By Jeremy McDonald

jeremymcdonald73@gmail.com

TURNER, Ore.– Crosshill Christian did Crosshill Christian things Wednesday night against 1A Casco League opposition Willamette Valley Christian.  They hit the shots, free throws and played sound defense against the Warriors, turning a 17-13 first quarter lead into a sound 33-19 lead at half of their 65-38 win over the Brooks-based squad.

And the Eagles didn’t miss a beat going into the second half, extending their lead and not letting off the gas pedal.  Knowing how competitive the league is this year, WVC sitting two losses behind the undefeated Crosshill Christian team and a loss ahead of both St. Paul and Perrydale, it was crucial for the hometown Eagles not to give an inch with the remainder of the league schedule ahead of them.

“Just driving and getting to the lane and getting those free throws really helped a lot tonight.  It gave us the momentum to go through the whole game, we were controlling everything defensively and offensively, it all really helped out at the end,” Crosshill Christian’s Zach Wilson said.

Focusing on each opponent has been key for Crosshill this year, points Wilson as despite losing two crucial starters from last year’s 1A State Placing team last season, the Eagles are sitting 15-3 overall and 8-0 in league play with the second half of league fully underway.

For Willamette Valley Conference, who falls back into a two-way tie with Perrydale at 6-3 in league with both just ahead of St. Paul’s 5-3 record in fourth, Friday’s Homecoming Game against C.S. Lewis Academy presents another opportunity to get better and get back on track with plenty of time to build some more positive momentum going into the remainder of the season.

“We got a quick turnaround, we got a practice tomorrow and a home game on Friday, so it’ll be a quick turnaround.  We talked about the next game and moving on, just picking up from here and moving on, this is a moment to learn and move on,”  the Warriors Head Coach Aaron Hunter said. “This is where we want to be at the end of the year, playing top teams and we can’t play like we did today.  I think it’s a mentality thing and coming out with a strong mentality, playing fearless and playing together.

“I think we can play with a lot of the top teams in the State at 1A.  It’s just a matter of us playing together, playing loose and not playing tight.”

Wilson had 16 points for Crosshill Christian, Noah Dallum contributed 15 points for the Eagles, who will play at St. Paul on Friday.  Aydn Dallum led Willamette Valley Christian with 13 points and Jake Higgins contributed another 12 points for the Warriors.

Photos By Jeremy McDonald