Sweet Home rallies past Vikings, 32-30


Siuslaw senior point guard Preston Mitchell loves to win, but he isn't one to let a one-win season spoil his fun.

"I want to win some games," Mitchell said Tuesday, in the wake of a 32-30 basketball loss at home to Sweet Home in a nonleague game at Butler Court,

"At the same time, it's my senior year. It's my last few games with these guys, and I want to enjoy it."

Mitchell is one of three Vikings seniors who distinguished themselves on the football team, and who are now starting for first-year boys basketball coach Will Biggs.

The others are 5-foot-8 guard Kenneth Thrall and 6-5 center Reese Siegel. Fellow senior Scott Gordon plays big minutes as a reserve.

Mitchell, Thrall, Reese and Gordon were all named to the Far West League coaches' all-star football team, Mitchell and Thrall on the first team, Reese and Gordon on the second team.

"It's fun winning with them, it's fun losing with them," Mitchell said. "Whatever, we're going to go out and have fun doing it."

He's also having a blast playing alongside the Vikings' future, sophomores Trent Reavis, Jared Brandt and Jakob Hickson and junior Brogan Cornish.

The underclassmen scored 22 of the Vikings' 30 points Tuesday, including a team-high 11 by Reavis, a 6-7 center who is being groomed as Mitchell's replacement at quarterback on the football team next season.

Brandt added a team-high 9 rebounds, 6 points, 2 steals and 2 blocked shots, while Hickson had 5 points, including a 3-pointer off the bench at the start of the second quarter that gave the Vikings their first lead, 7-6.

"There's obviously some great players (among the underclassmen)," Mitchell said. "It'll be interesting to see how they do in the future.

"The heart is there. I think the work ethic is there. So we'll see how that translates over the years to come."

For his part, Mitchell tossed in 7 points against Sweet Home, with 4 rebounds, 2 assists and a steal. He also had 6 of the Vikings' 16 turnovers when he fouled out of the game in the final minute.

The Vikings had pulled to within the final score, 32-30, on a three-point play by Reavis with just under a minute and a half to play.

Sweet Home then played keep-away down the stretch, forcing Siuslaw to foul. But the Huskies kept the Vikings in the game by missing the front end of three one-plus-one free-throw attempts in the final minute.

For their part, the Vikings missed the front end of a one-plus-one with 17 seconds to play and an open 3-point shot from the top of the key in the closing seconds.

It was a tough turn of events for Siuslaw, which had built a 21-13 lead midway through the third quarter thanks to a nine-point run that included a pair of layins by Reavis, a 3-pointer by Brandt and a fastbreak bucket by Mitchell.

The Huskies cut the deficit to 25-22 entering the fourth quarter when junior wing Daniel Virtue hit three field goals, including a pair of 3-pointers, to put Sweet Home ahead for good at 30-27.

Huskies junior guard Keanu Aiona scored off a steal to make it 32-27 at 1:28 to play. Reavis gave the Vikings hope with his three-point play 10 seconds later.

Siuslaw, 1-16 overall, now prepares for the second half of the Far West League season, beginning with a home game at 7:30 p.m. Thursday against South Umpqua at Butler Court.

The Vikings are 1-4 in league, but have a more-favorable second-half schedule with the Lancers, Brookings-Harbor and Douglas at home. Siuslaw closes its season Feb. 19 at North Bend.

Season's end is in sight, and Mitchell wants to make the most of it.

"I'm still learning, still improving my game," he said.

Mitchell gives thanks to his newest mentor.

"I absolutely feel I've learned a lot of basketball from coach Biggs," he said. "He's a great coach. We've learned a lot of the fundamentals that we've been missing. As we pick that up, we're putting in new things and it's really starting to show.

"We're getting better and better. And I think it will show in the second half. It's been a real fun year."

SUMMARY

SWEET HOME      6    4    12    10    —    32
SIUSLAW              4    8    13      5    —    30