NORTH BEND, Ore. — Sophomore guard Ryan Deloach finished with 18 points, including a half-court buzzer beater at the end of the third quarter, to lead the Cottage Grove Lions (5–14, 3–4 in 4A) to a 66–50 road win against the North Bend Bulldogs (5–14, 0–6 in 4A) on Tuesday evening.
Nine of Deloach’s points came in the third quarter, and the shot ignited the Lions. His performance on both sides of the ball helped Cottage Grove snap its three-game losing streak.
“You don’t see those a lot,” Cottage Grove head coach Seth Hutchison said. “But you take them, use them, and build on them into the fourth. We just viewed it as another shot and an opportunity to put us up three more, and then we got to go play eight more minutes.”
Lions’ junior Casey Pickle scored 15, while his teammate Cade May finished with 11, drilling a trio of 3-pointers. The pair, along with Deloach, all finished in double figures.
Junior guard Conner Johnson led North Bend in scoring with 17 points.
Lions’ junior forward Trevor Cooper missed his third-straight game with a right ankle sprain he suffered against Marist Catholic in January. But his condition is improving, and he was active in the team’s shootaround on Sunday. Hutchison is optimistic about a return to the team’s next game.
“Trevor [Cooper] was around on Sunday,” Hutchison said. “Swelling is going down, range of motion is getting a little bit better, and that’s the key to it. We want to get more range of motion before we let him loose. But we’re hoping for a Tuesday return.”
Bulldogs’ head coach Jasper Sawyer received a technical foul late in the fourth quarter after arguing a lane violation that was not called on the Lions.
“One of [Cottage Grove’s] players who was on the side of the free throw stepped over the line before the ball was shot,” Sawyer said. “The referee came over to me and told me I was right, but he wasn’t going to change the call. That’s why I got upset, because he told me I was right.”
The Bulldogs face Marist at home this Friday. They head into it on a six-game losing streak. But with all of the injuries on the roster, North Bend will prioritize what they can do to win.
“We focus on us, we can control what we can control,” Sawyer said. “Whichever eight to ten guys we have in uniform that day, we have this phrase called dog mentality. It’s called hard work, toughness, and relentless effort.”
The Lions have the opportunity to build off this win a week from now, as they wrap up their three-game road trip against Marist.
“This is a big win for their morale,” Hutchison said. “Now we get an opportunity against Marist [Catholic], a tough place to play, but not an opportunity we are going to shy away from.”
What’s Next:
Cottage Grove: @ Marist Catholic Tuesday 2/10
North Bend: vs. Marist Catholic Friday 2/6