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Grants Pass no match for powerful Crater in SOC opening By DON HUNT GRANTS PASS - Amy Denson registered 19 points and 11 rebounds for the Crater High girls basketball team on Friday night. Pretty decent numbers - for one half of play. Denson finished her night with 23 points, 12 boards and five steals, and Sarah Pool added 18 points and four assists as the No. 2-ranked Comets cruised to a 75-34 victory over Grants Pass in the Southern Oregon Conference opener for both teams. The win left Crater unbeaten at 5-0 on the season, while Grants Pass fell to 2-2. "That's one heck of a player," Grants Pass coach Ken Lathen said of Denson, a 6-foot-1 senior who is headed to Arizona State on a basketball scholarship. "We had no answer for her." With Pool on the bench in foul trouble - the senior guard was whistled for two personals in the game's opening 18 seconds - Denson was a one-person wrecking crew in the first period, scoring eight of the Comets' first 17 points. Sarah Yager's 3-point basket with 1:28 remaining in the period gave Crater a 17-2 lead and, although the Cavers climbed within 17-8 by the end of the quarter, the Comets went on a 16-1 run to start the second and pushed their lead to 33-9. Denson knifed through GP's zone defense for eight rebounds in the first half, converting five of them into putback baskets. "I was able to get in good position and just hustled after the ball," Denson said of her rebounding clinic. "It's easier to get rebounds when the other team's in a zone because no one individual is screening you out." Pool, who is bound for California on a scholarship, came back in the second period and immediately drained a long 3-pointer. She had nine points in the period and nine more in the third quarter before heading to the bench for the rest of the night. The Comets led 43-17 at halftime and pushed their advantage to as many as 41 points in the third period when Pool swished a 3-pointer from about 23 feet out that gave them a 60-19 lead. Known for her ballhandling and pinpoint passing, Pool has worked hard on her 3-point shooting in the off-season. "I'm going down to 24-Hour Fitness every day and shooting a bunch of 3s, even on the days we practice," Pool said. "I'm a lot more confident taking that shot than I used to be." With Denson and Pool taking their games to a noticeably higher level, the Comets might be a better team than they were last season, Lathen said. "I really think they are better," Lathen said. "And it's not just those two (Denson and Pool). They've got other kids who can hurt you, and they've got a deep bench." Indeed, the Comets saw 11 players reach the scoring column Friday. Sophomore guard Whitney Black followed Denson and Pool with seven points, Addie Wiersma added six and Yager had five. The Comets need their deep bench because they spend the whole game running and pressing. "The style we're using is so much fun," said Denson, who led the fastbreak on several occasions. "We've had to run a lot more in practice, but it's worth it." The Comets' press forced 30 Grants Pass turnovers. Megan Moon led the Cavers with 14 points. "I thought our kids played well," Crater coach David Heard said. "It's frustrating to lose your starting point guard (Pool) so fast to start the game, but the positive thing was it didn't seem to hurt us. "The other kids really stepped up." CRATER (75) - Denson 23, Pool 18, Wiersma 6, Yager 5, Kinney 4, Black 7, LeBel 3, Robertson 3, Anhorn 2, Huntley 2, Stoner 2, Maartense 0, Green 0. Totals: 29 12-18 75. GRANTS PASS (34) - Moon 14, Klingel 5, Strong 4, Glovinsky 4, Smith 2, Morton 3, Claflin 2, Wessels 0, McHan 0, Molink 0, Austin 0. Totals: 15 3-9 34. Crater..................................................... 17 26 21 11 - 75 Grants Pass ...................................................8 9 9 8 - 34 3-point goals - Crater 5 ( Pool 3, Yager 1, Black 1), Grants Pass 1 (Moon 1). JV score - Crater 42, Grants Pass 33. Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.