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May 28, 2004 - Subscribe - Contact Us - Rate Card - Place an Ad Valley&State Backpage O&E Sports Archives Classifieds Faith&Beliefs Obituaries Revels February 24, 2004 No road trip blues By Joe Zavala Ashland Daily Tidings Hilary Huyett isn't ashamed to say it. Neither is her backcourt mate, Alysse Carlson. The fact of the matter is, the Grizzlies aren't really dreading the long bus ride north for Wednesday's first-round Class 4A state playoff game at Tigard. Actually, they're kind of looking forward to spending time together, sharing motel rooms over the course of two nights and getting a break from school. "We totally look forward to that kind of stuff," Huyett said after Monday's practice. "We spend a lot of time together anyway, but just seeing each other all the time and getting to eat together and the bus ride and everything, it's just a really neat experience." And there's one more neat experience the Grizzlies would like to have on the trip: to beat the Tigers and advance to the third and final round of the play-in bracket. If they do, they'll take on either Churchill or Central Catholic on Saturday for a trip to the 4A state tournament. Ashland and Tigard are scheduled to tip off at 7 p.m. The game will be broadcast on ESPN (580 AM) on a tape-delayed basis starting at about 9:30 p.m. Ashland lost its final two Southern Oregon Conference games to finish 9-5 in league play, 18-6 overall, while Tigard ended up second in the Pac-9 Conference, going 14-2 in league play and 18-3 overall. The Grizzlies are trying to qualify for the 4A tourney for the second year in a row. Ashland began that quest in earnest Sunday with a weekend practice, and followed that up Monday with a video session and another two-hour practice. The Grizzlies will hit the court again today before embarking on the five-hour trek. Ashland head coach Steve Humann said the Tigard game film revealed the Tigers to be a balanced team that runs the triangle offense while using "a lot of lobs" to set up their talented posts. The Tigers also employ a 2-2-1 zone press after scores, a strategy that could backfire against a Grizzly team that's had its way with presses all season. "We organize (against) the press very well," Humann said. The Grizzlies and Tigers have just one like opponent: Eagle Point. Tigard beat EP 62-50 on Dec. 28 in Tigard, while Ashland swept its season series with the Eagles by an average score of 61.5-44 (however, Ashland needed overtime to beat the Eagles 56-48 in Eagle Point on Jan. 2). Huyett and Carlson have led Ashland's guard-dominated attack all season and that trend should continue Wednesday. Huyett leads the Grizzlies in scoring (14.8 points per game), assists (4.4), steals (2.7), assist-to-turnover ratio (2.7-to-1) and 3-pointers (60). Carlson is second on the team in scoring (13.1) and steals (1.6) and third in assists (2.6), rebounds (4.8) and blocked shots (10). While Huyett and Carlson will be a big part of Ashland's game plan, as always, Tigard's strong inside game could place an added emphasis on the performance of Grizz junior post Abeni Hill. Hill says she's ready for the challenge. "Their posts are very defensive and also very good on offense," Hill said, "so I'm kind of being prepared a lot just on both ends, defensive and offensive, figuring out how to position myself in certain situations." DailyTidings.com Home Page Valley&State | Backpage | O&E | Sports | Archives | Weather | Classifieds Columnists | Faith&Beliefs | Obituaries | Revels | Subscribe | Contact Us Copyright 2004 Ashland Daily Tidings and Ottaway Newspapers All Rights Reserved Site Search: .:Advertisements:. RESOURCES - Mail Tribune News - ODOT Road Cams