A resurgent Etna team is the next hurdle for the Weed Cougars, who got back on the winning track after a two-game skid by defeating Burney, 64-53, Wednesday night in Weed.
A loss at Fall River (6-2) the night before dropped the Cougars out of sole possession of first place in the Shasta Cascade League. They are 6-2 in league (16-5 overall) and tied for first going into Friday night’s Winter Carnival game against Etna.
Fall River is also 6-2, while Trinity is 4-2. Mount Shasta, which defeated Fall River Friday night then lost at Etna Tuesday, is 4-3.
Etna brings a 3-4 record to Weed, but Cougar coach Mike Carpine says the Lions may be the best team in the league now that they have senior Ryan Hicks has returned.
“We have to play hard on defense and need our guys to be on,” Carpine said. “My main concern is we aren’t playing the same way we were earlier in the season. Our offensive continuity hasn’t been there.”
Robert West led Weed with 23 points in the win over Burney, while Robert Gonzales and Tanner Shelton each scored 14. Jake West scored 8 points and had a team-high 9 rebounds. Cody Beam scored 3 and Mykeil White 2.
The Cougars gave up more than 70 points for a second game in a row in their 76-51 loss at Fall River Tuesday night.
Fall River led 24-10 after one quarter and was up by 22 points at the half.
“We never got closer than 20 points after that,” Carpine said. “They took it to us.”
Robert West scored 15, Gonzales 12, Jake West 9, Liam Hagarty 6, Dillon Wilson 4, Shelton 3 and Beam 2.
The Cougars defeated Fall River in the second game of the SCL season, 61-52, in Weed.
They went to double overtime against Etna, 67-62, on Jan. 12, when Hicks was missing from the lineup.
Weed also has a pair of one-point wins in SCL play, 46-45 in a league-opening home win over Trinity and 48-47 at Mount Shasta.
But for one or two plays, “we could be 3-5,” Carpine said.
Also this Friday night, Fall River is playing at Trinity, so at least one of the SCL teams now tied with 2 losses each will have 3.
Weed, Calif. —
