in the second half when Liz Taylor hit a three point shot to put the lead back at six points. Mitcham hit another and the Lady Pirates were sensing a victory. “They played 32 full minutes,” said Widder. “And that’s what we wanted.”

Widder credited her team with being patient and playing team ball. Six players scored for Victor which, according to Widder, is a couple more than usual.

Victor lost to Lincoln on Friday night. Widder conceded her team wasn’t ready for the 1-3 zone Lincoln played and that her team didn’t play as hard as they did on Saturday.

She finished the interview saying, “Now they know what it feels like,” and hopes this is a turning point for the young team.

Alberton - Petersen 9, Talbot 4, Marvin 4, Ishler 13, Hendrickson 3, Rausch 2, O’Rourke 2.

Victor - Taylor Ruark 6, Katie McCormick 10, Katie Morrizumi 7, Britanny Mitchum 6, Elizabeth Taylor 13, Caroline Etter 2.

Florence 51, Seeley-Swan 33

After matching the Lady Falcons for the first six points of the game, Seeley-Swan couldn't find the key to keeping up with Florence in a 7B matchup. With Florence pressuring throughout the game, the Blackhawks couldn't get their offense moving. Florence cruised on to a 51-33 win.

"Seeley is a good team," said Florence coach Bryan Neuman. "They gave us problems, they gave Loyola problems. They are physical."

But Florence had an answer for every offense the Blackhawks used and Seeley couldn't find their own answers for either the Lady Falcon defense or offense. Seeley only scored two points in the final period as Florence dropped in 11.

After dropping two games last week to Loyola and Deer Lodge, the win was a boost for the Florence team according to Neuman. "We came out and executed a lot better this week. We talked about the sacrifices we have to make to get everyone involved. When you play like that, and get everybody involved, everybody is happy. It's not always going to happen that way but it was fun tonight."

Florence was led by Kristin Kmetekova's 11 points. Rae Baerlocher and Katie Niemeir each added 10 more.

Florence topped Thompson Falls, 42-30, in Western B action Saturday. Kmetekova had 12 points in the win which saw a technical and an intentional foul by Thompson Falls in the last two minutes of the game.

Stevensville 58, Polson 49

Stevensville defeated Polson, 58-49, on Friday. Led by freshman Blaire Brookshire's 23 points, the Lady Yellowjackets came from behind to notch the win. Allison Jones had 13 points and Sherry Walters added another 10 points for Stevi.

In other action, Darby fell to Loyola, 59-31. Missy DeWalt scored 17 points for the Lady Tigers.

Hamilton 45, Seeley-Swan 32

Hamilton continued their winning ways, taking a non conference victory over Seeley-Swan on Saturday. Hamilton was behind at the end of the first quarter but rallied back to take the 45-32 win. Ashley Albert had 14 points and Annie Schultz added eight for the Lady Broncs who are ranked No. 5 in the Class A polls.

Frenchtown 48, Corvallis 31

Sunni Bleibtrey led her Blue Devils in scoring with 10 points against the Lady Broncs of Frenchtown but it was not enough as Corvallis fell, 48-31.

The Victor Pirates took down two more 13C opponents over the weekend and in the process laid claim to the regular season championship. With that goal reached, the Pirates are looking at their next goal, the District Championship on 2-16-08, the chant they yelled at the end of the night after defeating Alberton, 58-44, on Saturday.

But, the Pirates are also keeping their feet firmly on the ground, according to senior guard Eric Taylor. “First we have to take care of Florence and then Drummond.”

Almost before the Panthers could blink, Victor was on the board and had a lead of eight points. Alberton hit a trey and a free throw but by then the combination of Mark Frye, Eric Taylor, Eric Bissett and Gatlin Lamb had run the score to 16.

Coach Jay Jagelski said his team knew what to expect and who was going to do the shooting for Alberton. “They are very well coached and well disciplined. I thought Alberton did a really good job tonight. But we were ready for the challenge.”

The Pirates controlled the tempo of the game on both offense and defense. By the end of the first half, the Pirates had a 13-point margin. Alberton came out strong in the beginning of the third quarter but steal by Gatlin Lamb who dished to Frye ended the run. Victor kept the pressure on and kept their concentration.

“Everyone did a great job of understanding their rolls on offense and defense,” said Jagelski. “Chris Mai came off the bench and shot the ball really well.”

With time running out, Alberton was forced to get more aggressive and go after the ball. Victor countered with a slow down type offense which Jagelski says he’s not really in favor of but felt it was necessary to get the win. “They were pressing us and we just decided we were going to make them come out at us instead of us going to them.”

The Panthers were aggressive and with that came a few fouls. But again, Victor was prepared. After faltering at the line on Friday against Lincoln, the Pirates shot 8-of-11 from the charity stripe.

Alberton - P. Brovold 5, Hoose 5, J. Brovold 15, Johnson 13, Davenport 4, Raousch 2.

Victor - Gatlin Lamb 6, Eric Bissett 6, Chris Mai 11, Eric Taylor 14, Mark Frye 14, Clay Sacks 2, Josh Hixon 2.

Victor 59, Lincoln 36

The Pirates continued to mow through District 13C opponents as they defeated Lincoln, 59-36. Playing their patented tough defense, Victor held the Lynx to 18 points in the first half. Ten Pirates scored with Mark Frye leading the scoring with 17 points and Eric Taylor adding 15 more.