BAKER BOYS BASKETBALL: Bulldogs drop third straight at Les Schwab Invitational

Published 12:31 pm Sunday, December 29, 2024

The Baker boys basketball team lost its third straight game at the Les Schwab Invitational, falling 65-20 to Nelson, a Class 6A school from Happy Valley near Portland, on Sunday morning, Dec. 29.

The Bulldogs, playing without leading scorer Isaiah Jones, dropped to 6-4 on the season.

After opening the season with six straight wins, Baker lost its final game at a tournament in Meridian, Idaho, on Dec. 14, and has lost its three games at the Les Schwab Invitational at Portland State University. Baker’s opponents have been La Lumiere, Indiana, one of the top high school teams in the nation, and Oregon Class 6A schools Roosevelt and Nelson.

Baker will play one more game, Monday at 9 a.m. against another Class 6A team, Lakeridge. Lakeridge, in Lake Oswego, is 3-7.

The Bulldogs have struggled in particular on offense in their three games at the prestigious tournament, which annually attracts some of the top high school teams in the nation.

After averaging nearly 72 points per game in going 28-1 last season, capped by winning the Class 4A state title, the Bulldogs have scored 35, 45 and 20 points in their three games at the Les Schwab, an average of 33.3 points.

In Sunday’s loss to Nelson, Baker scored in single digits in each quarter in amassing its lowest single-game point total in many years. 

After falling behind 19-4 after the first quarter, Baker outscored Nelson 9-6 in the second quarter to cut the lead to 25-13 at halftime.

But the Hawks, who improved to 4-3, dominated the third quarter, 23-6.

Nelson’s pressure defense caused problems for the Bulldogs, as the Hawks had 13 steals and forced 21 Baker turnovers. Nelson had just seven turnovers.

The Hawks’ biggest advantage, though, was in long-range shooting. Nelson made 10 of 24 shots from 3-point range, compared to Baker’s 1 of 13.

Overall, Baker shot just 28% from the field, Nelson 44%.

Baker will play its first home game of the season on Saturday, Jan. 4, against Crook County at 11 a.m. Baker beat the Cowboys 63-57 in a tournament in Prineville on Dec. 7.

BAKER (20)

Gambleton 2 0-0 4, Churchfield 0 0-0 0, R. Jones 2 0-0 4, Long 3 0-2 7, Logsdon 2 0-0 4, Chandler 0 0-0 0, Clark 0 0-0 0, Heriza 0 0-0 0, Wellman 0 1-2 1, Holden 0 0-0 0, Joseph 0 0-0 0. Totals 9 1-4 20.

NELSON (65)

Gaines 7 6-8 21, Katoanga 0 0-0 0, Neal 3 2-2 11, Pickett 4 2-2 11, Garlington 3 0-0 6, Schregardus 3 0-0 9, Bonifacio 0 0-0 0, Moran-Lopez 0 0-0 0, Colombo 0 0-0 0, Day 2 1-2 7, Kirkland 0 0-0 0, Cantwell 0 0-0 0, Davidson 0 0-0 0. Totals 22 11-16 65.

Baker    4   9   6    1 — 20

Nelson 19   6 23   17 — 65