Central Oregonian

Loggers finish season with 10-12 record

Team wins final three regular season games before stumbling in league playoffs

LON AUSTIN/CENTRAL OREGONIAN

Sophomore Brett Domenighini led the Mitchell Loggers in scoring throughout the season. Here he goes up for a jump shot against Prairie City early in the High Desert League season.

Lon Austin

March 11, 2013

In many ways the Mitchell Loggers had a successful season.

The Loggers won the final three games of the regular season, ensuring themselves a High Desert League Tournament spot for the third consecutive year.

The team finished the regular season with a 10-9 record and looked poised to make a run in the playoffs.

However, the Loggers stumbled down the stretch, losing a seeding game to Long Creek, then dropping two consecutive games in the league tournament, just missing an OSAA playoff spot.

Still, the Loggers have plenty to be proud of.

With just three seniors on the roster, and several players who had never played basketball before, the team was able to put together a highly competitive season.

Mitchell played solid defense all season, giving up an average of just 49 points per game. Nine times, Mitchell held their opponents under 40 points a game.

The team finished with a 5-5 record in the West half of the High Desert League, and never lost more than three games in a row the entire season.

Unfortunately, the team struggled offensively all season, averaging under 40 points a game.

The Loggers lose three players to graduation as well as some foreign exchange students. Still, the team will return a solid nucleus next year.

Sophomore guards Brent Domenighini and Tino Espinoza both earned All-league recognition. The 5-10 Domenighini was named to the league second team after leading the Loggers in scoring throughout the season. Meanwhile, Espinoza was named honorable mention after directing the Logger offense during the season.

Also expected to return next season are Tobias Fischer and Jeremy Lanoue, who both gained valuable experience this season.

However, in order to be successful next season the team will have to hope for another influx of dorm and foreign exchange students to fill out their roster.