Grizzly basketball opens league with two wins
The Lassen High School Grizzlies basketball team opened up league play Friday, Jan. 10 against the Yreka Miners. The Grizzlies cut it close but finished the night at a 66-64 win over the Miners.
The Grizzlies then brought the competition back home where they took on the West Valley Eagles Tuesday, Jan. 14. Grizzlies came out on top with a 60-51 win over the Eagles.
Yreka
The Grizzlies traveled Friday, Jan. 10 to Yreka to face off against the Yreka Miners. The first quarter was a close one as both teams scored into the double digits, but the Miners took the lead by the end of the first quarter, leading the Grizzlies 14-13.
The Grizzlies came into the second quarter aggressive and looking to establish themselves. The Miners were unable to catch the Grizzlies’ offense before the half and ended up falling to 37-29 behind the Grizzlies.
Following the half, the third quarter played much like the first quarter, with the two teams’ offenses battling it out as the Grizzlies only put up one point over the Miners before the final quarter, scoring 15 points over the Miners’ 14 points.
The final quarter saw the Miners come out strong, out shooting the Grizzlies’ offense by seven points, but it wasn’t enough as the Grizzlies pulled out the 66-64 win over the Miners.
Neil Growdon led the Grizzlies’ offense, scoring a third of the shots at 22 points. Brock Wolf backed that up with 13 points. Lowgan Fisher, Ryan Del Carlo, and Aaron Ogburn all scored eight points.
West Valley
Following the Friday away game, the Grizzlies brought their next competitor, the West Valley Eagles, into The Cave Tuesday, Jan. 14.
The first quarter was a battle for the two teams, but Growdon helped keep the Grizzlies’ offense in the game as the first quarter ended with the Grizzlies down by one point behind the Eagles going into the second quarter.
Grizzlies were able to make up the difference in the second quarter, with Del Carlo placing himself in the box for layups on multiple occasions, while Growdon was able to sink two of his three three pointers this quarter. The Grizzlies went into the half with a small lead of 27-24 over the Eagles.
The third quarter was another close quarter, but the Grizzlies kept up the pressure against a more hostile Eagles’ defense later in the quarter. However, the Grizzlies still managed to finish the quarter with 19 points over the Eagles’ 17 points.
The final quarter was slower paced, and the teams were both showing more methodical offenses, taking their time on shots and waiting for the opportune moment. Again Growdon and Del Carlo kept the pressure on, leading the Grizzlies to finish the game 60-51 over the visiting Eagles.
Growdon sunk 19 points for the Grizzlies, while Del Carlo picked up the slack at 14 points. Growdon as well showed his shot prowess sinking three three pointers.
This puts the Grizzlies at 2-0 in league while they sit at 14-6 with a four-win streak following the West Valley game.
Grizzlies’ head coach stated regarding the two games, “Beating Yreka at Yreka is never easier, and this one was very exciting as Neal Growdon scored a lay-up at the buzzer to win it. The team dogpiled in front of their crowd, and that was a lot of fun. And then Tuesday West Valley has been our rival for some time, so we took great pleasure in beating them. The league is very good once again. Been lots of close games already. Uprep is the favorite, but I really believe any team can beat the other on any given night. It should be a very competitive league and lots of fun. The key is to win all of your home games.”
The Grizzlies faced off against the Central Valley Falcons Friday, Jan. 17 at home. Results were unavailable at press time, but look for the results in the Tuesday, Jan. 28 issue of the Lassen County Times.
