Curlew Still Has What It Takes Unbeaten Cougars Top Dragons

Different Curlew team, same results.

Jeremy Groth scored 16 of his 18 points in the second half as the Cougars second-ranked in Class B ran away from St. George’s 61-40 for a Panorama League road boys basketball victory on Friday.

Curlew is 13-0 this year and has won 36 consecutive regular-season games - on the floor, that is - since a loss at St.

George’s on Jan. 25, 1997. Curlew forfeited three of last season’s wins for using an ineligible junior varsity player during blowouts.

Groth, Caleb Edwards and J.B. Olsen are the main holdovers from last year’s team that finished sixth at the State B Tournament, one place ahead of St. George’s.

The Cougars lost their size inside when Gunner Olsen (6-foot-3) and Erich Prazak (6-3) graduated, then lost more when junior Russell Strandberg required surgery for a knee injury suffered during football season.

Senior forward Justin March and freshman point guard Craig Groth, who combined for 19 points on Friday, have been filling the void. They scored 11 in the first half when Jeremy Groth (26 ppg) was held to two.

“It’s taken an adjustment because Erich and Gunner got all the rebounds last year, and now it’s up to the guards to do more,” Jeremy Groth said.

Dragons coach Jennifer Mountain said she’s looked for point production from more than three people. She didn’t get it against Curlew, as Dan Dhillon, Tom DePonty and Drew Moser did all the scoring.

Curlew jumped ahead 9-0 and never trailed. The Dragons missed their first eight field-goal attempts and waited until halfway through the second quarter before someone other than DePonty scored.

The home crowd grew excited when the Dragons closed the first half with an 8-3 run to cut Curlew’s lead to 25-21. But the Groth brothers had back-to-back baskets midway through the third quarter to again push the lead to nine.

Mountain said Curlew’s 19-9 rebounding edge in the second half was a main factor.

Curlew coach Steve Brown said his new-look Cougars are using team balance, defensive hustling and better field-goal shooting to offset losses from graduation.

“Craig has done phenomenally for us,” Brown said. “He’s real level-headed as a freshman, maybe more than Jeremy was as a freshman. I don’t ever worry about him bringing the ball downcourt.”

Curlew 61, St. George’s 40

Curlew 14 11 14 22 - 61

St. George’s 6 15 4 15 - 40

Curlew (13-0, 9-0) - C. Groth 7, J. Groth 18, Edwards 7, Olsen 17, March 12, Stotts 0, Wheaton 0, Somday 0.

St. George’s (6-7, 6-3) - Dhillon 14, Holte 0, Moser 12, Davis 0, Helms 0, DePonty 14.