COTTAGE GROVE, Ore. — Trailing by 17 points midway through the third quarter in the final game of the regular season, hope for a playoff berth seemed to be fading inside Cottage Grove’s boys basketball huddle. The game was essentially a win-or-go-home scenario for the Lions, playing on the road against a North Bend team without much at stake other than its seniors. A switch flipped, and so did the game. The final shot rang off the rim and, with the sound of the buzzer, the Lions had done it, 59-58.
The 2024-25 season for Cottage Grove boys basketball was one that went through peaks and valleys. The Lions began the year 0-3, then won six of their next nine games and finished February with one wild comeback.
“I was proud of the guys for battling through. We had to come back at North Bend, and they showed some grit and some tenacity in that game,” Cottage Grove head coach Seth Hutchinson said. “We pulled one out, and we gave ourselves a chance in the postseason.”
Although the season reached its end the following game with a 70-41 loss to Newport in the play-in round of the 4A state playoffs, it was one Hutchinson is looking to build on entering 2025-26.
“I think throughout the season we’re going to continue to build and get better and better. But we’re going to hang our head on some effort, and we’re going to play hard,” Hutchinson said. “So it’s going to be a fun, exciting brand of basketball this year.”
The Lions will return junior forward Trevor Cooper, who earned first-team all-league honors while leading the Lions in points and rebounds.
“I’m expecting Trevor to be better than he was last year, and he was pretty darn good last year. He was 16 [points] and 8 [rebounds] for us as a sophomore, first-team all-leaguer. I’m looking for him to take the next step,” Hutchinson said.
They will also return senior guard Cade May, who rejoined the team in the final month of last season after recovering from ACL, MCL and meniscus tears. May suffered the injury playing football in the fall but was recently cleared to play.
“He’s been sitting most of the practices, and then today he found out he’s cleared to play,” Hutchinson said. “So that was a big boost for our morale and to start our team overall, bringing that senior presence, that senior mindset.”
Cottage Grove will also return junior point guard Tai Lam, junior forward Casey Pickle and senior forward Kaleb Robertson. The Lions, however, will be without their two senior captains from last season, guard Nathin Lemon and forward Josh Bruner, leaving Hutchinson with minutes to fill.
“I expect the whole team to take a step forward,” Hutchinson said. “It’s going to be a by-committee thing. That’s the exciting thing about high school basketball, you get to see that growth year after year.”
In addition to the loss of Lemon, Bruner and fellow senior Brayden Bauer, the Lions will also be without sophomore starting guard Landon Vaughn, who transferred to Creswell High School. They will also be without bench big Sam Harrisson after his transfer to Sheldon High School in Eugene.
Newcomers to the Lions’ varsity squad will include sophomore guard Ryan Deloach; senior guard Lucas O’Hara; sophomore forward Ethan Valdez; senior guard Felix Garza; and senior forwards Van Norris and Robert Warner.
“The other guy I’m really looking forward to is Ethan [Valdez]. He’s a smart kid, and you see it in practice. He picks things up,” Hutchinson said. “We’re doing some things differently defensively, and practice after practice the light bulb’s starting to get a little bit brighter on those things.”
Cottage Grove will look to its six fresh faces to make up for the contributions from Lemon and Bruner, who averaged 13.1 and 10.7 points per game, respectively. The Lions begin their season against tough non-league opponents, opening on the road at Newport in the same building where last season ended.
“I’m always excited to go back and get another chance, especially on their court. We played them twice last year. We’ll probably get them again twice this year,” Hutchinson said. “It’s always nice to go back and get revenge and get a chance to play against somebody that you’ve seen in the postseason.”
The Lions will also host the Cascade Cougars on Dec. 12, a team that finished the 2024-25 season No. 1 in the 4A state rankings. In the 4A Sky-Em League, the Lions will play Marshfield, Marist Catholic, Junction City and North Bend three times each to round out their 12 league matchups.
Both Marshfield and Marist Catholic sat at or near the top of the 4A rankings for most of the season, with Marshfield finishing No. 2 and Marist No. 3. Despite a challenging schedule ahead, it gives Cottage Grove opportunities for big wins.
“I’m always looking for more effort. I’m never satisfied with the amount of effort that we’re giving, and that’s just the coach in me,” Hutchinson said. “I’m looking for more of us to take the next step as a team… this is about us.”
Cottage Grove opens its season at Newport on Dec. 3 in the first of 24 regular-season contests and wraps the campaign Feb. 27, 2026, at Marist Catholic.