"We like these early Saturday afternoon home games," head coach Kyle Heath said after the Eagle men defeated Lassen 85-59 on Jan. 28.
The Eagles had their pedal to the metal from the jump against Lassen, just as they did the Saturday before in a 98-70 win over Feather River.
Fans were barely settled in their seats when the Eagles went up 22-6 in less than 7 minutes into the game. It was 38-21 after Zane Lueth buried a 3-pointer with 3:40 to play in the half.
Freshman point guard Dylan Neufeld hit three 3-point baskets and 6 of his 7 free throws to lead all scorers with 21 points. Freshman forward Cole Bernius had success inside, scoring 11 of his 15 points in the first half, which ended 41-27.
Then the lead expanded rapidly. It was 73-40 midway through the second half after freshman Josh Allen made a steal and took it for a lay-in.
Quick with the ball, quick on defense, and soaring high to challenge Lassen shooters, the Eagles were also hot from long distance, making 11 three-pointers. Heath called it "a solid team effort. We shared the ball and defended well."
After losing at Redwoods earlier in the week, 71-63, the Eagles evened their conference record at 3-3 and improved to 14-10 overall, keeping their postseason hopes alive.
Guards Lueth and Braeden Watts helped ignite the home crowd early against Lassen, each making a pair of 3's in the first half. Watts finished the game with three 3's and 11 points. Will Dobson scored 9, Lueth 7, and Nick Dore 6.
The Eagles had their chances against league-leading Redwoods, especially after they finished the first half on a 14-0 run that cut the Corsairs' lead to 37-36.
They limited Redwoods' guard Treyson Neff, one of the top scorers in the state, to two made field goals and 11 points, well below his season average of 21. And even though Jon Nchekwube, the state's leading rebounder, had 19 boards that night for Redwoods, the Eagles finished the game with a narrow 34-33 rebounding advantage.
Heath said some "bad possessions and turnovers" hurt in the second half, and they made only 1 of their 15 three-point shots that night. But Heath is optimistic the Eagles can win when they play Redwoods at home, although that will not be an early Saturday afternoon game. It's scheduled for Thursday, Feb. 9, at 5 p.m.
Neufeld scored 20 points at Redwoods and had 7 assists. Lueth scored 11 with 6 rebounds, and freshman guard Landon Ellis scored 9. Cade Ealy made the Eagles' only trey and had a team-high 9 rebounds with 4 assists. Bernius and Allen both scored 6 points each.
A 6-foot, 155-pound freshman from Grants Pass, Neufeld is averaging close to 15 points per game this season, and he can also play some D under the basket. He had the home fans roaring after he rose high to block a shot late in the first half against Lassen. But you have to give credit to the Lassen player who had that shot blocked, No. 23 Darien Guyton. He got the ball back seconds later and dropped in a 3 from the corner.
The Eagles, off until playing an early afternoon game Saturday at Butte, are tied with Feather River in the GVC standings behind Redwoods (5-1) and Butte (4-2) and ahead of Lassen (2-3) and Shasta (0-5).
By Steve Gerace
