Central Oregonian

Cowboys go 2-0 to open season

Solid defense makes the difference as Crook County defeats both Madras and Sisters during opening weekend of play

PHOTO COURTESY OF BILLY GATES/MADRAS PIONEER

Jacob Mahurin clings to the basketball during the Cowboys season-opening game Friday night against the Madras White Buffaloes while Marcus Greaves, Chance Sutfin, A.J. Cooper, and Troy Benton surround the ball. Crook County played tough defense both Friday and Saturday night as they defeated Madras and Sisters.

Lon Austin

December 06, 2012

It wasn’t always pretty, but the Cowboys played good enough to win.

Crook County used tenacious defensive pressure and a dominant rebounding performance to take victories over Madras and Sisters this past weekend.

“For the first two games of the season it was probably the best team defense I’ve seen since I’ve been here,” said Crook County head coach Jeff Lowenbach. “We’re all on the same page. It didn’t matter if they were starters or guys coming off the bench — when they had their opportunities they understood that team defense is not one of those things where we get to pick and choose what we get to do.”

Although the Cowboys struggled offensively both nights, they were still able to knock off Madras 54-44 then whip Sisters 45-35.

The Cowboys outrebounded the Madras White Buffaloes 37-17, then came back less than 24 hours later to again dominate the glass, outrebounding the Sisters Outlaws 35-23. Perhaps even more impressive, Crook County held Sisters to just 26 percent shooting for the contest.

For much of Friday’s game, the score was close. The Cowboys clung to a 10-9 lead after the first quarter, and led 26-20 at the half. Crook County opened the lead to eight points by the end of the third period as they led 31-33. Although they were unable to pull away from the White Buffaloes, Crook County was able to maintain control throughout the final period as they went on to take the 10-point victory.

Although both teams tried to push the tempo of the game neither team was able to get untracked offensively.

“We were both trying to speed the game up a little bit,” Lowenbach said. “We just didn’t make as many shots as we should have.”

Preston Washechek scored a game-high 17 points to lead the Cowboys, while Jacob Mahurin added 13 points and Dillon Dees pitched in with nine.

Rodney Mitchell and Jered Pichette scored 11 points each to pace the White Buffaloes.

Washechek also led the Cowboys in rebounding with nine. A.J. Cooper, Marcus Greaves, and Washechek each had three assists while Mahurin finished with three steals.

The Cowboys had more trouble finding their shooting range Saturday afternoon. Crook County could only muster seven points in the first quarter. However, the Cowboys limited the Outlaws to just five points in the period. Crook County still led 17-13 at the half.

In the third quarter, the Cowboys finally opened up some breathing room, building a 10-point lead.

Sisters made a brief run near the end of the quarter, but Crook County still led 30-23 at the start of the fourth period.

The Cowboys added 15 points in the final stanza as they pulled away for the 10-point victory.

“We got good looks in both games,” Lowenbach said. “The shooting will come, I hope. But what is even better is we had the right people shooting shots. I think they are kind of starting to establish their roles, but obviously we need to get better offensively.”

Eli Harrision of Sisters led all scorers with 14 points while Greaves and Dees led the way offensively for the Cowboys with 11 points apiece.

Although he scored just five points, Dillon Dean also had a solid game, finishing with 11 rebounds.

After winning just three games last year, Lowenbach is pleased with the 2-0 start to the season.

“It is what I was hoping for,” he said. “You know how practices are going, but you never know until you get out there and play a different team. There have been times when I have felt good in the past and we came out and played horrid. This was just the opposite. I felt really good and we came out with a strong effort in both games.”

The Cowboys are back in action at 4:30 p.m., today when they take on Ontario (1-0) in the Burns Invitational Tournament.

“If we play defense like we did in the first couple of games and keep progressing and building off of what we started, at the least we will be competitive in every game that we play,” Lowenbach said.

Friday, Nov. 30

at Madras

Crook County (54) — Preston Washechek 17, Mahurin 13, Dees 9, Benton 9, Sutfin 6, Lee, Dean, Ruiz, Cooper, Egbert, Greaves. Totals 22 5-15 54.

Madras ( 44) — Rodney Mitchell 11, Jered Pichette 11, Haugen 8, Wolfe 6, Yeahquo 5, Spino 3, Smith, Fine, Phillips, Lindgren, Sullivan. Totals 16 9-14 44.

Crook County 10 16 15 13 — 54

Madras 9 11 13 11 — 44

Three-point goals — Crook County: Mahurin 3, Benton, Washechek. Madras Mitchell 3, Spino.

Saturday, Dec. 1

at Crook County

Sisters (35) — Eli Harrison 14, Moore 8, Pollard 7, Kerenen 4, Luloff, Larson, Schaab, Stadeli, Harrer, Adams. Totals 9 14-24 35.

Crook County (45) — Marcus Greaves 11, Dillon Dees 11, Mahurin 6, Washechek 6, Dean 5, Benton 2, Egbert 2, Sutfin 2, Lee, Cooper. Totals 17 9-19 45.

Sisters 5 8 10 12 — 35

Crook County 7 10 13 15 — 45

Three-point goals — Sisters: Moore. Crook County: Dees, Mahurin.