Serving Whitman County since 1877
Serving Whitman County since 1877
Non-league record moves to 7-2
Colfax Bulldog Seth Lustig in a game against Lakeside High School
YAKIMA - The Colfax boys beat Medical Lake and LaSalle in the Holiday Classic basketball tournament on Dec. 28-29.
"I was very pleased at how coming off a break like that – just seeing more guys step up and score and play with confidence," said Coach Reece Jenkin. "It was great two games for us as we executed offensively and defensively. It was great to see the kids improve."
The tournament allowed the team to play two teams outside of their league.
It didn't mean the teams didn't know about 6-foot-3 Bulldog John Lustig. In the game before the tournament, he scored 51 points to lead Colfax to victory over Liberty by 3 points.
"Both teams tried to take him out of the game," said Jenkin. "They tried to slow him down."
The other teams' plans didn't work the way they wanted.
"Offense – we have some guys who can put up some really big numbers," said Jenkin.
Colfax beat the Medical Lake Cardinals in the first game 63-50 in the West Valley High School gym.
The Bulldogs hit the hardwoods fast to start the game with a 19-6 lead after one quarter. By halftime, it was a 12 point game as the Cardinals rallied back, but it was too little too late as Colfax kept the lead throughout the game.
"They did make a run in the fourth and got it down to 10 but we were able to maintain the margin we obtained in the first quarter," said Jenkin.
The plan to stop Lustig didn't work. He was the top Bulldog scorer, adding 18 points on 7 baskets and going 100% at the free-throw line for 4 more points.
Damian Demler scored 14 points on 1 basket and 3 3-pointers.
Mason Gilchrist contributed 13 points from 6 baskets and a free throw.
The Bulldogs' second game was the next day when they beat the LaSalle Lightning from Union Gap 67-40.
"We outscored them 20-5. We were up 40-10 by halftime," said Jenkin.
Demler scored 33 points on 3 baskets and by sinking 8 3-pointers in the first half and added one more in the second.
"The guys did a great job feeding him while he was hot," said Jenkin.
Teammate Lustig added 12 points from 4 baskets, a 3-pointer, and a free throw.
Bradyn Heilsberg contributed 8 points on 3 baskets and 2 free throws.
"I think we are pretty balanced. We want to create a defensive identity for our team. It's a work in progress but during the last two games we took a step forward," said Jenkin.
Lustig and Demler showed the Bulldogs' capability to score on offense. Jenkin said Colfax can put points on the board and wants to improve their defense to keep their leads.
"We want to be tough to score on ... we want to take pride in being a really defensive team and take away what other teams want to do against us," he said. "We want to be a team known for playing great defense on the floor."
The tournament left the Bulldogs with a non-league record of 7-2. Their first District 11 2B Bi-County league game was against Asotin on Jan. 4 after the newspaper deadline.
Bill Stevenson is the former editor of the Whitman County Gazette, Colfax Daily Bulletin and Franklin Connection. He has nearly 30 years of journalism experience covering news in Eastern Washington.
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