The 2008-2009 Oroville Hornet Junior Varsity Basketball Team is: (front row, L-R) J.D. King, Matt Egerton, Preston Iverson, Rasmus Larsen, Chad Tibbs (back row) Brett Clough, Zach Speiker, Anthony Egerton, Tyler Clark, Charlie DeMartino, Colton Mead and C
OROVILLE – With four games under their belts, the Oroville Hornets boys basketball team is looking forward to league play.
Coach Carl Iverson is in his fourth year of coaching the team with Assistant Coach Brett Fancher. This year the boys have 21 players turning out, with eight of them in their senior year. The senior are Luke Rowton, Marcus Kinman, Chris Wolley, Randy Wise, Isaac Iverson, Cody Mills, David Peters and Adam Peterson. They are joined on the varsity by four juniors, four sophomores and five freshmen.
“Even though we have eight seniors, we are not very experienced in varsity playing time,” said Coach Iverson. “We do have a two-deep inside threat with Cody Mills, Adam Peterson and Isaac Iverson coming off the bench.”
The Hornets went 19 and six last season, earning a share of the league title, but have been picked to finish fifth of 8 this season.
“Entiat and Bridgeport are the favorites, with Liberty Bell and Kittitas picked to come in next,” Iverson said. “That being said, I feel we can fight for that league title and expect us to do so.”
The Hornets have a fifty-fifty season record so far. They started the year with a win against Republic on Dec. 3. They beat their opponents 69 to 58.
Kinman scored 23 points, including five three-pointers. He was followed by Mills with 20 points and nine rebounds, while Peterson had 14 points and seven rebounds. Brandon Funston put in six points, followed by Peters and I. Iverson with two each and Wolley and Blaine Wagner with one apiece.
“We jumped out to a 16 point lead, then they made a huge run in the third to go up five and we out scored them by 16 in the fourth to seal the victory,” Coach Iverson said.
Their next opponent was the Okanogan Bulldogs on Dec. 6 and the Hornets didn’t fare so well, falling 30 to 45. Peterson had seven, Kinman and Funston, six each; Mills, four and I. Iverson, one.
“This was an ugly game with us shooting horribly from the field and eight for 26 from the freethrow line. It was a game I wish we could forget. Oh well, some night it happens,” said the coach.
The Hornets used a victory over their north county rivals the Tonasket Tigers to help get the bad taste out of their mouth from the Okanogan game. Oroville beat the Tigers 54-41. Then it was up against a strong Brewster team on Dec. 12 and Oroville went down 41 to 54.
