Lady Vikings fall to North Valley, 39-19

Siuslaw freshman Rhianna Lane

The Siuslaw Vikings girls basketball team gets a fresh start this coming Friday when it opens Sky-Em League play at Marist.

And while the Lady Vikings have yet to win, that has not stopped them from working hard and earning the praise of their coach.

"We were competitive from start to finish," Siuslaw coach Aaron McNeill said, "but again struggled to consistently reward ourselves by making more shots."

Saturday, the Lady Vikings completed the two-day Sky-Em/Skyline Crossover with a 39-19 loss to North Valley at the Siuslaw High School auxiliary gym.

"I was pleased with our effort today," McNeill said. "North Valley is a physical team and we did not back down.

"We definitely have some positives from this weekend's games to build on as we start league games next Friday."

Siuslaw 6-foot center Rhianna Lane continued her growth with team highs in rebounds with 6 and steal with 7. She shared team scoring honors at 4 with Denali Sleeper, Haylee Cole and Macy McNeill.

"Their full-court pressure created some turnovers, but our girls continued to compete," McNeill said. "Denali Sleeper had one of her all-around better games of the season.

"Haylee Cole had a great weekend and has become more aggressive offensively, something we need from her on a regular basis."

Sophomore point guard Jane Lacouture had 3 steals, 3 points and a team-best 2 assists.

"Jane Lacouture is our workhorse, rarely coming off the court if ever," McNeill said, "and has the challenge of handling the ball against opponents' defensive pressure.

"Jane continues to grow and improve as our primary ball handler and has been a great leader on and off the court."

NORTH VALLEY 11 8 16 4 — 39
SIUSLAW 7 2 8 2 — 19
Scoring: Rhianna Lane 4, Denali Sleeper 4, Haylee Cole 4, Macy McNeill 4, Jane Lacouture 3
Rebounds: Rhianna Lane 6, Macy McNeill 4, Gracie Perkins 4
Assists: Jane Lacouture 2
Steals: Rhianna Lane 7, Jane Lacouture 3, Denali Sleeper 2

SKY-EM/SKYLINE CROSSOVER
At Siuslaw High School
Saturday
North Valley 39, Siuslaw 19
Henley 56, Cottage Grove 43
Marist 45, Mazama 33
Junction City 47, Phoenix 27
Marshfield 40, Klamath Union 26
Hidden Valley 35, Junction City 30
Elmira vs. Henley, canceled
Friday
Henley 48, Siuslaw 18
Marshfield 50, Phoenix 32
Marshfield 41, Hidden Valley 38
Junction City 64, Klamath Union 33
Mazama 44, Cottage Grove 23
Marist 39, North Valley 18
Elmira vs. Phoenix, canceled

SCHEDULE
Record: 0-13 overall, 0-0 Sky-Em League
Sky-Em League
Friday, Jan. 14 — at Marist, 7:15 p.m.
Tuesday, Jan. 18 — at Marshfield, 7:15 p.m.
Friday, Jan. 21 — Elmira, 7:15 p.m.
Tuesday, Jan. 25 — at Junction City, 7:15 p.m.
Friday, Jan. 28 — Cottage Grove, 7:15 p.m.
Friday, Feb. 4 — Marist, 5:45 p.m.
Tuesday, Feb. 8 — Marshfield, 5:45 p.m.
Friday, Feb. 11 — at Elmira, 5:45 p.m.
Tuesday, Feb. 15 — Junction City, 5:45 p.m.
Friday, Feb. 18 — at Cottage Grove, 5:45 p.m.
Preleague
Dec. 1 — Bandon 47, at Siuslaw 7
Dec. 3 — at Newport 52, Siuslaw 2
Dec. 6 — at North Bend 46, Siuslaw 14
Dec. 8 — at Pleasant Hill 51, Siuslaw 10
Dec. 10 — Monroe 56, Siuslaw 19, at Harrisburg Tournament
Dec. 11 — Blanchet Catholic 36, Siuslaw 16, at Harrisburg Tournament
Dec. 14 — Newport 45, at Siuslaw 14
Dec. 17 — Sutherlin 47, Siuslaw 9, at Creswell Tournament
Dec. 18 — Monroe 39, Siuslaw 12, at Creswell Tournament
Dec. 21 — Pleasant Hill 41, at Siuslaw 12
Dec. 30 — Newport 36, Siuslaw 10, at Newport Tournament
Jan. 7 — Henley 48, Siuslaw 18, Sky-Em/Skyline Crossover, at Siuslaw
Jan. 8 — North Valley 39, Siuslaw 19, Sky-Em/Skyline Crossover, at Siuslaw

VARSITY ROSTER
0 Rhianna Lane, freshman, center, 6-0
2 Abby Riggs, freshman, guard, 5-4
3 Cate Waggoner, sophomore, guard, 5-2
4 Jane Lacouture, sophomore, guard, 5-7, co-captain
5 Jolee Erickson, freshman, guard, 5-5
11 Denali Sleeper, senior, forward, 5-7
12 Claire Lindell, freshman, guard-forward, 5-5
13 Haylee Cole, senior, guard-forward, 5-6, co-captain
14 Mya Smith, sophomore, guard, 5-3
23 Gillian Norton, junior, center, 6-0
25 Gracie Perkins, senior, guard, 5-5
33 Macy McNeill, freshman, guard, 5-3
Coach: Aaron McNeill
Assistant: Sara Truax