Grizzlies play South Salem tonight in second game of holiday classic

The McMinnville boys basketball team couldn’t overcome a slow start Monday vs. Oregon City and lost 49-41, ending a two-game winning streak.

Junior Gage Gubrud scored 13 points and had six assists for the Grizzlies (2-2), and Matt Long had 11 points and seven rebounds.

McMinnville beat Aloha in the first game of their holiday classic. Mac won 55-32. The Grizzlies play at 7:15 p.m. tonight vs. South Salem.

Crescent Valley and South Salem were scheduled to play at 5:45 p.m. Thursday in the Red Gym at McMinnville.

Monday vs. Oregon City, the Grizzlies started extremely slow, scoring eight points in the first quarter and four in the second quarter. The Pioneers scored 12 in the first period and 16 in the second period and led 28-12 at halftime.

“We did not play well in the first half,” McMinnville coach Willie Graham said. “We didn’t make them work for stuff. … Too many easy layups.”

Graham said it wasn’t that his team was playing bad on offense, it was that shots weren’t falling coupled with the fact the Grizzlies weren’t stopping the Pioneers on defense.

“We definitely have to put up more resistance on the defensive end,” he said.

Mac played better in the second half. The Grizzlies out scored Oregon City 13-10 in the third quarter and 16-11 in the fourth quarter.

Bryce Anderson scored six points for the Grizzlies, and Blaine Parker scored six points and had six rebounds. Drew Spence scored three points and Blake Egli scored 2.

Graham said three players did not play Monday. Nick and Tanner Autencio, and Taylor Vicknair did not play because they were sick, Graham said.