Caribou Chatter
Doug Flanagan
Can Bulldogs boys contend?
By Doug Flanagan
Jan. 14, 2011
This weekend, the Cashmere High School boys basketball team will take on Omak (tonight) and Tonasket (Saturday night). It certainly appears as if the Bulldogs are capable of beating both squads - the Pioneers have some interesting players, but they haven't been able to gel into a consistent winner yet, and the Tigers are struggling in Caribou League Trail play after a great non-league start.
But Cashmere head coach Keith Boyd thinks it's imperative for his team to get a couple of wins this weekend if his team is to remain in the thick of the CTL race.
"Currently we are 6-5, 4-0 at home. We have two home league games this weekend. If we can come up with a couple of wins this weekend, we will finish the first half of league play 3-2, with our two losses at (league co-leaders) Chelan and Cascade," Boyd said. "This is an important weekend for us."
There's no doubt about that. But looking ahead, the big question that Boyd has to answer is this: Are the Bulldogs good enough to be a factor later in the season and the playoffs, or will their lack of experience hold them back and consign them to another middle-of-the-pack finish?
Early on, there's been some good signs. Cooper Elliott, the team's only returning starter from a year ago, has become a revelation for a team that entered the season desperately needing a leader and go-to scorer.
Elliott, a 6-foot-4 forward, has grown into both roles.
"I am just happy that I have had the opportunity in my life to get to know and coach Cooper," Boyd said. "He is a great person and player. He is just a junior and is having a great year, and with his work ethic, he will continue to improve."
Dylan Boyd, Trenton Johnson and Mitchell Darlington have also proven at times this season that they are capable of being consistent offensive threats on the perimeter. The Bulldogs, however, haven't shown much of an inclination to efficiently work the ball inside on offense or defend the key with tenacity. Besides Elliott, Cashmere doesn't have a lot of height.
"The bottom line is we must do a better job in the paint," Boyd said. "Rebounding has been a problem for us, and we must get better at both offensive and defensive rebounding and inside finishing around the basket."
But again, the team is young, so its inconsistent performance and the disparity between its home and road records is probably to be expected. But Boyd has noticed that his team is doing some things that inexperienced teams don't do, which he takes as a positive sign.
Will the Bulldogs be contenders this season? Right now, that's tough to answer. But, as Boyd says, we might know more after this weekend.
"It is a great group of kids with, and they work hard every day," Boyd said. "They like playing together, and currently we are where I thought we would be. We are young, so we are inconsistent and have been struggling on the road. They are competitors, and normally turnovers can be a problem with a young team, and that has not been an issue for us this year. I think we will continue to improve as we gain experience, and hopefully we will be ready to make a run like we did last year. We have thrown the youngsters to the wolves, and I am proud of the way they have responded."
