Document text
Minor's career night lifts Grants Pass over Crater By DON HUNT GRANTS PASS - His name is Minor, but his role on the Grants Pass High boys basketball team is unmistakably major. And never has Brant Minor been more major than Friday night at Heater-Newmann Memorial Gym. The slender 6-foot-2 senior post scored a career-high 27 points and added eight rebounds to fuel the ninth-ranked Cavemen to a 71-54 Southern Oregon Conference victory over Crater. With leading scorer Tyler York saddled with foul trouble and scoring but six points, Minor was more than willing to pick up the slack as the Cavemen won their 13th game in 16 starts this season and improved to 5-2 in the SOC. Crater fell to 11-6 and 4-3. "Their big guy (Andrew Norum) got in foul trouble, and that allowed me to get inside and do some damage," said Minor, who used his leaping ability and fancy footwork to continually get off unobstructed shots. "I got in a rhythm and my guys kept getting me the ball." Minor, one of three returning players off of last season's Caveman squad that advanced to the semifinals of the Class 4A state tournament, missed the first two games of this season with a broken hand. He didn't return to full strength until early this month. "He only missed two games, but I know it (the broken hand) was bothering him until just recently," Grants Pass coach Bill Cowell said. "He was tentative, knowing it could get hit at any time. "But Brant was his old self tonight. This was definitely his best game." Minor scored the first basket of the game - a 16-foot, turnaround jumper after grabbing an offensive rebound. The Cavemen proceeded to take a 16-5 lead through 51/2 minutes of the opening period, but the visiting Comets wouldn't flame out without a fight. Derek Petersen's 3-point basket drew Crater within 18-12 late in the first period, and another trey by the senior guard, followed by a pair of free throws, inched the Comets within 19-18 at the 5:26 mark of the second period. Crater was still within one point at 29-28 with two minutes left in the first half when reserve forward Rob Davis converted a fastbreak layup, but Grants Pass scored the final eight points of the half, including a driving layup by Minor one second before the buzzer sounded, to give the Cavemen a 37-28 bulge at the break. "We had no rhythm offensively to start the game, and then had to play catch-up the rest of the night," Crater coach Matt Meunier said. "Grants Pass is a good team defensively and we had a tough time getting off good shots. "And I'll take the blame for that. I need to teach our kids to set better screens." Minor scored 10 points in the third period and then hit a 3-pointer and a free throw early in the fourth as the Cavemen took a 61-42 lead, their biggest of the night. Petersen finished with 16 points to lead the Comets, while Chris Pettegrew came off the bench to score 12. Norum added 11 but fouled out with 6:25 to play. Bruce Voges backed up Minor with 12 points and Tom Cohen added 10 for Grants Pass. The Cavemen now hit perhaps the toughest part of their schedule - going on the road to Klamath Union Tuesday, followed by a home game against Roseburg next Friday and a road date with South Medford on Feb. 5. "We're in the thick of it," Cowell said, "with a chance to win it (a league title). "We'd like to have a couple of those earlier games back, but we're in pretty good shape." Particularly with one of their main men - Minor - back to 100 percent. CRATER (54) - Petersen 16, Pettegrew 12, Norum 11, Sills 4, Ryan 4, Goode 3, Zimmerman 2, Davis 2, Goff 0, Gugliotta 0, Slezak 0. Totals: 18 11-16 54. GRANTS PASS (69) - Minor 27, Voges 12, Cohen 10, Mahr 7, York 6, Draper 3, Baily 2, Heater 2, Cameron 0, Matthews 0. Totals: 26 15-30 69. Crater..................................................... 12 16 12 14 - 54 Grants Pass........................................... 18 19 18 14 - 69 3-point goals - Crater 6 (Petersen 3, Pettegrew 2, Goode 1), Grants Pass 2 (Draper 1, Minor 1). Fouled out - Norum, Ryan, York. JV score - Grants Pass 71, Crater 54. Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.