The roles will be reversed from last year and the stakes will be just as high when the Mount Shasta Bears and Weed Cougars end the 2010 Shasta Cascade League season Friday night in Weed.
Weed (9-2) has clinched at least a share of the SCL title. Mount Shasta (8-3), coming off a Tuesday night home win over Trinity (7-4), has a chance to tie the Cougars for the top spot.
A year ago, Weed was one game behind Mount Shasta when the south county rivals met for the league finale in Mount Shasta. The Bears won it, 54-46, to claim sole possession of the title.
The Bears and Cougars both take four-game winning streaks into this year’s SCL finale. Weed won three in a row at home before a title-clinching victory at Burney Feb. 12. Mount Shasta won three in a row on the road before Tuesday night’s convincing 75-58 home win over Trinity.
Trinity led in the early minutes of the first quarter, but the Bears were on top, 23-14, at the end of the period.
The lead stayed mostly in the 8 to 12 point range until a Trinity run late in the third quarter cut it to 51-47.
Mount Shasta coach Kirk Andrus said he felt his guys had their heads down a little when they came to the huddle.
“We knew we had some adjustments to make,” Andrus said. “I didn’t think we had been playing great defense up to that point. But we played defense starting in the fourth quarter the way we play defense, with great enthusiasm. I was proud of our guys for making the adjustment.”
Sparked in part by a reverse lay-in on a baseline drive by Andrew Campbell early in the fourth quarter, the Bears went on a 17-4 run that put the game away.
Jake Padula hit a high-arcing three-pointer from the corner, Erik Thelander scored on a put-back then fed Gene Kenyon for an easy inside score. Padula made a steal and drove for a lay-in. Thelander drove nearly the length of the court for another lay-in, then passed to Mark Maumasi on a fast break for another short two-pointer.
“Give Trinity credit,” Andrus said. “They’re a very good team and well-coached. We were fortunate to make some shots early in the fourth quarter.”
Andrus said Campbell “made a smart read against (Trinity’s) zone defense” when he went to the hoop early in the final period. “We were on our heals; that’s what we needed,” the coach said.
The Bears trailed Trinity in the SCL standings before their make-up game in Weaverville Feb. 10. Mount Shasta came from behind to win it, 61-54, but didn’t secure the win until the final minute.
Tuesday’s rematch was a much different story and much less stressful for the Bears down the stretch.
Kenyon, who made 8 of 9 field goal attempts and 2 of 3 free throws, finished with a team-high 20 points. He was one of four Bears to reach double digits.
Jaegel made 3 three-pointers and scored 16.
Thelander scored 15 to go with 8 assists and 8 rebounds.
Padula scored 10 and, like Kenyon, made a pair of three-pointers.
Andrus called it “an ideal balanced scoring attack.”
Campbell scored 5, Maumasi 4, Dustin McDaniel 2, Shane Freeman 2 and Austin Herrick 1.
The Bears’ win against Trinity was good for the Weed Cougars, who were in the stands.
Had Trinity won, they would have had a chance to tie for the league title and move ahead of Weed in the Northern Section Division V playoff seedings.
Now Trinity is out of the title race, and because Mount Shasta is a larger Division IV school, their finish will not affect Weed’s postseason position.
The way Andrus sees it, the Bears’ victory over Trinity means the top two SCL teams will decide things when they face each other Friday night in Weed.
“There’ll be a team celebrating in Weed,” he said. “I’m glad we control our own destiny.”
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The roles will be reversed from last year and the stakes will be just as high when the Mount Shasta Bears and Weed Cougars end the 2010 Shasta Cascade League season Friday night in Weed.
Weed (9-2) has clinched at least a share of the SCL title. Mount Shasta (8-3), coming off a Tuesday night home win over Trinity (7-4), has a chance to tie the Cougars for the top spot.
A year ago, Weed was one game behind Mount Shasta when the south county rivals met for the league finale in Mount Shasta. The Bears won it, 54-46, to claim sole possession of the title.
The Bears and Cougars both take four-game winning streaks into this year’s SCL finale. Weed won three in a row at home before a title-clinching victory at Burney Feb. 12. Mount Shasta won three in a row on the road before Tuesday night’s convincing 75-58 home win over Trinity.
Trinity led in the early minutes of the first quarter, but the Bears were on top, 23-14, at the end of the period.
The lead stayed mostly in the 8 to 12 point range until a Trinity run late in the third quarter cut it to 51-47.
Mount Shasta coach Kirk Andrus said he felt his guys had their heads down a little when they came to the huddle.
“We knew we had some adjustments to make,” Andrus said. “I didn’t think we had been playing great defense up to that point. But we played defense starting in the fourth quarter the way we play defense, with great enthusiasm. I was proud of our guys for making the adjustment.”
Sparked in part by a reverse lay-in on a baseline drive by Andrew Campbell early in the fourth quarter, the Bears went on a 17-4 run that put the game away.
Jake Padula hit a high-arcing three-pointer from the corner, Erik Thelander scored on a put-back then fed Gene Kenyon for an easy inside score. Padula made a steal and drove for a lay-in. Thelander drove nearly the length of the court for another lay-in, then passed to Mark Maumasi on a fast break for another short two-pointer.
“Give Trinity credit,” Andrus said. “They’re a very good team and well-coached. We were fortunate to make some shots early in the fourth quarter.”
Andrus said Campbell “made a smart read against (Trinity’s) zone defense” when he went to the hoop early in the final period. “We were on our heals; that’s what we needed,” the coach said.
The Bears trailed Trinity in the SCL standings before their make-up game in Weaverville Feb. 10. Mount Shasta came from behind to win it, 61-54, but didn’t secure the win until the final minute.
Tuesday’s rematch was a much different story and much less stressful for the Bears down the stretch.
Kenyon, who made 8 of 9 field goal attempts and 2 of 3 free throws, finished with a team-high 20 points. He was one of four Bears to reach double digits.
Jaegel made 3 three-pointers and scored 16.
Thelander scored 15 to go with 8 assists and 8 rebounds.
Padula scored 10 and, like Kenyon, made a pair of three-pointers.
Andrus called it “an ideal balanced scoring attack.”
Campbell scored 5, Maumasi 4, Dustin McDaniel 2, Shane Freeman 2 and Austin Herrick 1.
The Bears’ win against Trinity was good for the Weed Cougars, who were in the stands.
Had Trinity won, they would have had a chance to tie for the league title and move ahead of Weed in the Northern Section Division V playoff seedings.
Now Trinity is out of the title race, and because Mount Shasta is a larger Division IV school, their finish will not affect Weed’s postseason position.
The way Andrus sees it, the Bears’ victory over Trinity means the top two SCL teams will decide things when they face each other Friday night in Weed.
“There’ll be a team celebrating in Weed,” he said. “I’m glad we control our own destiny.”
