Warriors go 1-2 at girls basketball event

Down Bandon by 7 on Wednesday

The Del Norte High girls varsity basketball team ended the third annual Bandon Dunes Holiday Invitational basketball tournament in Bandon, Ore., on a positive note.

The Warriors, who were 0-2 at the three-day event heading into the final day of play, downed host team Bandon 40-33 on Wednesday afternoon.

 On Tuesday, the Warriors struggled as they fell to Myrtle Point, Ore., for the second time this year, 28-17. On Monday, Del Norte opened up the tournament with a 42-30 loss to Blanchet Catholic of Salem, Ore., 44-32.

Del Norte is now 3-5 for the season.

Wednesday game

The Warriors started the game  on the right foot as they took a 15-10 advantage after one quarter of play.

“We jumped out and hit some hoops,” head coach Buzz McCulloch said. “It was good to see” after the team struggled mightly on offense the day before, he said.

Unfortunately, in the second  quarter, the Warriors struggled getting the ball in the basket. Del Norte scored only five points and let Bandon score 10 as things were knotted up 20-20 at the half.

In the third quarter the game stayed close as Del Norte held on to a 29-28 lead at the end of the quarter.

In the final quarter, the Warriors’ offense began to wake up as they converted some fast-break chances, McCulloch said.

“We definitely did a better job  creating turnovers and taking advantage of fast-break opportunities,” he said. “They played well and worked better as a team. It was a good team effort and a lot of girls contributed.”

This was the second time the two squads met this season.

At a tournament in Brookings on Dec. 10, Del Norte downed the Tigers 46-33.

Junior point guard Taylor Cleland led the Warriors with 13 points. Emma Card had nine points while Shauna Ratnour finished with seven points.

Other Warrior scorers included Sydney Benson with five points and Samantha Swinger, who finished with four points.

Tuesday game

On Tuesday in the consolation bracket the Warriors faced a familiar foe in Myrtle Point, whom they lost to 27-21 at a tournament in Brookings on Dec. 9.

Things were fairly even in the opening half as the Warriors overcame a 7-3 first quarter deficit and reduced the Bobcats’ lead to 12-11 at the half.

“It was a  good defensive battle both ways,” McCulloch said.

At the half, he told the girls if they were able to withstand the tenacious defense of the Bobcats and were able to hit open looks they could be in business and have a chance to earn a win.

Those hopes did not pan out in the second half as Del Norte was held scoreless in the third quarter and Myrtle Point scored 11 points.

“It was frustrating,” McCulloch said. “We had open looks but we couldn’t make shots.”

Another reason for the loss came at the free throw line, with the Bobcats going 18-for-22, accounting for more than half their points, while Del Norte finished 7-for-12.

Cleland led the Warriors with six points and Card had five points. Brianna Wakefield finished with three points, Panhia Yang had two points and Ratnour and  Benson finished with a point apiece.

Del Norte next plays on Wednesday at the  three-day  West Coast Jamboree in Dublin in the Bay Area against elite competition.

After that Del Norte will take on St. Bernards of Eureka on the road Jan. 3.

The Warriors have a long  wait to finally get to play at home. The first home game of the year is not until Jan. 19, when they face Big 5 opponent Arcata.

Reach Bill Choy at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it