Local Sports

This is a big night for the Grants Pass Lady Cavers and the Cavemen as both await post season seeding and their next opponents on the last night of the basketball season.

Both the Cavers and Cavemen finished their regular season play Tuesday but most of the conference and the state finish tonight. Both teams are assured of post season play by virtue of finishing in the top three in conference. The final seeding and the determination of their next opponent is done using the OSAA ranking system, a mathematical formula to determine the strength of each teams schedule and rank them accordingly. Those rankings freeze at 10 p.m. tonight. The only variance in the scheduling of opponents is teams are protected from facing conference foes in the opening round only.

The Lady Cavers are ranked 13th and should be in line for a home game, while the Cavemen are ranked 27th. Tonight’s games could affect both teams and the final matchups should be posted by the OSAA sometime Saturday morning

 

North Valley High School is hosting the 2024 3A Special District 3 Wrestling Championships this Friday and Saturday.

Eleven teams are participating with the top three winning athletes advancing to the State Championships February 22nd and 23rd in Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Portland

 

It was an overtime heartbreaker at North Medford Tuesday night where the Tornado handed Grants Pass a 63 to 60 loss in overtime. The Cavemen trailed by 11 at the end of three quarters, but turned up the defense and held North Medford to six points in the final quarter with the score at 56 all at the end of regulation. The Tornado outscored GP 7 to 4 in the four minute overtime period.

The Cavemen were without starter Tyler McIntosh, but freshman Jordan Rosetta stepped up with his highest point output as a Caveman with 18 points. Gavin McLean added 13 and Payton Bruner hit for ten points.

The loss leaves Grants Pass at 5 and 3 in conference play, still in second place due to Roseburg losing to conference leading South Medford 88 to 78 leaving the Indians record at 4 and 3. The loss drops the Caveman OSAA ranking to 31st, right on the bubble for post season play.

One other Southwest Conference game last night had Sheldon almost doubling Willamette 82 to 44.

 

The Jackson County Sheriff's Office detained four juveniles this week after they crashed a vehicle during an eluding incident outside Eagle Point. A Jackson County sheriff's deputy observed subjects with a case of alcoholic beverages running out of the White City 7-Eleven store to a 2004 Toyota 4-Runner early Wednesday morning and the vehicle eluded as deputies attempted to stop it. The elude continued until the suspect vehicle crashed near the intersection of Old Highway 234 and Agate Road in rural Eagle Point. The suspect were detained and deputies learned the female driver and three passengers were from Klamath Falls. One of them was listed as a runaway. Upon further investigation, deputies determined the suspects stole a 2017 Jeep Renegade in Klamath Falls and drove to the Medford area. The suspects admitted to breaking into multiple vehicles in the Central Point and White City area. The stolen Jeep was ditched in Central Point before the suspects stole the Toyota 4-Runner they eluded in.

 

The Grants Pass Cavemen came up short in Roseburg last night, 74 to 64. Luke Morgan led four Cavemen in double figures with 18 points. Tyler McIntosh had 13, Gavin McLean and Payton Bruner each had 12. Grants Pass record drops to 8 and 8 overall and 2 and 2 in conference The Cavemen will have a quick turn around as they will head north once again tonight to face the 19th ranked South Eugene Axe at 6:45. The game will be carried live on KAJO with pregame starting at 6:15. The Grants Pass Boys Basketball team has been selected as the 6A recipient of the Les Schwab Team of the Month award for January 2024. Each winning team is chosen based on performance, dedication in the classroom, and service to the community.

The Lady Cavers beat the Indians, 73 to 25 at Heater-Newman. Grants Pass improves to 9 and 7 with the win. The Lady Cavers host South Eugene tonight at 6:45pm.

North Valley beat Sutherlin, 74 to 32 in Merlin last night. With the win the Knights improve to 5 and 3 in Far West League play.